The secret behind the ‘little theatre that could’

Tiny Hayes Theatre has long punched above its weight, but in recent times it has excelled itself with a string of musicals heading from its postage-stamp-sized stage in Potts Point to major venues around the country.

Two Hayes productions, Rent and Calamity Jane, open at the Sydney Opera House this year, while In The Heights is currently playing at the Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts (HOTA). Meanwhile, Vidya Makan’s The Lucky Country will open at the Brisbane Powerhouse next month.

“There’s something about the Hayes,” says co-artistic director Richard Carroll. “It generates a little bit of magic, and it’s such a joy to see … good quality shows can go as far as they want to when audiences want to see them.”

Hayes Theatre co-artistic directors Victoria Falconer and Richard Carroll. Credit: Steven Siewert

Carroll’s artistic partner at Hayes, Victoria Falconer, says the intimate nature of the venue, which has just 110 seats, is a catalyst for creativity.

“It is such a magical space and the most successful shows are the ones that embrace exactly what it’s all about,” she says. “The reason people want to keep coming back is because there’s always that question, ‘What is the Hayes version of this show going to be?’

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“Even when a show does go to somewhere like the [Sydney Opera House] concert hall, that sense of intimacy and the humanity that’s so important to musical theatre and to cabaret kind of stays in that show as it moves around to different spaces.”

Another ingredient of the Hayes’ secret sauce is the theatre’s willingness to take a punt.

“We can do shows that people wouldn’t normally be willing to take a risk on,” says Falconer. “That feeds into our commitment to creating new Australian musicals and cabaret work. That stuff is risky. It is something that needs work, it needs time and needs care and development, sometimes over years.”

Falconer and Carroll were speaking as the Hayes launched its 2026 season, which will feature a mixture of Broadway classics and new Australian works.

Leading the charge is a celebration of Barbra Streisand, BARBRA: The Greatest Star. Directed by Brittanie Shipway, it opens on January 21. Later in the year, the theatre will see the world premiere of Silver Tongue, a reimagining of Treasure Island, described by Falconer as a “big, bold, brash swashbuckling adventure”.

‘We haven’t run out of ideas – the list is long!’

Other highlights will include an adaptation of the movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and the Australian premiere of Broadway hit, Gutenberg! The Musical!

Carroll and Falconer, who joined Hayes three years ago, also announced this week that they have signed on for another two years.

“We’re not done,” says Falconer. “There are a few ideas that still haven’t quite got on the table, so I’m glad we’ve got another couple of years to get more done. We haven’t run out of ideas – the list is long!”

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