Review: “Invisible Women” – A Living Gallery of Women’s StoriesPresented by Miami

University/Ashley Goos | Cincinnati Fringe Festival | June 5 at 8:45 p.m. & June 12 at 7 p.m.

By Shawn Maus for the League of Cincinnati Theatres at Cincinnati Fringe Festival

Invisible Women isn’t a show—it’s an experience. One that invites you to step into the story, not just watch it unfold. Part installation, part performance, and wholly transformative, this interdisciplinary, choose-your-own-adventure Fringe piece brings women’s voices to life through dance, film, visual art, and audience participation. Each moment offers a new lens—and each viewer, a new thread in the tapestry.

How best to enjoy the show!

The dance duet “Always Fine” left a haunting impression. Set to “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” the piece explores the disconnect behind that daily, automatic “How are you?” The dancers, trapped within invisible “walls,” reach for connection but remain confined. It was a subtle yet powerful metaphor for the ways we box people—and their emotions—into neat, dismissive spaces. It made me reflect on how often I’ve been physically present with someone, but not reallywith them.

Jackie Chourchene Spayd’s solo “Zenaida” is a graceful meditation on legacy—what we receive from our ancestors and what we pass on. Her movement was so fluid, so full of intention and feeling, I felt like I was witnessing a living memory in motion.

Rose Sunila’s Web of Silence is the kind of performance you feel in your skin. Different every time, this piece literally weaves a web in real-time, each audience helping shape it. Sunila’s mesmerizing physicality turns silence into connection. She doesn't just perform—she draws you in, wrapping the room in intimacy and emotional resonance.

Diane Fellows’ interactive film installation When You Are Here breaks boundaries—figuratively and literally. Projected on a found, borderless space, the film plays beside a rigid Smartboard, a beautiful (though unintentional) metaphor for freedom versus limitation. Fellows shared that the piece was shot on both a Sony camera and iPhone, blending professional and personal tech to powerful effect, unleashing a border of creativity. A surrounding interactive “river”—where participants can build boats and contribute drawings—transforms the floor into a borderless canvas. I felt the alienation of being boxed in, but also the liberation of creatively flowing past it.

And don’t miss the graphite and eraser artwork. What I thought was just a drawing turned into a surprising tool for overcoming anxiety and creative blocks. It’s hands-on, personal, and eye-opening—just like this entire installation.

Before you leave, make something. Draw. Write. Add your mark. You’re part of the story now.

Invisible Women made me “Believe the Magic” of interdisciplinary art—and I want more. With only two performances, consider this your invitation to step inside the web. You’ll leave seeing things a little differently.