Julia
by Joanna Murray-Smith
Directed by Sarah Goodes
31 March – 20 May 2023
In the Drama Theatre
Theatre
World Premiere
Ten years on from Julia Gillard’s speech that sent shockwaves around the world, Julia is an intimate and compelling insight into the person behind the public mask.
| Date | Time |
| Friday 31 March Preview | 7.30pm |
| Saturday 1 April Preview | 7.30pm |
| Monday 3 April Preview | 7.30pm |
| Tuesday 4 April Opening Night | 7.30pm |
| Wednesday 5 April | 7.30pm |
| Thursday 6 April | 7.30pm |
| Saturday 8 April | 1.30pm, 7.30pm |
| Monday 10 April | 6.30pm |
| Tuesday 11 April | 6.30pm |
| Wednesday 12 April | 1.00pm, 7.30pm |
| Thursday 13 April | 7.30pm |
| Friday 14 April | 7.30pm |
| Saturday 15 April | 1.30pm, 7.30pm |
| Monday 17 April | 6.30pm |
| Tuesday 18 April | 6.30pm |
| Wednesday 19 April | 1.00pm, 7.30pm |
| Thursday 20 April | 7.30pm |
| Friday 21 April | 7.30pm |
| Saturday 22 April | 1.30pm, 7.30pm |
| Monday 24 April Night with the Artists Post-show Q&A | 6.30pm |
| Tuesday 25 April | 6.30pm |
| Wednesday 26 April | 7.30pm |
| Thursday 27 April | 7.30pm |
| Friday 28 April | 7.30pm |
| Saturday 29 April | 1.30pm, 7.30pm |
| Monday 1 May | 6.30pm |
| Tuesday 2 May | 6.30pm |
| Wednesday 3 May | 7.30pm |
| Thursday 4 May | 7.30pm |
| Friday 5 May | 7.30pm |
| Saturday 6 May Audio Described Matinee | 1.30pm, 7.30pm |
| Monday 8 May | 6.30pm |
| Tuesday 9 May Captioned Performance | 6.30pm |
| Wednesday 10 May | 7.30pm |
| Thursday 11 May AUSLAN Interpreted Performance | 7.30pm |
| Friday 12 May | 7.30pm |
| Saturday 13 May Captioned Matinee | 1.30pm, 7.30pm |
| Monday 15 May | 6.30pm |
| Tuesday 16 May | 6.30pm |
| Wednesday 17 May | 1pm, 7.30pm |
| Thursday 18 May | 7.30pm |
| Friday 19 May | 7.30pm |
| Saturday 20 May | 1.30pm, 7.30pm |
| Ticket | Price |
| Previews | |
| A Reserve | $57 |
| B Reserve | N/A |
| Ticket | Price |
| Friday to Saturday (excluding Previews) | |
| A Reserve | $109 |
| B Reserve | N/A |
| Ticket | Price |
| Monday to Thursday (excluding Previews) | |
| A Reserve | $104 |
| Seniors | Senior card holders (Aust. only) |
| A Reserve | $99 |
| Pensioner | Pension card holders (Aust. only) |
| A Reserve | $78 |
| Students | Student card holders (Aust. only) |
| A Reserve | $78 |
| Under 30* | |
| A Reserve | $57 |
| Groups 10+ | Please call +61 2 9250 7700 for more information |
| A Reserve | $94 |
*Must provide valid ID
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times. Children aged 0 - 23 months at the time of a performance may be seated on a parent’s lap free of charge. All children occupying a seat or aged 2 year/s of age or older must hold a valid ticket.
The authorised agencies for this event are Sydney Opera House and Sydney Theatre Company. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Thursday 8 December 2022
In English
Wheelchair accessible
Audio loop available
Captioned, Auslan Interpreted and Audio Described performances available.
Captioned performances
Tuesday 9 May, 6:30pm
Saturday 13 May, 1:30pm
Captions are text descriptions that display the session's dialogue, identify speakers, and describe other relevant sounds that are otherwise inaccessible to people who are deaf or have hearing loss. Captions will be displayed on a screen or available via your personal device (phone). To be seated in the area with best view of the screens book online using the caption price type, call the Sydney Theatre Company on 02 9250 1777 or email boxoffice@sydneytheatre.com.au. Alternatively, to access the captions on your personal device (phone), scan the QR Code on the sign displayed at the entry to the venue.
Auslan Interpreted performance
Thursday 11 May, 7:30pm
Experienced Auslan theatre interpreters stand to the side of the stage and translate what the actors are saying or singing into Auslan. A block of seats is reserved for users of this service to ensure a good view of the interpreter and the stage. Book by calling Sydney Theatre Company on 02 9250 1777 or email boxoffice@sydneytheatre.com.au
Audio Described performance
Saturday 6 May, 1:30pm
An audio description service to enhance the experience of customers who are blind or have low vision is offered for selected performances at the Sydney Opera House. This is a live commentary of the visual elements of a performance, by trained audio describers. Audio description is relayed via a free headset and receiver linked to the FM radio system. For select Audio described performances tactile tours will be available. Tactile tours allow patrons who are blind or have low vision to have a hands-on experience. Patrons are given access to costumes, props and stage set in order to capture the atmosphere of the work. Tactile tours occur before the performance. To book the service and confirm if your chosen performance has a tactile tour available, call Sydney Theatre Company on 02 9250 1777 or email boxoffice@sydneytheatre.com.au
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House
Run time
This show runs for approximately 90 minutes, with no interval.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Content warning
Please note this production contains strong language and strobe lighting.
Not now, not ever
In 2012 Julia Gillard, Australia’s first female prime minister, gave a speech that sent shockwaves around the world.
Now, ten years later, one of Australia’s most esteemed and celebrated playwrights, Joanna Murray-Smith, brings the human story behind that speech to the stage.
Julia is an extraordinary new play that will see the glorious Justine Clarke (Children of the Sun) embody the life and career that led to the ‘misogyny speech’, in a phenomenal performance directed by Helpmann Award-winning Sarah Goodes (The Children).
This is both an intimate and compelling insight into the person behind the public mask, and a reflection on the experience of women in contemporary politics. Combining genuine excerpts from Gillard’s speech with Murray-Smith’s incredible dramatic imagination this play is also a thrilling coming together of history and art.
Around the world, we are seeing the most profound rollbacks to women’s rights legislation in two generations. At the same time, there have been encouraging strides forward in the representation of women in positions of power, both at home and abroad. In this climate, Julia is a rousing and energising reminder of where we’ve come from and an empowering imagining of the challenges yet to come.
Presented by Sydney Theatre Company and Canberra Theatre Centre
Artist Information
Writer Joanna Murray-Smith
Director Sarah Goodes
Designer Renée Mulder
Composer & Sound Designer Steve Francis
With
Justine Clarke
Jessica Bentley
Other information
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We remind our audiences and visitors to please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We have a number of safety measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. While face masks are no longer required, we ask all our patrons and visitors to practise good hygiene.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
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