Julie

On a sultry summer evening a dangerous game between three people goes off the rails. Julie, the restless daughter of a wealthy magnate, wants to escape the life that has been mapped out for her. Jan, her father's chauffeur, dreams of the opposite: a life higher up the ladder. And the housekeeper Christine — Julie's confidante and Jan's wife — watches it all happen. What begins as a reckless flirtation grows into a game of power from which no one emerges unscathed.

One sultry night. Three lives at stake.

Date: February 21, 2024 - May 11, 2025
Duration: 75 min, no interval
Genre: Theatre

August Strindberg wrote Julie in 1888, but in the hands of the British director Rebecca Frecknall the play is set in the here and now: a world in which money and background still determine who calls the shots, and in which desire cuts straight across those lines. Frecknall is known for her contemporary view of the classics and, unlike Strindberg, she gives the women all the room they need as well: Julie is spoilt and lonely at once, Christine knows exactly what she wants. In a kitchen of gleaming steel — hiding place and prison in one — Eefje Paddenburg, Minne Koole and Hannah Hoekstra play this three-hander on a knife edge, to a sultry beat by composer George Dennis.

Julie premiered in 2024 and was embraced by press and audiences alike: The Times gave it five stars ('raw, poetic, painful and plausible'), Theaterkrant called the production 'fresh, infectious and full of humour' and NRC praised the acting.

Director Rebecca Frecknall

"I am endlessly fascinated by the dynamics of power between men and women on stage. There are few plays that explore these sexual and political undercurrents in more volatile and more complex ways than Strindberg's Miss Julie.

The three young characters switch between love and hate, desire and revulsion, reckless trust and paralysing fear over the course of a single night that will change each of their lives. The kitchen becomes a battlefield, a bunker, a stage, a grave and a gymnasium, which requires the actors to become emotional athletes and to push the boundaries of their craft.

Written more than 130 years ago and originally banned for its coarse language and sexual content, this play still has the power to grip, shock and provoke an audience. Julie explores how far people can push one another and lays bare the destructive force we all carry within us."

Reviews

The Times

'This is raw, poetic, painful and plausible.'

De Volkskrant

'This Julie is spare and effective: skilfully made, convincing text-based theatre that gives three outstanding actors all the space they need.'

Het Parool

'A dazzling statement of female emancipation.'

Reviews

NRC

'Mega-talent Eefje Paddenburg shines as the spoilt and lonely Julie in search of love.'

Trouw

'What a fine, harrowing experience the whole thing is: three people trapped by their obsession with their own and one another's vulnerabilities and impulses.'

Theaterkrant

'An intelligent piece of theatre about desire, status and independence, in which the three actors drive one another to great heights.'

About Rebecca Frecknall

The British director Rebecca Frecknall (1986) is regarded as one of the most celebrated theatre-makers of her generation. As resident director at London's Almeida Theatre she made her name with distinctive adaptations of the classics, in which she places the female characters centre stage and lets text, music and movement flow into one another.

Her breakthrough came with Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams. With her staging of the musical Cabaret she made history: the production won a record seven Olivier Awards, including the one for best direction. Her A Streetcar Named Desire, with Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran, was also honoured and travelled to Broadway. In 2026 she made a remake of that successful production with ITA. Julie was Frecknall's debut production at ITA in 2024.