Auditions

Expressions of Interest are now open for General Auditions at Hayes Theatre Co for both actors and musicians.

General auditions are run for professional working actors and musicians who have not yet performed at Hayes and are interested in a music theatre or cabaret performance.

Performers and musicians are invited to bring their own choice of material to perform in front of a panel made up of the Hayes artistic team, members of the Hayes Creative industry panel, and directors and independent producers from the upcoming Hayes season.

General Auditions help us broaden our awareness of talent for consideration across all our productions and activities. It gives performers an opportunity to be considered for casting, to receive constructive feedback and advice on their audition technique and material, and stated career goals.

We’re looking for singer-actors and/or musicians who:

  • are over 18 years of age;
  • have at least three years of training or three years of professional experience outside of secondary school activities. This could be onstage in independent productions, festivals, music gigs, or other professional shows, or on screen;
  • have not been employed as an actor / musician in a previous Hayes show; and
  • can be based primarily in NSW and are able to make it to an in-person audition on the day specified

The auditions are not for a particular role or production, and we are not looking for you to fit into any particular cookie-cutter shape. Instead, General Auditions are an opportunity for actors and musicians to bring themselves into the room, and to connect with the Hayes artistic team based on their own talents, interests, and range. You might be a new graduate, new to Sydney, an actor without an agent, an actor or musician who has worked in other areas of performance but not yet in music theatre, or you may have just not had the opportunity to audition for a Hayes show before.

We encourage all performers from historically excluded backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, mature age artists, d/Deaf or hard of hearing, disabled, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, LGBTQIA+, non-binary/gender non-conforming artists and neurodiverse artists to apply.

 

To express your interest in an audition slot for 2026, please check your availability for Tuesday 25th August, Wednesday 26th August and Thursday 27th August, and complete the form below. You will be asked to attach a one-page performance CV, and a recent headshot. After the Expression of Interest stage, we will be in touch with an information sheet specifying the audition requirements in more detail.

Please note that given the high volume of applications and our time and resources, not all applicants will be guaranteed an audition slot, but we will let you know either way. If you have already performed in a Hayes show, or worked on a medium-sized to mainstage musical theatre production in Sydney, then it is very likely we will have seen and heard your work – so do not be disheartened if we don’t call you in. Please do not submit if you were seen at our General Auditions in 2024 or 2025, as we will not call the same performers in again.

Please click here for the Hayes Theatre Co General Auditions Expression of Interest Form.

Submissions close at 5pm on Wednesday 5th August. Applications received after this are unlikely to be accommodated, subject to availability.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

  • What will my audition involve?

    Audition time slots for actors are 15-20 minutes, and will comprise a monologue and a song of your choice. Audition time slots for musicians are 10 minutes, and will comprise two contrasting musical pieces of your choice.

  • What should I perform?

    The best way to choose your audition material is to make sure you’re familiar with what Hayes does, and pick your scenes and songs accordingly. Productions at Hayes cover a wide range of genres, styles and creative approaches, but they are rarely straight-forward, traditional, music theatre performances. Try to let your audition material express your own interests and perspective on music theatre. For actors, your audition scene does not have to come from a musical. However, scenes that depict or discuss extreme violence, bigotry, misogyny, etc are ill-suited to an audition in front of panel members who are unaware of the material they will be watching. Please also be prepared to give context to your monologue, as well as any content warnings, before you perform it.

  • How will I be accompanied?

    We will provide a professional accompanist for all auditions, who can accompany your audition on piano. This is optional for musician auditionees, but required for actor-singer auditionees (please don’t prepare an acapella performance, or bring a recorded backing track). Please bring clearly marked sheet music for the accompanist. You can find guidance on marking up music for the accompanist here, and here.

  • What if I am both an actor and a musician?

    If you are auditioning as an actor, and you play a musical instrument to a similar level (three years of professional training or experience), please feel free to bring this along as well! In this case, please submit your form as an actor. There will be a piano or keyboard in the room that you can play, should you wish – or you can bring another instrument with you. You can sing and play separately – or, if you prepare a song where you accompany yourself, please also prepare something that you can sing while accompanied by our pianist, if the panel requests.