Above : NIDA Spring session team. Pic Phil Erbacher
NIDA’s 2026 Spring Season presents four landmark works helmed by acclaimed female
directors Rachael Maza AM, Zindzi Okenyo, Margaret Thanos and Claudia Osborne
and celebrate imagination, innovation and the next generation of creative talent.
NIDA’s annual production seasons offer audiences a first look at the performers and
behind the scenes specialists poised to enter the entertainment industry. Professionally
directed, this is a cornerstone of NIDA’s training program, serving as the major creative
projects for graduating students while showcasing the skill and artistry developed
throughout their studies.
RACHAEL MAZA TO DIRECT MICHAEL GOW’S CLASSIC PLAY AWAY
Rachael Maza AM, the trailblazing First Nations director who led ILBIJERRI Theatre
Company for 18 years, reimagines Michael Gow’s beloved classic Away. In its 40th
anniversary year, Maza brings a First Nations lens to Australia’s most-produced play for
the very first time. “For Indigenous peoples, Country is not simply a place, but a living
relationship of responsibility, continuity and belonging. That understanding sits at the heart
of this play. As three families set off on their summer holidays, AWAY reveals something
deeper about who we are, where we belong and our enduring connection to Country,” said
Maza.
NIDA ALUMNI ZINDZI OKENYO TO DIRECT ROBERT ICKE’S PLAY THE DOCTOR
NIDA alum and beloved children’s entertainer, director and musician, Zindzi Okenyo
(Acting, 2006) brings forensic precision to the Australian premiere of THE DOCTOR, Robert
Icke’s a gripping moral thriller that exposes unconscious bias with razor-sharp wit. “The
beauty of this piece is the humanity that sits stifled underneath and that for a clearer,
brighter future we all need to be able to seek humanity in every day, remaining open to the
possibility that ‘us’ may in fact be closer to ‘them’ than we could ever imagine”, said
Okenyo.
CELEBRATED YOUNG DIRECTOR MARGARET THANOS TO DIRECT ELINOR COOK’S PLAY IMAGE OF AN UNKNOWN YOUNG WOMAN
With debuts at Sydney Theatre Company and Belvoir, celebrated young director Margaret
Thanos leads Elinor Cook’s provocative IMAGE OF AN UNKNOWN YOUNG WOMAN, a
penetrating exploration of empathy, activism and asking what we owe strangers in an age
when a single image can ignite a revolution.
NIDA ALUMNI DIRECTOR CLAUDIA OSBORNE’S RAVEL AND COLETTE’S OPERA L’ENFANT ET LES SORTILEGES
Fresh from staging Opera Australia’s 2026 Hansel and Gretel, NIDA alum Claudia
Osborne (Directing, 2019) collaborates with performers and musicians from the Sydney
Conservatorium of Music to bring Ravel and Colette’s enchanting opera L’ENFANT ET LES SORTILEGESto life, in a magical tale where childhood rebellion transforms an entire world.
View full Season line-up here. http://www.nida.edu.au/news-and-events/shared-productions/
Sydney Arts Guide has five double passes to give away to each of the four plays. Email editor.sydneyartsguide@gmail.com with NIDA SPRING SEASON OF PLAYS PROMOTION in the subject heading. Winners will be advised by email.
