*Interview contains adult language and references
After completely sold-out runs at Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Melbourne Fringe – and taking home the award for Best Comedy – Sophie Power isn’t so much returning to Adelaide Fringe in 2026 as she is staging a full-scale uprising.
Her debut solo show, CVNT, is exactly what it promises to be: unhinged, visceral, gloriously interactive, and led by a giant vulva demanding we confront the question, “What is it we CVNT face?” It’s cabaret, clowning, life-coaching seminar and punk-rock sermon rolled into one riotous, sweat-soaked revolution. Think the unapologetic magnetism of Elouise Eftos, the chaotic audience orchestration of Garry Starr, and the feral hedonism of Amyl and the Sniffers – with a soundtrack that jumps from Madonna to Beyoncé to The Divinyls.
But beneath the shock, the chanting, the dancing and the gleeful provocation lies something more deliberate. Power isn’t simply courting outrage; she’s dismantling shame. Through buffon-style clowning – a confrontational, laser-focused form of theatre that locks eyes with its audience rather than seeking approval – she seduces, goads and occasionally lambasts crowds into examining why feminine pleasure remains so confronting.
When our Peter Gray spoke with Power, she was warm, thoughtful and razor-sharp – as comfortable dissecting religion’s influence on bodily shame as she is recounting the terror of performing her first on-stage orgasm. What began as a lockdown acting exercise spiralled into a cult-hit comedy experience that encourages audiences to chant, confess, dance and ultimately embrace what she calls their “cvntiest selves.”
Their conversation moves easily between theatre theory, sexual agency, and the radical power of shamelessness. What follows is a candid, funny and unexpectedly tender discussion about risk, pleasure, accountability, and the liberation that comes from facing exactly what we’ve been taught to hide.
First of all, thank you for taking the time. And yes – I suppose we can just say it. We’re Australian. We’re used to the word.
Exactly. You just have to go with it. Though saying it repeatedly in interviews is always… a thing.
It still makes me think of The Sound of Music. “What is it you can’t face?” I actually own a shirt with that line and the nuns on it.
(Laughs) I’m so glad you know that reference! I make that joke in the show and only one or two people ever catch it.
The show really breaks the fourth wall. What made you turn the audience into participants rather than just witnesses?
A few reasons. Firstly, I just love playing with people. I didn’t want to be alone on stage. Theatre, for me, is collaboration. But also, so much of our content now is online. I wanted to create something you cannot experience through a screen. It has to be immediate, communal. You’re all in it together. And because the show challenges people’s prejudices – especially around female pleasure – they have to be active. It’s more exciting when the audience is thinking, “Oh God, what’s she going to do now?”
I’ve been going to more live shows lately for exactly that reason. There’s nothing like being in a room where strangers are laughing or gasping together. It’s magic – very Nicole Kidman cinema ad energy.
The vulva is front and centre in the show. Was there ever a moment you thought, “This is too much,” and then realised it was exactly enough?
First of all, I’m so glad you said that word. I was terrified before doing it. Dressing up as a c*nt. Performing an orgasm. My mum coming to see it. All of it. But the vulva element actually came from my director mistakenly calling the character a vagina. And I was like, “No – I am not a hole. I am a whole.” He didn’t even know the anatomical difference. That’s the point. The lack of knowledge around female anatomy is shocking. If it makes people uncomfortable, good. That discomfort is revealing.
The show feels chaotic, but I imagine it’s carefully structured. How do you decide how far to push an audience?
It’s very controlled, even if it doesn’t look like it. I only ask specific things at specific moments. In Edinburgh I had one guy derail a poignant audience moment by announcing he needed to pee and walking out mid-sentence. I just turned to the crowd and went, “Typical.” Round of applause for that man.
Straight men, ladies and gentlemen.
The core question seems to be: why are we afraid of feminine pleasure?
It’s almost rhetorical. I don’t need answers shouted back – I want people sitting in that discomfort. Religion plays a big role. So much shame around women’s bodies has been inherited from those systems. The show is less about giving answers and more about creating an experience that lingers.
Hopefully they go home and have conversations.
Exactly.
And you’ve trained in clown and improv – how did that unlock this freedom on stage?
It’s actually Buffon – a darker form of clowning. Traditional clown absorbs the audience’s energy. Buffon attacks it. It sees you. It needles your discomfort. There’s power in not being at the audience’s mercy – especially as a female-identifying performer. When someone once told me, “I’m embarrassed for you,” I simply said, “I’m not embarrassed,” and leaned into it even more. Feeling absolutely no shame in a space where women are usually shamed? It’s game-changing.
Did the show teach you anything about your appetite for risk?
Absolutely. I started developing this character during lockdown – initially as a one-off acting exercise. It snowballed into something huge. The first time I performed a full orgasm on stage, I was terrified. I’d internalised so much shame around female sexuality. But once I did it, I felt liberated. Now I think: if I can do that, what else can I do?
Through my own conversations I have learnt that men are increasingly open to enhancing their partner’s pleasure, which feels hopeful.
That’s great to hear. There’s often pressure on heterosexual men to “be everything” for their partner, which ironically strips women of agency. Women knowing and advocating for their own pleasure is powerful. We know most people with vulvas require clitoral stimulation. That’s not radical – it’s anatomy.
And yet some still don’t want to hear it.
Exactly.
What do you hope sits with audiences after the laughter fades?
Empowerment. People socialised as female are conditioned to apologise constantly. To be perfect. “Good girl syndrome.” I want them to walk out feeling unapologetic. Not just about sexuality (but) about who they are. And it applies universally. We all feel shame somewhere. We all strive for impossible perfection. The show says: none of us are perfect. We’re all flawed. We’re all a bit of a c*nt sometimes.
Owning that? That’s freeing.
I love the idea that everyone should be able to say, “Yeah, I’m a c*nt,” and own it without fear.
Exactly. It’s accountability and liberation at the same time. We can all be hurtful. We can all make mistakes. But we don’t have to live in shame.
Are there performers whose stage confidence you admire?
Eloise Eftos – the embodiment of “zero fucks given.” And Gary Starr. The way he invites an audience into joyful silliness is masterful. He gives people permission to let go.
I interviewed him once – seeing the show afterwards made everything click.
Exactly. That generosity with an audience – I love that.
Has the title ever caused issues?
In Edinburgh, the poster had to be heavily censored. They kept demanding the censorship be larger until you could barely read the title. There are probably venues nervous about programming it. Touring regionally raises questions. But the venues that have programmed it have been fully behind it, which is what matters.
You want the people who say “Fuck yes.”
Exactly.
This feels like the perfect way to start my morning. Thank you for creating space for people to feel empowered, shameless, and joyful.
Thank you for such thoughtful questions. You really understood what I’m trying to do.
I try to give journalists a good name.
You’re succeeding.
Soph Powers will be playing as part of Adelaide Fringe (February 20th – March 22nd, 2026) with CVNT, running until March 21st, 2026. For more information and tickets, head to the official site here.
