Calamity Jane
14 October – 16 November 2025
In the Studio
Musical Theatre
Virginia Gay returns as the legendary frontierswoman in this stripped-back, rough-and-ready reimagining of the classic musical. Grab a drink and prepare to be immersed in the world of the Golden Garter Saloon.
Please note: Virginia Gay plays Calamity Jane from Wednesday to Sunday. Billie Palin performs the role on Tuesdays, except on 14 October.
The appearance of any performer cannot be guaranteed as it is always subject to illness or other unavoidable circumstances.
Date | Time |
Tuesday 14 October 2025 Preview | 7:00pm |
Wednesday 15 October 2025 Preview | 7:00pm |
Thursday 16 October 2025 Preview | 7:00pm |
Friday 17 October 2025 Preview | 7:00pm |
Saturday 18 October 2025 | 1:00pm |
Saturday 18 October 2025 | 7:00pm |
Sunday 19 October 2025 Opening Night | 6:30pm |
Tuesday 21 October 2025 Alternate Performance | 7:00pm |
Wednesday 22 October 2025 | 7:00pm |
Thursday 23 October 2025 | 7:00pm |
Friday 24 October 2025 | 7:00pm |
Saturday 25 October 2025 | 1:00pm |
Saturday 25 October 2025 | 7:00pm |
Sunday 26 October 2025 | 1:00pm |
Sunday 26 October 2025 | 6:30pm |
Tuesday 28 October 2025 Alternate Performance | 7:00pm |
Wednesday 29 October 2025 | 7:00pm |
Thursday 30 October 2025 | 7:00pm |
Friday 31 October 2025 | 7:00pm |
Saturday 1 November 2025 | 1:00pm |
Saturday 1 November 2025 | 7:00pm |
Sunday 2 November 2025 | 1:00pm |
Sunday 2 November 2025 | 6:30pm |
Tuesday 4 November 2025 Alternate Performance | 7:00pm |
Wednesday 5 November 2025 | 7:00pm |
Thursday 6 November 2025 Audio Described | 7:00pm |
Friday 7 November 2025 | 7:00pm |
Saturday 8 November 2025 | 1:00pm |
Saturday 8 November 2025 | 7:00pm |
Sunday 9 November 2025 | 1:00pm |
Sunday 9 November 2025 | 6:30pm |
Tuesday 11 November 2025 Alternate Performance | 7:00pm |
Wednesday 12 November 2025 | 7:00pm |
Thursday 13 November 2025 | 7:00pm |
Friday 14 November 2025 | 7:00pm |
Saturday 15 November 2025 | 1:00pm |
Saturday 15 November 2025 | 7:00pm |
Sunday 16 November 2025 | 1:00pm |
Sunday 16 November 2025 | 6:30pm |
Previews & Tuesday Performances | Price |
Premium Stage-side Saloon Tables | $124.90 |
A Reserve Saloon Tables | $104.90 |
A Reserve Fixed Seating | $104.90 |
B Reserve Saloon Tables | $89.90 |
B Reserve Fixed Seating & Stools | $89.90 |
C Reserve Stools | $69.90 |
All Other Performances | Price |
Premium Stage-side Saloon Tables | $144.90 |
A Reserve Saloon Tables | $129.90 |
A Reserve Fixed Seating | $129.90 |
B Reserve Saloon Tables | $114.90 |
B Reserve Fixed Seating & Stools | $114.90 |
C Reserve Stools | $89.90 |
$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.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
9am, Tuesday 13 May 2025
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
9am, Wednesday 14 May 2025
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Friday 16 May 2025
Audio Described performance
Thursday 6 November 2025 7:00pm
Audio description is a live commentary for people who are blind or have low vision of the visual elements of a performance which is relayed to the patron via a free headset and receiver linked to the FM radio system. A pre-show Tactile Tour allows hands on access to costumes, props and stage set in order to capture the atmosphere of the work. Book using the Audio Description price type.
Wheelchair accessible:
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations in our theatres. To book accessible seating contact Box Office:
Telephone
+61 2 9250 7777
(Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House.
Run time
This performance runs for approximately 155 minutes, including a 20 minute interval. Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Recommended for ages 7+.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Warnings
This production contains mild adult themes, mild course language and theatrical haze.
Useful information:
Legendary frontierswoman; notorious daredevil; profane storyteller; unwomanly radical
Welcome to the rough-and-tumble town of Deadwood, where swaggering sharpshooter Calamity Jane is both mocked and admired. Deadly with a whip or a quip, her bluster masks a longing for something deeper.
Calamity Jane is one of the most iconic figures of the American West. From the Doris Day musical to HBO’s Deadwood, her courageous individuality has captivated audiences for decades. Defying gender norms and cultural expectations well ahead of her time, now’s the perfect moment to revisit this remarkable woman.
This stripped-back, rough-and-ready reimagining ditches the buckskin and brings grit and edge to the classic musical. Directed by Richard Carroll, the production stars Virginia Gay (Channel 7’s All Saints and Winners & Losers) reprising her role as the magnetic, masculine heroine exclusively for the Sydney Opera House season of this award-winning production. After clinching the Sydney Theatre Award for 'Best Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical' in 2018 for this exact role, she’s back by popular demand.
From the moment they step into the theatre, audiences are transported to the unruly Golden Garter Saloon—teeming with gamblers, showgirls and a rowdy sense of volatility. You may even find yourself part of the action!
Featuring beloved standards like Secret Love, Just Blew In from the Windy City, The Deadwood Stage and Black Hills of Dakota, this production injects a wild, spontaneous energy into the world of musical theatre.
Presented by Sydney Opera House and One Eyed Man Productions
Calamity Jane is adapted by Ronald Hanmer and Phil Park, from the stage play by Charles K. Freeman after the Warner Bros. film written by James O’Hanlon.
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. Music by Sammy Fain.
Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Australasia) Pty Ltd.
The AustralianA central performance as fine as any seen on our musical stage since, I don’t know, forever.
Theatre PeopleSublime... Gay’s portrayal is the stuff award-winning performances are made of.
Sunday TelegraphGay is sensational... She just about blows the roof off the theatre.
Gallery
of
About the artists
Virginia Gay graduated WAAPA, then spent four years pretending to be a nurse on All Saints, six months pretending to be a cop on Savage River (ABC, Paramount+), and five years on Winners & Losers, where she pretended to know a lot about high finance. That last one, particularly, was a stretch.
She recently starred in her adaptation of Cyrano, which had a sold-out season at Edinburgh Fringe 2024 and won a Fringe First for Best New Writing. The production transferred to London’s Park Theatre, where Virginia was nominated for an Offie – an Off West End Award – for Best Lead Actor for her performance. The show was previously a hit for Melbourne Theatre Company and Black Swan/Perth Festival 2022/23.
She won a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Actress for Calamity Jane, starred in the film Judy & Punch which premiered at Sundance, and wrote and directed her short film Paper Cut, which made Tropfest finals.
She’s an absolute nightmare in Colin From Accounts (S2), chewed up the scenery on Thank God You’re Here, was a grand finalist on Dancing With The Stars, and was nominated for a Logie for Most Outstanding Supporting Actress for After The Verdict. Virginia is also the 2024/2025 Artistic Director for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
She wrote and co-directed The Boomkak Panto for Belvoir, and is currently working on a new play for Windmill Theatre, Mama Does Derby. Her script for Cyrano is published nationally by Currency Press and internationally by Nick Hern Books.

Calamity Jane at Tuesday night performances.
Originally from Dubbo, Billie began her vocal training at the Macquarie Conservatorium and went on to complete a Bachelor of Music at the Australian Institute of Music.
Billie’s credits include HMS Pinafore (Ralph Rackstraw), Godspell (Jesus) and swing for both Dubbo Championship Wrestling and Jekyll & Hyde for The Hayes Theatre Company, The Lovers Workshop for Bell Shakespeare, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (Muriel & Mrs Hatch) for Squabbalogic, A Christmas Carol for Ensemble Theatre, Once Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Ratburger (Sheila/Tina) and RENT for LPD Productions. Most recently she appeared in Pirates of Penzance with Hayes Theatre.
Her powerhouse voice saw Billie crowned the 2019 winner of the Sydney Cabaret Competition with her cabaret "From Dubbo to Death".

Director
Richard Carroll
Musical Director
Nigel Ubrihien
Choreographer
Cameron Mitchell
Designer
Lauren Peters
Lighting Designer
Trent Suidgeest
Associate Lighting Designer
Ryan McDonald
Produced by One Eyed Man Productions in association with Neglected Musicals and Hayes Theatre Co
Producer
Richard Carroll
Associate Producer
Michelle Guthrie
Assistant Producer
Virginia Gay
Director of Production
Jack Daniel Woods
Set Build
Iceworks
Assistant Director
Dash Kruck
Promotional Photography
Harvey House Photography
Original Production Photography
John McRae and Jeff Busby
Plan your visit
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.
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 +61 2 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.
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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