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Performance 6/22/25 – Portland Stage TFK

Opening with quip and then diving right into a puppet show that explores deep feelings around difference, neurodivergence, and the pain of just feeling different, Rowan Joyce embodies the fearless nature of fringe theatre. Her puppet show is an excuse for a conversation with herself, about how she wishes so deeply that she understood how other people do life. The disembodiment of her feelings in the form of a puppet provides a platform for Joyce’s dry wit, but her painfully honest confessions to her felt friend, and her puppet’s commiseration, give this show its backbone. Allowing the puppet to talk about how, sometimes, she feels like a boot is crushing her chest, and the early allusion to metaphors ‘because they make us look smart’ drive home the true theme of this show. The puppet, the semi-real existence dabbling in humanity but never quite getting it right, is Joyce’s soft & cuddly doppelganger, looking around with bright, innocent eyes, searching for guidance, for a rule book on being human. This short piece is honest and entertaining and brave in all the ways you want. It feels brave and raw.

Review Submitted on 6/23/25 by Allen Baldwin, PF25 Independent Review Team

Rowan Joyce has created something beautiful with this piece. ‘Felt That’ is a masterful blend of humor and depth – a moving combo that brought the artist and the audience to tears.

Through puppetry and personal connection, ‘Felt That’ explores the feeling of being different – of navigating life, relationships, and existence in a world that doesn’t understand what that means for you. It’s one of the most honest, approachable, and heart wrenching explorations of neurodivergence that I’ve had the privilege of experiencing.

This brilliantly raw and vulnerable performance was a stand out for me, and one absolutely not to be missed.

Review Submitted on 6/23/25 by Lauren Stockless, PF25 Independent Review Team