Studio18 presents ILMA, a new play written by Simone Spiteri, directed by Jean-Marc Cafà, at Valletta Campus Theatre this November.

Fifteen years after leaving competitive swimming behind, Ethan, played by Gianni Selvaggi, is pulled back towards memories he thought he had buried. Once, his world was measured in fractions of a second, where every movement was calculated and every breath counted. Now, that carefully controlled world begins to crack.

A chance encounter with Cara, an old teammate, forces Ethan to confront something he failed to see when they were teenagers. What follows is not a story about what happened to Leah alone, but about the culture around it, the silence that can surround harm, and the people who are close enough to notice but do not.

Director Jean-Marc Cafà says this is what first drew him to the piece: "What keeps me up isn't only the people who cross the line, it's everyone standing close by, those who enable it. Ethan didn't do anything, and that's exactly what makes him feel so uncomfortable to watch. But beyond that... where was everyone else?"

Written by Simone Spiteri, ILMA explores memory, pressure, complicity and the consequences of tunnel vision, both in sport and beyond it. For Cafà, the play has been years in the making: "ILMA has been following me for eight years without my knowing it. It began with my relationship with the sea, and took shape the day a young person on a panel I was facilitating told us where their activism really stemmed from."

The production has been informed by conversations with local athletes, coaches and parents, helping the creative team bring the pressures of aquatic sport to the stage in a visceral and recognisable way. But for Cafà, ILMA reaches far beyond the pool: "The story holds up a mirror to far more than the pool, and many people will recognise themselves in the characters on stage. This is a universal conversation we all need to be having."

Directed by Jean-Marc Cafà, the production features Gianni Selvaggi, Sander Agius, Nadine Cachia and Antonella Galea Loffreda.

ILMA runs from 6 to 15 November 2026 at Valletta Campus Theatre.

For tickets and more information visit: https://www.showshappening.com/studio-18-malta/ilma

This project is supported by Arts Council Malta and 1Padel Malta with the special help of Fort Fitness, Studioseven Malta and 242.group