Justine Clarke Returns to Sydney Theatre Company For Encore Season of JULIA

Sydney Theatre Company and Canberra Theatre Centre’s production of Joanna Murray-Smith’s runaway hit, Julia, will return to Sydney for an encore season at Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House from 5 September, following a sold-out run in Melbourne and upcoming seasons in Canberra and Adelaide.

Since premiering in the nation’s capital in 2023, Justine Clarke’s star turn as Julia Gillard has garnered widespread praise from critics around the country for her “electrifying” embodiment of Australia’s first female Prime Minister, “played with astonishing restraint” (The Guardian).

Murray-Smith’s powerful monologue takes us through key moments in Prime Minister Gillard’s life and culminates in a stirring verbatim performance of the famed 2012 ‘misogyny speech’ that sent shockwaves around the world. 

Helmed by Helpmann Award-winning director Sarah Goodes (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Sunday) this unmissable two-hander examines the indelible impact Gillard’s speech has had on an entire generation, aided by the presence of an evocative observer portrayed by Jessica Bentley.

Julia is both a compelling insight into the person behind the public mask and a searing reflection on the experience of women in contemporary politics.

The creative team bringing this compelling mix of history and art to life features designer Renée Mulder, lighting designer Alexander Berlage, composer & sound designer Steve Francis, assistant director Charley Allanah, video designer Susie Henderson, and voice & dialect coach Jennifer White.

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