What if that which you identify with suddenly disappeared? Who would you be then? (IM)PERFEKT is a solo show about identity, beauty, and labels. Sometimes you need to lose who you thought you were in order to discover who you truly are. Actress Jannica Olin was the stereotypical blonde blue-eyed Swede. Her long hair had always been a big part of her identity. Until suddenly, she lost it all. In (IM)PERFEKT, Jannica takes us on a journey of exploring and uncovering that which we think we are, have to be and maybe, ultimately aren’t.
The story centers around Olin’s loss of hair to Alopecia; an auto immune condition with “no known cause or cure”. The story is told with heart and humor, of not only losing that which many women heavily identify with, but we get to uncover the many limiting beliefs we hold around beauty and perfection and where they come from. It is a story of discovering your true power and what’s possible when we choose to embrace ourselves fully.
(IM)PERFEKT had its world premiere at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June 2019 to sold out houses and took home the Producers’ Encore Award. Jannica was also nominated by the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival for the Diverse Diva Award as well as having received an Honorable Mention by Tvolution and being awarded the Critics’ Choice award by Better Lemons.
On January 18, (IM)PERFEKT will be coming back to The Lounge Theatre as part of the Solo Stars Series.
Jannica Olin’s one woman show, (IM)PERFEKT, is an exposé of the personal and professional angst engendered by the onset of the incurable condition, Alopecia, which is the sudden, progressive loss of hair leading, in some, to utter baldness. She is onstage when the audience enters. As the crowd settles in, she goes through a fetching routine of preparation—costume, makeup (in an imaginary mirror), the choosing of the right shoes—and so on.
Olin is brave but not self-righteous. She is beautiful and relatable. Her most moving moments in this vibrant solo performance are when she surprises us—and herself—with genuine vulnerability. (Im)Perfekt is a must see for women of all ages who struggle with self-acceptance. It is also a must see for men of all ages who have internalized absurd and generic ideas about beauty and femininity (yes, sir, if this last statement confuses you, then you really, really need to see this show. The women in your life will thank you).
What a powerful show. Funny, heartwarming, eye-opening to the judgements we put on ourselves and others. Beautifully vulnerable. Teaches the vitally important message that our beauty and self worth comes through embracing the uniqueness of who we are.
This show was thoughtful, clever, educational without preaching, extremely brave and moving – but also managed to be entirely uplifting. I didn’t just get to learn more about Jannica, I learned about myself. She turns the mirror on to the audience and challenges us to look at our labels and assumptions. And I left inspired by her journey, which she masterfully made about broader themes of image and self-love.
I almost missed this masterpiece, but was able to juggle my schedule to include it, and boy am I glad I did. I think this is the best solo show that I’m reviewed during HFF19, and there have been some great ones, including Raised by Wolves, Hollywoodn’t, Leaving Prince Charming and Corina. Jannica Olin is a gifted performer with such a powerful and personal story that the audience feels every emotion that she does. It was an honor to learn about the life-changing event that happened to her, and how she was able to turn it all around. Sweden’s loss is our gain, and I couldn’t be more proud of her, and the remarkable work that she and director Jessica Lynn Johnson put into this show.
Through the laughter, and tears, Jannica gave an exquisite performance in her real-life tale of finding the blessing in a loss that seemed unbearable. Her story, perfectly matched with her director, Jessica Lynn Johnson, resulted in a beautifully crafted production. Encore!
Wow, wow, wow, (Im) Perfekt is daring and bold. Jannica takes us on a creative and insightful ride of introspection on how we go through life so consumed with how we look, who we want to be, who we think we are, and the constant labling of others and ourselves. Her character work is stunning. I love all the characters so fun and smart. Alopecia blaming immune system was simply genius. Jannica’s story was so heartfelt and moving, I laughed and I definitely cried. Thank you for this amzing message and reminder of how important it is to look deeper into ourselves, beyond what we perceive as perfect.
It tells how society has made standards so hard to obtain and even harder when something you are not in control of happens to you and you lose something (like your hair) and suddenly are conceived as completely different. It also shows how perseverance and self-worth can pull you through and help you achieve that normalcy and success we all strive for.
A brave storyteller showing the audience what it was like to transition from a society standard “normal” girl to one that loses something that makes society accept women: her hair. It was quirky, funny, imaginative, sad, uplifting, and so many other things.
Ms. Olin delivers an entertaining, thought provoking piece of theatre. This one hour show combines numerous characterizations (both real and imagined) with a personal narrative that elucidates her discovery, struggle, and ultimate psychological triumph over alopecia. Ms. Olin brings to life her day to day, month to month, and year to year experiences as a blonde actress from Sweden striving for success in Hollywood. Her courage, bravery, and psychological insight are inspiring for all of us who are quick to judge and label ourselves, thus denying our own potential, and perhaps more meaningfully, diminishing our ability to love ourselves completely. Well worth seeing!
I loved her playfulness and bravery and the honesty with which she shared her story. I’m so happy to hear more takes on the issues of body shaming and self esteem tied to the images our media and culture perpetuate. Thank you Jannica for turning the mirror on ourselves as we grapple with how we are defining our values. Love this conversation!
Jannica struck chords so deeply embedded in my psyche and so resonant in our society there was pretty much an audible soundtrack of uh-huhs and mmm-huhs going on the whole time. Even though this was her very personal and not so common experience with the condition of Alopecia, we all related to so much of what she went through on her journey to self acceptance and love.
The journey is fascinating, as stories of personal struggles against adversity usually are, but what powers this narrative are both the comedic abilities of Ms. Olin and her brilliance in character portrayal which make (Im) Perfekt not only inspiring, but darn entertaining.
One of the best solo-performances I’ve seen this Fringe. A very personal story, told in a way that every audience member will be able to connect to. The writing was great, the characters were vivid and well defined, and this personal story became a look at something completely universal and so incredibly moving. Some very powerful stuff. And technically, a VERY good use of props and costume changes, which can be VERY tricky with a solo show. Great work.
Her performance is alive with conviction, but delivered with a light touch. Her many creative props make the show engaging. The most compelling aspect is Olin’s confidence that freedom is possible if we can embrace the value and appeal each one of us have. Cheers to that.
Jannica brings us into her story with a question for the audience. Then with a dazzling array of characters - doctors, her disease “alopecia,” hair, eyebrows, google, wigs - she takes us on her journey from baldness to wholeness. As hilarious as it is moving!
There are a plethora of one-person shows at the Hollywood Fringe, this is undoubtedly one of the best examples of the form. The story is worth telling, and is beautifully and artfully told. - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Jannica has done something really important here. She has taken her unique story and told it in a way that generalizes to experiences we have all had. Jannica made us understand how we allow our identities to be constructed by external forces, and how we might have an opportunity to reject such forces and instead choose to define ourselves. We not only sympathize and empathize with her, but we feel the parallels with our own struggles. Most importantly, she took us to a conclusion that showed that if she was able to find her footing and continue to search for her truths, we all can find ways to conquer our challenges and find ourselves.
Jannica has a creative way of beginning the play that I haven’t seen any solo artists do before. I loved the many different wigs and the sequence in which she tried them all on to show how each one was a new personality. The character of Google was hilarious and on-point. Eyebrow and eyelash were clever and so adorable. The feather boa was perfect for eyelash! I so appreciated that she ended the play on a hopeful note that left us wanting to accept ourselves more than we did before when we walked into the room. This show is perfect for college or high school audiences. Especially high school, when teenagers are just beginning to find their identities.
Jannica Olin’s one woman show, (IM)PERFEKT, is an exposé of the personal and professional angst engendered by the onset of the incurable condition, Alopecia, which is the sudden, progressive loss of hair leading, in some, to utter baldness. She is onstage when the audience enters. As the crowd settles in, she goes through a fetching routine of preparation—costume, makeup (in an imaginary mirror), the choosing of the right shoes—and so on.
I almost missed this masterpiece, but was able to juggle my schedule to include it, and boy am I glad I did. I think this is the best solo show that I’m reviewed during HFF19, and there have been some great ones, including Raised by Wolves, Hollywoodn’t, Leaving Prince Charming and Corina. Jannica Olin is a gifted performer with such a powerful and personal story that the audience feels every emotion that she does. It was an honor to learn about the life-changing event that happened to her, and how she was able to turn it all around. Sweden’s loss is our gain, and I couldn’t be more proud of her, and the remarkable work that she and director Jessica Lynn Johnson put into this show.
Through the laughter, and tears, Jannica gave an exquisite performance in her real-life tale of finding the blessing in a loss that seemed unbearable. Her story, perfectly matched with her director, Jessica Lynn Johnson, resulted in a beautifully crafted production. Encore!
The journey is fascinating, as stories of personal struggles against adversity usually are, but what powers this narrative are both the comedic abilities of Ms. Olin and her brilliance in character portrayal which make (Im) Perfekt not only inspiring, but darn entertaining.
Her performance is alive with conviction, but delivered with a light touch. Her many creative props make the show engaging. The most compelling aspect is Olin’s confidence that freedom is possible if we can embrace the value and appeal each one of us have. Cheers to that.
There are a plethora of one-person shows at the Hollywood Fringe, this is undoubtedly one of the best examples of the form. The story is worth telling, and is beautifully and artfully told. - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Olin is brave but not self-righteous. She is beautiful and relatable. Her most moving moments in this vibrant solo performance are when she surprises us—and herself—with genuine vulnerability. (Im)Perfekt is a must see for women of all ages who struggle with self-acceptance. It is also a must see for men of all ages who have internalized absurd and generic ideas about beauty and femininity (yes, sir, if this last statement confuses you, then you really, really need to see this show. The women in your life will thank you).
What a powerful show. Funny, heartwarming, eye-opening to the judgements we put on ourselves and others. Beautifully vulnerable. Teaches the vitally important message that our beauty and self worth comes through embracing the uniqueness of who we are.
This show was thoughtful, clever, educational without preaching, extremely brave and moving – but also managed to be entirely uplifting. I didn’t just get to learn more about Jannica, I learned about myself. She turns the mirror on to the audience and challenges us to look at our labels and assumptions. And I left inspired by her journey, which she masterfully made about broader themes of image and self-love.
Wow, wow, wow, (Im) Perfekt is daring and bold. Jannica takes us on a creative and insightful ride of introspection on how we go through life so consumed with how we look, who we want to be, who we think we are, and the constant labling of others and ourselves. Her character work is stunning. I love all the characters so fun and smart. Alopecia blaming immune system was simply genius. Jannica’s story was so heartfelt and moving, I laughed and I definitely cried. Thank you for this amzing message and reminder of how important it is to look deeper into ourselves, beyond what we perceive as perfect.
It tells how society has made standards so hard to obtain and even harder when something you are not in control of happens to you and you lose something (like your hair) and suddenly are conceived as completely different. It also shows how perseverance and self-worth can pull you through and help you achieve that normalcy and success we all strive for.
A brave storyteller showing the audience what it was like to transition from a society standard “normal” girl to one that loses something that makes society accept women: her hair. It was quirky, funny, imaginative, sad, uplifting, and so many other things.
Ms. Olin delivers an entertaining, thought provoking piece of theatre. This one hour show combines numerous characterizations (both real and imagined) with a personal narrative that elucidates her discovery, struggle, and ultimate psychological triumph over alopecia. Ms. Olin brings to life her day to day, month to month, and year to year experiences as a blonde actress from Sweden striving for success in Hollywood. Her courage, bravery, and psychological insight are inspiring for all of us who are quick to judge and label ourselves, thus denying our own potential, and perhaps more meaningfully, diminishing our ability to love ourselves completely. Well worth seeing!
I loved her playfulness and bravery and the honesty with which she shared her story. I’m so happy to hear more takes on the issues of body shaming and self esteem tied to the images our media and culture perpetuate. Thank you Jannica for turning the mirror on ourselves as we grapple with how we are defining our values. Love this conversation!
Jannica struck chords so deeply embedded in my psyche and so resonant in our society there was pretty much an audible soundtrack of uh-huhs and mmm-huhs going on the whole time. Even though this was her very personal and not so common experience with the condition of Alopecia, we all related to so much of what she went through on her journey to self acceptance and love.
One of the best solo-performances I’ve seen this Fringe. A very personal story, told in a way that every audience member will be able to connect to. The writing was great, the characters were vivid and well defined, and this personal story became a look at something completely universal and so incredibly moving. Some very powerful stuff. And technically, a VERY good use of props and costume changes, which can be VERY tricky with a solo show. Great work.
Jannica brings us into her story with a question for the audience. Then with a dazzling array of characters - doctors, her disease “alopecia,” hair, eyebrows, google, wigs - she takes us on her journey from baldness to wholeness. As hilarious as it is moving!
Jannica has done something really important here. She has taken her unique story and told it in a way that generalizes to experiences we have all had. Jannica made us understand how we allow our identities to be constructed by external forces, and how we might have an opportunity to reject such forces and instead choose to define ourselves. We not only sympathize and empathize with her, but we feel the parallels with our own struggles. Most importantly, she took us to a conclusion that showed that if she was able to find her footing and continue to search for her truths, we all can find ways to conquer our challenges and find ourselves.
Jannica has a creative way of beginning the play that I haven’t seen any solo artists do before. I loved the many different wigs and the sequence in which she tried them all on to show how each one was a new personality. The character of Google was hilarious and on-point. Eyebrow and eyelash were clever and so adorable. The feather boa was perfect for eyelash! I so appreciated that she ended the play on a hopeful note that left us wanting to accept ourselves more than we did before when we walked into the room. This show is perfect for college or high school audiences. Especially high school, when teenagers are just beginning to find their identities.
