Julia
By Joanna Murray-Smith
Directed by Sarah Goodes
5 September - 19 October 2024
In the Drama Theatre
Theatre
After a sell-out season in 2023, Julia remains one of the hottest tickets in town for any theatregoer interested in spectacular acting, first-rate directing, the state of Australian politics, or the stirring story of one woman who changed history.
| Performance Date | Time |
| Thursday 5 September Preview | 7:30pm* |
| Saturday 7 September | 7:30pm |
| Monday 9 September | 6.30pm |
| Tuesday 10 September | 6:30pm* |
| Wednesday 11 September School Performance + Q&A | 11:30am† |
| Wednesday 11 September | 7:30pm |
| Thursday 12 September | 7:30pm |
| Friday 13 September | 7:30pm |
| Saturday 14 September | 1:30pm, 7:30pm |
| Monday 16 September Night with the Artists Post-show Q&A | 6:30pm |
| Tuesday 17 September | 6:30pm |
| Wednesday 18 September | 1pm, 7:30pm |
| Thursday 19 September | 7:30pm |
| Friday 20 September | 7:30pm |
| Saturday 21 September | 1:30pm, 7:30pm |
| Monday 23 September | 6:30pm |
| Tuesday 24 September | 6:30pm |
| Wednesday 25 September | 7:30pm |
| Thursday 26 September | 7:30pm |
| Friday 27 September | 7:30pm |
| Saturday 28 September | 1:30pm, 7:30pm |
| Monday 30 September | 6:30pm |
| Tuesday 1 October Captioned | 6:30pm |
| Wednesday 2 October | 1pm, 7:30pm |
| Thursday 3 October | 7:30pm |
| Friday 4 October | 7:30pm |
| Saturday 5 October Captioned Matinee | 1:30pm, 7:30pm |
| Monday 7 October | 6:30pm |
| Tuesday 8 October | 6:30pm |
| Wednesday 9 October | 7:30pm |
| Thursday 10 October | 7:30pm |
| Friday 11 October | 7:30pm |
| Saturday 12 October | 1:30pm, 7:30pm |
| Monday 14 October | 6:30pm |
| Tuesday 15 October | 6:30pm |
| Wednesday 16 October | 1pm, 7:30pm |
| Thursday 18 October | 7:30pm |
| Friday 18 October | 7:30pm |
| Saturday 19 October | 1:30pm, 7:30pm |
* Performance will be filmed for archival purposes.
† Schools/General Public Performance. There will be a post-show Q&A session that is open to the general public for those who wish to join the students.
| Ticket | Price |
| Previews | |
| Premium | $70 |
| A Reserve | $65 |
| B Reserve | $55 |
| Ticket | Price |
| Friday & Saturday Evenings (excluding Previews) | |
| Premium | $140 |
| A Reserve | $125 |
| B Reserve | $110 |
| Ticket | Price |
| Saturday Matinee | |
| Standard | |
| Premium | $140 |
| A Reserve | $125 |
| B Reserve | $110 |
| Concession | Student and Pensioner card holders (Aust. only) |
| Premium | $110 |
| A Reserve | $95 |
| B Reserve | $80 |
| Under 30* | |
| Premium | $90 |
| A Reserve | $75 |
| B Reserve | $60 |
| Ticket | Price |
| Monday to Thursday (excluding Previews) | |
| Standard | |
| Premium | $125 |
| A Reserve | $115 |
| B Reserve | $100 |
| Concession | Student and Pensioner card holders (Aust. only) |
| Premium | $95 |
| A Reserve | $85 |
| B Reserve | $70 |
| Under 30* | |
| Premium | $75 |
| A Reserve | $65 |
| B Reserve | $50 |
| Groups 10+ | Please call +61 2 9250 7700 for more information |
| Premium | $113 |
| A Reserve | $104 |
| B Reserve | $90 |
*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.
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.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
Wednesday 7 February, 2024
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
General Public tickets on-sale
Thursday 8 February, 2024
In English
Wheelchair accessible
Audio loop available
Captioned performances
Tuesday 1 October 2024 6:30pm
Saturday 5 October 2024 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 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.
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House
Run time
Performance runs for 1 hour 30 minutes, with no interval
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Recommended for ages 14+
Children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage
with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Content warning
Performance contains strong language and strobe lighting.
The Sydney Morning HeraldJustine Clarke brilliantly becomes Julia Gillard in this heroic performance.
Useful information:
Not now, not ever
Run, don’t walk, to secure tickets to the special encore season of one of 2023’s greatest theatrical experiences. The brilliantly talented Justine Clarke returns to step into the shoes of Australia’s first female prime minister and deliver an exhilarating performance that will be remembered for generations.
In 2012, Julia Gillard gave a speech that sent shockwaves around the world. Now, over a decade later, a group of Australia’s finest theatre makers – Playwright Joanna Murray-Smith, Director Sarah Goodes, Designer Renée Mulder, and an outstanding creative team, along with Clarke and exciting newcomer Jessica Bentley – have created a stirring and inspiring re-examination of that moment and a revelatory portrait of the woman who made it all happen, culminating in an “electrifying” (The Guardian) verbatim performance of the ‘misogyny speech’.
A Sydney Theatre Company and Canberra Theatre Centre production
This play is a fictional imagining by the playwright, of true events in the life of Julia Gillard. It combines references to true events, extracts from published works, interviews, fictitious commentary and opinions which the Playwright and the Producers believe to be honestly held. Ms Gillard has not endorsed or read, nor had any artistic input into the production of, this play.
Artist information
Director
Sarah Goodes
Designer
Renée Mulder
Lighting Designer
Alexander Berlage
Composer & Sound Designer
Steve Francis
Video Designer
Susie Henderson
With
Jessica Bentley
Justine Clarke
Season 2024
Sydney Theatre Company
Where art meets an audience, the awe-inspiring meets the everyday, and where Sydney meets the World. There’s something for everyone in Sydney Theatre Company's 2024 Season, from the hilarious to heartrending, the intimate to operatic, and the international to homegrown.
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 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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