JB Theatre Co in association with Canberra Youth Theatre presents Gia Ophelia by Grace Wilson
Writer: Grace Wilson
Director / Producer: Jo Bradley
Performer: Annie Stafford
Sound Designer & Composer: Otto Zagala
Lighting Designer: Holly Nesbitt
Costume Designer: Geita Goarin
Set Designer: Jo Bradley
Production Stage Manager: Rhiley Winnett
Assistant Producer: Laila Chesterman
Producing Company: JB Theatre Co
Associate Producers: Canberra Youth Theatre
This performance is supported by Canberra Theatre Centre, as part of a commitment to nurturing the emerging artists of the ACT.
Canberra Production Photography by Andrew Sikorski
KXT Season Production Photography by Phil Erbacher
Poster Photography by Patrick Phillips
Writer’s Notes by Grace Wilson
I’ve always found the obsessed artist trope fascinating, especially through the lens of women. To commit to craft usually begins from a place of love, artistry and can descend as the worldview closes. In times of loss of identity, a search for authenticity, people turn back to their art to give them a sense of purpose when everything else seems murky. GIA OPHELIA is a show about a woman who tries to do such, to commit to art when her life crumbles only to have the door closed on her face. What happens to the noble pursuit of artistic excellence when you’re on the bench, when you’re injured, when you’re just too old to be an artist anymore?
GIA OPHELIA has left its mark on the Sydney indie scene because we, frankly, put what theatre doesn’t want you to see on stage. We sold out our Fringe season and then sold out our return at KXT on Broadway at the start of this year because of that. It is that human experience of having the door slammed on your dreams. Of wanting to be in lights but the barriers are just too high. It’s something that everyone can connect to on some level, something everyone can walk away with and mull on. There is no bow on top, sweep it under the carpet ending because that is not what making art is about. That’s not what Ophelia’s story is about. It’s ugly, it’s hard, it’s crushing. It’s liberating, it’s wholesome, it’s everything you could ever want to be.
My list of thanks is long but necessary. Jo, who soldiered on beside me when first drafting with nothing but an idea. Annie, who has been relentlessly vulnerable and open with this work, putting her all into this story. Our Fringe and KXT creatives and crew (Bianca, Luke, Violeta, Geita, Otto, Holly, and Laila) who bumped, painted, strung, programmed, mopped, emailed, printed and so much more: I am beyond grateful for your hard work. The team at KXT (Suzanne and John) and Sydney Fringe (Kate and Rowan) who championed every aspect of our small but mighty indie team. Red Hill (Band, Not Suburb) who provided their beautiful music for our show (you can stream on Spotify!). Luke Rogers and the team at Canberra Youth Theatre who fearlessly champion young people in the arts and new works, and took a risk on us. Canberra Theatre Centre for having us and being so inviting. And finally, to you for being here tonight, for supporting the arts and engaging in complex conversations when the world feels challenging enough. Thank you.
Director’s Notes by Jo Bradley
Grace and I created this work together for specifically Sydney Fringe 2025, with Grace writing, and me working as dramaturg, director and producer. After the success of Sydney Fringe, and our subsequent season at KXT on Broadway, it’s been really exciting to expand the team, filling it with emerging artists and learning about touring for the first time. As someone born in Canberra, I can’t wait to return home for my first show here. Thank you so much to Canberra Youth Theatre, especially to Luke and Caitlin for all their support and producing assistance. An additional huge thanks to Rochelle Whyte and the Canberra Theatre Centre for investing in this production as part of their commitment to nurturing local artists.
Thank you to Red Hill, a Meanjin-based indie rock folk band, for letting us use their song “Coming Up Blank” for the final scene. Gia Ophelia is all about the challenges of “making it in the arts world” so it felt really cool to feature some emerging indie musicians. You can check out their music here.
A final thanks to everyone who has supported the show, either by doing favours, or by donating to our fundraiser on Australian Cultural Fund.: your support is so appreciated. This is an independent production self-funded by my own savings, and we have not received any formal funding. Without the donations, (and the in-kind support from Canberra Youth Theatre and Canberra Theatre Centre) this tour would have been impossible.
A personally thanks to our fundraiser donors: Good Time Theatrics, Bianca Watkins, James Davies, Kerry O’Kane, Adam Noviello, Josh Hammond, Tom Stafford, Lucy Anderson, Ebony Tucker, Tanus Carney, Helen Tonkin, Jessica Yeo, Chris Johnston & Liz McAllister, Michael Chesterman, and everyone who donated anonymously. If you’d like to make a tax deductible donation (even $10 is a huge help), you can donate here: https://artists.australianculturalfund.org.au/s/project/a2EMn00000V6Y5e/jb-theatre-co-gia-ophelia-canberra-tour
Grace Wilson (she/her) | PLAYWRIGHT | @grracewilsson
Grace Wilson is a playwright living between Yidinji and Gadigal country, studying a Master of Fine Arts (Dramatic Writing) at NIDA after completing her Bachelor of Humanities (Western Civilisation) at The University of Queensland. At the age of 17, she was the runner-up for the Queensland Theatre Young Playwrights’ Award with her work MY NAME IS TOMMY and won the award in the following year with her work, GOODBYE, ELI ANDERSON. At 21, she was the runner up of the Australian Theatre Festival NYC New Play Award with her work BOGQUEEN.
Grace has gone on to be a finalist in several other major awards including Sydney Theatre Company’s Patrick White Playwrights’ Award 2023, Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2025, Griffin Award 2023, Queensland Writers Centre’s Stageable 2024 and Sydney Fringe’s Best in Theatre Award 2025, all of which she achieved before 20. She has been published by Jacaranda Journal, Regional Arts Australia, Queensland Writers’ Centre, Playlab, ATAR Notes Australia, highly commended for the ABC Heywire Competition and longlisted for the Griffin Award 2024, Premier’s Drama Award 2026 and the ATYP Foundation Commission.
Grace has been an artist in residence at Bundanon and a residential fellow at Varuna Writers House, supported by the Roderick Centre JCU. She has undertaken several playwrighting training programs including JUTE WriteSparks, Queensland Theatre’s Young Writers’ Ensemble, ATYP Fresh Ink Mentoring and National Studio, and La Boite Assembly.
Jo Bradley (she/her) | DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, SET DESIGNER | @jolucyb
Jo (she/her) is a director, dramaturg and producer who is passionate about new and contemporary playwriting. She was recently awarded ‘Best Emerging Artist’ at Sydney Fringe Festival 2025, for her work as producer, director and dramaturg on the world premiere of Gia Ophelia by Grace Wilson. In 2024, she graduated from the NIDA Directing course and founded her own theatre company, JB Theatre Co (@JBTheatreCo). JB Theatre Co’s inaugural production was the Australian premiere of SNOWFLAKE by Mike Bartlett at the Old Fitz, directed by Jo Bradley. SNOWFLAKE sold out, received rave reviews, and won a Sydney Theatre Award. In 2026, SNOWFLAKE will transfer to Ensemble Theatre in Kirribilli, and Jo will make her professional directing debut.
Jo’s directing practice has a strong literary focus, and she loves collaborating with new writers as a director and dramaturg. GIA OPHELIA is her fourth collaboration with Grace Wilson after staged readings at ATYP, KXT Storytellers, and the Old Fitz New Work Festival.
Jo works as a freelance theatre critic, writing for Limelight Arts, and her blog Scribbles of Stage and Screen (@ScribblesOStageAndScreen ). She also is a script reader for a range of playwriting awards and commissions. Her full bio can be found at Jo-Bradley.com and her website JBTheatreCo.com
Annie Stafford (she/her) | GIA | @anniestaffordd
Annie studied Musical Theatre at VCA in their foundation programme, completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts and completed the ActingShakespeare Course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Her theatre credits include Stupid Fucking Bird (The New Theatre) of which she won a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in an Independent Production, Pinocchio, The Rime of The Ancient Mariner & Symphonie Fantastique (Little Eggs Collective) and Misery Loves Company produced by Legit Theatre Co, which is co run by herself and Mathew Lee. Her screen credits include The Let Down, The Last King Of The Cross and My First Panic (AFTRS) which screened at FlickerFest 2020. Annie has toured Australia and Singapore with CDP in shows such as Are We There Yet? and The 78 Storey Treehouse over the last 3 years, and performed in award nominated Gia Ophelia in the 2025 Sydney Fringe Festival and at KXT in 2026.
Rhiley Winnett (they/them) | PRODUCTION & STAGE MANAGER |
Rhiley Winnett is an enthusiastic, passionate, and adventurous Canberra based theatre maker that specialises in stage management and working with young people. They have worked on a myriad of shows, and large scale events across many disciplines with many different companies over the last 9 years. They also work as a technician across various theatre venues across Canberra and on the side babysit an incredibly large range of kids and young people. Gia Ophelia is such a powerful performance, beautifully created by an absolutely amazing team, and Rhiley is truly honoured they were offered the opportunity to be part of that team for the Canberra run of the show.
Otto Zagala (he/she/they) | SOUND DESIGNER & COMPOSER | @ottolastname
Otto Zagala is a composer, director, and bon vivant whose practice is deeply research-driven, drawing on experimental production, text, and performance pedagogy, and on where they may overlap and coincide.
Otto’s recent collaborations include Assistant Director to Cameron Taylor on Kitty Litter by Hamish Johnston (2026); Composer for The Beautiful Future is Coming by Flora Wilson Brown (2026), and for Strategic Love by Miriam Battye (2026). In his second year of study, Cultural Binge described his work as “excellent design worthy of a much larger production”. A number of his recent shows are critically acclaimed, extended due to demand, and are in development for return seasons.
Otto’s dramatic sensibilities are closely scored by gesamtkunstwerk, the concept of theatre as a total artistic medium. The conversation between scenographic elements leads their work, particularly how musical elements are informed by movement and architecture.
He composed, designed video for, and co-wrote the new Australian musical, The Birds, presented at NIDA’s Festival of Emerging Artists.
Geita Goarin (she/her) | COSTUME DESIGNER | @geitagoarin
Geita Goarin is a multidisciplinary designer, working in Sydney across theatre and screen. Her design language is often playful and layered, allowing the design elements adaptability in the different worlds. Geita’s NIDA production credits include: Production Designer for The Great Theatre of the World, Costume Designer Alice: Mother of Cinema, Set Designer An Octoroon. Since graduating she has worked as the Production Design Realiser for Iphigenia in Splott (Old Fitz), Production Assistant for Koreaboo (Griffin Theatre) and Production Designer for Bonny and Read (Qtopia, The Loading Dock).
Holly Nesbitt (she/her) | LIGHTING DESIGNER | @hollys.lights
Holly Nesbitt is an emerging lighting designer based on Gadigal land, who strives to create evocative art. After graduating NIDA in 2023, Holly has worked in venues such as the Sydney Opera House. Some of her credits as a lighting designer inlcude The Day Of The Triffids (New Theatre), Traffic Light Party (KXT On Broadway), The Frogs (New Theatre), We Aren’t Kids Anymore (Qtopia) and Everyone Knows I’m A Pervert (KXT On Broadway). Holly is excited to be returning to the Gia Ophelia production and is excited for the opportunity to take the production outside of Sydney.
Laila Chesterman (they/them) | ASSISTANT PRODUCER | @lailaa.c
Laila Chesterman is a multidisciplinary creative who has worked foremost as an actor, then as director, producer, stage manager, singer and musician across stage and screen. They recently graduated from ACA with a Bachelors in Fine Arts (Acting). Prior to ACA, Laila originated roles in Bathory Begins and Lights in the Park (ATYP) and the Monologue Collective (We Are Not Producers/KXT bAkehouse). Whilst at ACA, they directed their own adaptation of Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck. Laila is an Associate Producer with Good Time Theatrics, working as an AD and Producer on Selkie (Old Fitz/Sydney Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, NIDA), Awakening (Factory Theatre) and the upcoming Never The Sinner (Qtopia). They starred as Moritz in Awakening and will also perform in Never The Sinner later this year. They are thrilled to return to Gia Ophelia!
Special thanks:
The whole team at Canberra Youth Theatre: Luke Rogers, Caitlin Baker, Helen Wojtas, Anna Johnstone
The Canberra Theatre Centre team, particularly Rochelle Whyte, Jo Blacker, Karina Leotta, Kat Voss, Lisa Freshwater and Nick
The Sydney Fringe Team: Kate Marks, Rowan Brunt
Finally, Alana Shootingstar, Josh Hammond, Luke McGilvray, Bianca Watkins, Violeta Brau Mugica, Kurtis Laing, Lachlan Houen, Kerry O’Kane, Keith Bradley, Ellen Bradley, Jack Horner, Bernadette Maher-Pratt, Sandy Meaney.
The original production of Gia Ophelia in 2025 at Sydney Fringe Festival was supported by Randwick City Council’s Community Investment Program.
JB Theatre Co 