Ophelia's Refrain

OPHELIA’S REFRAIN puts Sheila Joon’s light on full display, shining a woman’s free spirit through the shadows of a child’s vulnerability. This show is a wild spirit reaching for belonging, achieving a kind of freedom with yoga’s healing movement and the theatre’s embodiment of emotion. There is a purity in Sheila Joon that she herself may deny but that dances throughout this piece nonetheless.... full review

I found it incredible experience to witness this play. Her talent is off the charts.... full review

I can't stop thinking about this show. Ophelia's Refrain captured me from the jump, and Sheila-Joon kept the audience rapt through the entire show. Using an ayahuasca experience to transport the audience to different moments of her life, Sheila-Joon seamlessly and brilliantly brought us along for a deep, impactful, and healing journey. ... full review

A brilliant memoir, creatively and bravely told.... full review

THIS IS WHAT FRINGE IS FOR! Bold choices and fearless storytelling. ... full review

I’m a sucker for journeys of self discovery and this was a great version of that story. She wove her heart and life together, and I loved the Ophelia thread that ran throughout. It was a great performance. ... full review

A tale weaving through a life of trauma and evolution filled with intense emotions, stories, subjects, and music. Shelia’s stage presense is incredible! ... full review

A beautiful show about coming to terms with trauma. Sheila has amazing stage presence and is very expressive as she walks us through her life experiences.... full review

Evocative and provocative. This is exactly what the Fringe is for to me. Very bold and artistically mature choices throughout, and an absolutely stellar performance. (Be aware that sexual violence is a major theme.) This story explores mixed-race identity, Ophelia, trauma, and drug use, in a very compelling intertwined way. There are numerous bold choices in set, performance, and musical accompaniment that will stick with me for a while. Also the underlying life story is honestly just a highly compelling one, and I enjoyed the bits of Farsi sprinkled through - if anything, would've wanted more of them! Absolutely worth making time to get out to see.... full review