Colchester Fringe Festival 2026
Sheep!
Jenni Nikinmaa
Genre: Dark Comedy, Drama, Experimental Art, Feminist Theatre, Horror, One Person Show
Venue: Headgate Theatre
Festival: Colchester Fringe Festival
Low Down
A daring and confrontational work by Jenni Nikinmaa which uses sheep as an in-depth metaphor for surviving the trauma of sexual assault.
Review
Jenni Nikinmaa emerges from beneath a white sheet with a startling bahh. The audience gasps in fright and from that moment forward Nikinmaa has the audience captivated. Through clever usage of staging, movement, blood, audience participation, and lots of sheeps, Nikinmaa takes the audience on a frightening and dark journey on the aftermath of sexual assault. Nikinmaa’s performance is harrowing. There is a commitment to the dark material, a confrontational energy, and a boldness only seen in the best of fringe theatre.
The central metaphor of the show is between sheeps (the prey and survivors) and wolves (the predators and the abusers). However, despite what might initially appear to be metaphorically light reveals a surprising amount of depth through the show. Nikinmaa is no prey, at times becoming the wolf herself in the aftermath of rage and violence, and other times, a defiant sheep refusing to be slaughtered. The themes in the show interweave animal cruelty, community, slaughter, survival, and overcoming systemic systems that continue to harm us.
In particular, Nikinmaa’s fierce interactions with the audience are commendable. In particular, one of the sheeps (portrayed with a white blanket) is handed for protection to an audience member. When Nikinmaa takes that sheep for slaughter, the audience member at my performance held onto the sheep, refusing to let go. Sheep! spontaneously creates these provocative moments. The confrontational energy of the show might not be for everyone, but it makes for unforgettable theatre. When the audience bahh’s alongside Nikinmaa, the show’s metaphors of community land brilliantly.
Where Sheep! falters is in the complexity of its metaphor and abstract imagery/descriptions. Whilst the play has rich descriptions and poetic language, it often lacks a grounding to Nikinmaa’s experiences. We are in the farm and fields with the sheep but it is not always clear where these parallel to the real-world. The allegory is not peeled away. The details of the show’s central assault are left somewhat vague. There is only passing reference to key events in the lead-up and aftermath of the assault, particularly the problematic groups which contributed to Nikinmaa’s insecurities. A grounding to specific moments, dialogue, and events in Nikinmaa’s life instead of poetic metaphor would give Sheep! more punch. No doubt is Sheep! richly written, but specificity is necessary to understanding the story more.
That said, Sheep! is undoubtably a powerful work of theatre and one that went far under-appreciated at this year’s Colchester Fringe. In my performance, only four people were in attendance. Powerfully staged theatre like this deserves far more attention. I have no doubt Nikinmaa will excel in fringes more open and familiar with this provocative and darkly powerful style. Nikinmaa is a spectacular performer. “Bahh Bahh” I say to you, or in sheep that means: “Go see this show.”
