Born and raised in Rome, Sofia Elliot is a JCU alumna who graduated in December 2025. She majored in Communications with minors in Digital Media Arts and Creative Writing. Sofia is currently developing a theatrical adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (with shows both in Italian and English), which she wrote, designed, and produced largely on her own. The show is partially funded by the Frank J. Guarini School of Business at JCU.
What was the inspiration for this project, and why did you choose Jane Eyre?
I’ve always loved historical dramas. I rediscovered Jane Eyre in the summer of 2022, and I fell in love with Jane and Rochester.
I then watched basically every single Jane Eyre adaptation that was made, starting from the 1930’s. I noticed that every version either completely cuts or modifies the separation scene when Jane leaves Rochester. I thought, “That is the heart of the book! You can't take it out.” So, in my adaptation, I really wanted to bring attention to the little moments that often get overlooked.
What have been some of the challenges in bringing this to life?
The biggest challenge was timing. I had to find a way to condense 500 pages of script into 120. Since most of the story takes place in multiple rooms, I had to find a way to change sets without any cuts.
As far as the production goes, it was basically a quasi-solo undertaking. I wrote the script, and I designed and sewed the costumes myself. One of the actors helped me build scenery towards the very end, otherwise we wouldn't have made it in time for the preview in March.
Tell us about your background and what led you to JCU.
I have been performing, whether it was dancing, singing or acting, since I was 11. In middle school, I joined an amateur production purely by coincidence. This theater group first came to my school looking to recruit kids for a production of Oliver Twist. One of my friends joined and she asked me to go with her. So. After the show, I thought to myself, “I have to do this for a living.”
Before I applied to JCU, I took two years of acting classes at a professional performing arts school. After graduation, I had a better understanding of how acting worked, but I was always interested in the behind-the-scenes part, and wanted to learn more about it. So I decided to study Communications at JCU.
Are there any classes or experiences at JCU that helped prepare you for this?
I would definitely say the writing classes, as far as script writing goes. My video production classes helped me create a short documentary, which is shown before the show begins I recorded separate videos of myself designing the costumes, talking about the script, interviewing my teachers from the theater company, and edited them all together.
How did the funding from the School of Business come into play?
During my time at JCU, I took the course Entrepreneurship in Creative Industries with Professor Luigi Nasta, where I heard about the School of Business interdisciplinary fund. I emailed a proposal to Professor Silvia Carnini Pulino. With the support from Professor Jenn Lindsay, who is also the co-Founder and CEO of So Fare Films, I received the funding.
What advice would you give to students who want to take on a creative project like this?
Honestly, you have to be obsessed with what you’re doing and continue to work on it until something happens. If I could go back, I would advise myself to stay determined ignore distractions, and stay focused.
