Sophie Joans is a South African theatre-maker, storyteller, and comedian with Mauritian roots. Her debut solo show, ÎLE, was a smash hit across South Africa, raking about numerous awards to full houses. She went on to tour the solo play to Mauritius, London and EdFringe, where she was one of five nominees for the Filipa Bragança Award for Best Female Solo Performer at EdFringe 2023. Sophie has written several award-winning plays, including Dog Rose, The Flower Hunters, and the Theatre for Young Audiences piece Ka-BOOM!, alongside her clown shows AÏo and ÜÜÜ. In 2021, she founded Spark in the Dark Theatre, a company dedicated to platforming the freshest new voices in South Africa’s entertainment scene. Along with hosting Spark Hub, a theatre at Fringe Festivals across the country, they also run workshops on clowning, improv and storytelling, and scratch night, Play Things, for artists to test their new work infront of a live audience. Sophie produces other storytelling events such as: So, You Wanna Write a Solo Show, Solo Fest and Raunchy Renditions. Sophie is most proud of being a qualified clown. She studied clowning at RADA and under various other teachers. In 2025, she founded Clown Town, Cape Town’s first unofficial clown school. She is also passionate about youth development and teaching, and has managed projects like Slam4urLife and OY! She teaches regularly at Lamta’s MTWA and various other schools.