Jacqui Purvis is no stranger to emotional risk, but her latest career move may be the boldest — and most confronting — of her life. After capturing the hearts of

Home and Away viewers as the fiercely loyal yet deeply vulnerable Felicity Newman, Purvis is stepping into an entirely new arena, one that trades television comfort

for raw theatrical intensity. And she is doing it on her own terms.

Felicity’s shocking death in August 2024 — the result of a sudden brain aneurysm — marked one of Home and Away’s most devastating exits in recent memory. Fans mourned not just the loss of a beloved character, but the end of an epic, emotionally charged love story with Tane Parata. The storyline left viewers shattered, cementing Purvis as one of the show’s most impactful performers of the era. When she bowed out, many assumed Hollywood or high-profile television roles would follow.

Instead, Purvis disappeared — briefly.

After travelling through the United States and focusing on her screen career, including landing a role in the feature film Fear Is the Rider, the actress made a surprising decision: to return to Australia and step onto the stage for the first time in her professional career. Not just as an actor, but as a producer, creative force, and risk-taker.

Her new project, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley, will run at Melbourne’s Old Fitz Theatre from January 13 to February 1, 2026. Described by Purvis herself as “dangerous, emotional, violent — but rooted in love,” the play is a gritty two-hander that strips its characters bare.

“This isn’t a safe project,” Purvis admits. “It’s confronting. It’s messy. But at the heart of it, it’s about love and human connection — and that feels more important now than ever.”

The play centres on Roberta, a tough, damaged woman who collides emotionally with another equally fractured soul. The role represents a deliberate continuation of the kinds of characters Purvis is drawn to: women who refuse to be simplified, softened, or boxed in.

“I love messy female characters,” she explains. “The dirt, the grit, the contradictions — that’s real. I don’t want to shy away from that, because that’s part of who we are.”

This philosophy led Purvis to establish her own production company, Knickknack Productions, with a clear mission: to challenge traditional female narratives and create bold, female-led stories that reflect lived experience rather than fantasy.

Growing up, Purvis gravitated toward sport, action films, and male-driven narratives, often feeling there was no space for someone like her on screen. “I wanted to be Matt Damon,” she laughs. “But there weren’t many gritty female characters I could see myself in. That stuck with me.”

That absence now fuels her ambition.

Every decision Purvis makes — from the scripts she chooses to the risks she embraces — is driven by a desire to see women portrayed with complexity, strength, and emotional honesty. Danny and the Deep Blue Sea offered exactly that, particularly through Roberta, a character who refuses to be palatable.

Adding another layer of intensity, Purvis stars opposite her real-life partner, JK Kazzi. While some might see this as risky, the actress insists it was essential. “This play demands absolute trust,” she explains. “You have to go to places that are uncomfortable and vulnerable. I needed someone who would meet me there without hesitation.”

Preparation for the role took the pair all the way to New York. Because the play is set in the Bronx, Purvis and Kazzi immersed themselves in the environment — even meeting Shanley himself.

“It was surreal,” Purvis recalls. “Here’s this writer who shaped modern theatre, who worked with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Viola Davis — and he’s sitting across from us, answering our questions.”

Shanley shared deeply personal insights into why he wrote the play and who the characters were inspired by. The experience grounded Purvis’s performance in authenticity, reinforcing the emotional weight of what she was about to undertake.

Transitioning from television to theatre has been no small challenge. On Home and Away, Purvis thrived within a large ensemble cast. On stage, there is nowhere to hide.

“It’s just JK and me,” she says. “We’re on stage for the entire 75 minutes. No breaks. No exits. The audience is with us the whole time.”

That intimacy, she admits, is terrifying — and exactly why she chose the project.

The announcement of Purvis’s return to Australia and her stage debut sparked an immediate reaction among Home and Away fans. The response was emotional, conflicted, and deeply supportive.

Many praised her courage, noting that few soap stars are willing to trade mainstream visibility for an intense, niche theatre production. Others admitted the play’s violent themes worried them — but acknowledged that Purvis has never chosen the easy path.

“I’m still not over Felicity,” one fan wrote online. “But watching Jacqui push herself like this makes me respect her even more.”

Behind the scenes, industry insiders confirm the decision raised eyebrows. A source close to the production revealed that some viewed the move as risky for an actress fresh off a hugely popular soap.

“She could have stayed in the US, chased commercial roles,” the source said. “Instead, she came back to do one of the hardest two-person plays there is — while producing it herself.”

Purvis is not only the lead actress, but also producer and creative driver, placing both her finances and reputation on the line. She is acutely aware of the stakes.

“If it fails, it’s on me,” she reportedly told the team. “But I’d rather fail doing something I believe in.”

Theatre professionals remain divided. Some praise the ambition, calling it the kind of risk that separates performers from artists. Others warn that such emotionally brutal material offers no forgiveness from audiences.

Yet nearly all agree on one thing: Danny and the Deep Blue Sea will be the most significant test of Jacqui Purvis’s career since leaving Home and Away.

Whether this gamble elevates her to a new artistic level or exposes her limits remains to be seen. But one thing is already clear — Jacqui Purvis is no longer content to be defined by television fame alone.

She is choosing discomfort. She is choosing risk. And she is choosing stories that hurt — because they matter.