'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 we’ve yet to face.'
Source: Sydney Theatre Company.
Presented by Sydney Theatre Company at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, 30 March - 13 May 2023.
Director: Sarah Goodes.
Cast including Justine Clarke.
Presented by Melbourne Theatre Company. Performed at Southbank Theatre, The Summer 31 May - 6 July 2024.
Director: Sarah Goodes.
Cast includes Jessica Bentley and Justine Clarke.
Designer: Renee Mulder.
Lighting Designer: Alexander Berlage.
Composer and Sound Designer: Steve Francis.
Video Designer: Susie Henderson.
Assistant Director: Charley Sanders.
Presented by State Theatre Company of South Australia and the University of Adelaide (as a Sydney Theatre Company and Canberra Theatre Centre production) at Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, 16-31 August 2024.
Director: Sarah Goodes.
Designer: Renée Mulder.
Lighting Designer: Alexander Berlage.
Composer & Sound Designer: Steve Francis.
Cast: Justine Clarke and Jessica Bentley.
Presented by Sydney Theatre Company at Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, 5 September - 12 October 2024.
Director: Sarah Goodes.
Designer: Renée Mulder.
Lighting Designer: Alexander Berlage.
Composer & Sound Designer: Steve Francis.
Cast: Justine Clarke and Jessica Bentley.
Presented by Queensland Theatre Company (as a Sydney Theatre Company and Canberra Theatre Centre production) at the Playhouse, QPAC, 16-30 August 2025.
Director: Sarah Goodes.
Designer: Renée Mulder.
Lighting Designer: Alexander Berlage.
Composer and Sound Designer: Steve Francis.
Video Designer: Susie Henderson.
Cast: Justine Clarke.
'First things first, the audience loved it. As Julia Gillard, in a performance that blended naturalism and impersonation, Justine Clarke held the crowd in the palm of her hand. They swooned and sighed to the wholesome depiction of Gillard’s working-class Welsh parents and cackled at the pleasurable jokes made at the expense of Kevin Rudd, Mark Latham, and John Howard. And when Julia wrestled with her conscience over the policy compromises of her government – the refusal of same-sex marriage, the resumption of offshore processing for asylum seekers, the reduction of the single-mother benefit – the audience was encouraged to see that such disappointments were the cost of doing business in a dirty game.' (Introduction)
'Just over 10 years ago, then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard stood up in the House of Representatives to deliver one of the most unforgettable political speeches in recent memory.' (Introduction)
'Just over 10 years ago, then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard stood up in the House of Representatives to deliver one of the most unforgettable political speeches in recent memory.' (Introduction)
'First things first, the audience loved it. As Julia Gillard, in a performance that blended naturalism and impersonation, Justine Clarke held the crowd in the palm of her hand. They swooned and sighed to the wholesome depiction of Gillard’s working-class Welsh parents and cackled at the pleasurable jokes made at the expense of Kevin Rudd, Mark Latham, and John Howard. And when Julia wrestled with her conscience over the policy compromises of her government – the refusal of same-sex marriage, the resumption of offshore processing for asylum seekers, the reduction of the single-mother benefit – the audience was encouraged to see that such disappointments were the cost of doing business in a dirty game.' (Introduction)
