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Welcome to Second Star Youth Theatre
Second Star Youth Theatre is built on the philosophy that young people are capable of incredible things; they just need the chance to try! Powered by this belief, and our four pillars of Care, Courage, Creativity and Community, we offer engaging school holiday musical theatre workshops, in which young artists come together to rehearse and perform an entire musical in just one week.
To find out more about our pillars, who we are, and why we do what we do, check out About Us.
About the Show
Inspired by ancient Greek mythology, Hadestown intertwines the stories of young dreamers, Orpheus and Eurydice, with the legendary fairytale of King Hades and Queen Persephone.
Orpheus is a hopeful young musician who believes he can write a song that will bring the world back into balance. Eurydice is a fiercely independent young woman simply trying to survive. When their paths cross, they find something worth holding onto, but when Eurydice makes a difficult choice, Orpheus must follow her into the Underworld to bring her home.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the earth, Hades rules over a world built on work, wealth and walls, while Persephone longs for the freedom of the world above. As the lives of these four characters collide, Hadestown asks how far we will go for love, how we hold onto hope in difficult times, and whether we can find our way back to each other.
With its unforgettable characters, rich storytelling and distinctive blend of folk, jazz and blues, Hadestown is a bold and atmospheric musical about love, loss, hope and the power of a song. Hadestown is written by singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell, originally directed by Rachel Chavkin, and is the winner of 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Production Details
Dates
Auditions Sunday 13 December, 1pm to 6pm
Rehearsals Monday 11 January to Friday 15 January, 8:30am to 5pm
Performances Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 January
Locations
Auditions Faith Works Norman Park - 177 Bennetts Road, Norman Park
Rehearsals Kimberley Woodger Dance Academy - 58 Holdsworth Street, Coorparoo
Performances Marjorie Godfrey Theatre - Cavendish Road State High School, Holland Park
Participation Requirements
All young performers aged 13-18 (on 16 January 2027) are invited to participate!
Participation Fee $620 per participant, inc GST
Participation fees go towards rights, royalties, creative and technical professionals, venue hire, sets, props, costumes, marketing and much more. Each participant will receive a script and production t-shirt to keep, in addition to an audition workshop, and a full week of tuition (and fun!). Performers will also get a free headshot from Bullseye Creative Arts which they can use for future productions, and access to professional production photos. Payments are due in full prior to the audition date, unless otherwise discussed. All who audition are guaranteed a place in the cast.
A Note on Costumes
To make things easy for families, we will provide the majority of the costumes for this show and the price of costume hire is included in your participation fee. We may ask performers to provide a few elements of their own, such as footwear, and base items performers likely already own such as stage blacks, dress pants, or a white t-shirt (exact details will be sent to participants closer to).
Creative Team
Director - Lauren McNamara
Lauren is a singing, drama and musical theatre teacher who is incredibly passionate about supporting young artists to shine on stage. She has previously directed young performers in Into the Woods JR, Newsies JR, Legally Blonde JR, The Wizard of Oz, High School Musical JR, and one of the first Australian productions of SIX: Teen Edition, just to name a few. She has also worked on various professional and pre-professional productions around Brisbane and Sydney, and was a cast member at Walt Disney World.
Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Music and minoring in Theatre and Performance Studies, from The University of Sydney and Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and a Master of Arts and Cultural Management, specialising in youth arts and musical theatre education from The University of Melbourne. In 2025, Lauren was awarded a Lord Mayor's Creative Fellowship from Brisbane City Council in recognition of her work and impact as an arts educator. This grant allowed her to travel to New York City and undertake professional development with some of Broadway's best creatives, performers and technical professionals.
Lauren launched Second Star Youth Theatre in 2024 and after two years of theatre-making with these incredible young stars, she is so excited to be bringing this epic, full-length musical to the stage.
Choreographer - Isabella Maric
Bella is a Brisbane-based choreographer and dance teacher who is so excited to be choreographing Hadestown: Teen Edition. Bella is a familiar face for Second Star Youth Theatre, having previously choreographed their productions of The Addams Family: young@part edition, Rock of Ages: Youth Edition, and Legally Blonde JR. She is known for energetic and visually impactful choreography which truly highlights the entire ensemble.
Outside of Second Star, Bella has also choreographed productions of Elf JR, High School Musical JR and Mary Poppins JR and teaches numerous dance styles to performers of all ages. Bella holds a Certificate IV in Musical Theatre, and she is currently undertaking a Certificate IV in Dance Teaching.
Bella can't wait to apply her education and experience to Second Star's production of Hadestown!
Vocal Director - Lauren Bull
Lauren is a Brisbane-based creative with extensive experience both on stage and behind the scenes. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts alongside a Master of Teaching, while continuing to develop her vocal and music theory skills through AMEB examinations.
Lauren has worked on a variety of youth theatre productions across Brisbane, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory JR, Shrek JR, Frozen JR, Mary Poppins JR, Moana JR and Finding Nemo JR. Her experience spans a range of theatre roles, including directing, music directing, stage management and marketing. Passionate about youth theatre, Lauren loves working with young performers and helping them build confidence, develop their skills and discover a lifelong love of the performing arts.
Auditions
All young performers aged 13-18 (as at 16 January 2027) are invited to audition. All who audition will be cast in the show!
The in-person audition workshop will be held on the afternoon of Sunday 13 December. Any performers unable to attend in-person are welcome to submit video auditions.
What is an Audition Workshop?
At Second Star Youth Theatre, we want every performer to have equal opportunity to showcase what makes them amazing! To help achieve this, we run auditions as a workshop using the iTheatrics method. The iTheatrics method was developed specifically for youth performers and involves a large group of auditionees all attending a workshop together in which they will learn material from the show. Auditionees then have the opportunity to perform what they’ve learnt for our creative team, and their fellow cast mates.
While showcasing strong singers, skilled dancers and experienced actors, this method of audition also celebrates other invaluable skills such as connecting with others, responding to direction and learning material quickly. Another major bonus is that auditionees don’t have to prepare a thing! All they have to do is come along, be themselves, and give everything a go.
Register your Audition
Audition registrations are open now and spaces are filled on a first come, first served basis so we recommend getting in quick! You can register your audition at the button below.
There is no fee to register, but payment of participation fees will be due in full prior to audition day. After registering, participants will be emailed an invoice.
After Auditions
Casting decisions will be communicated to participants as soon as possible after auditions. It is then an expectation that performers in lead and featured roles spend time familiarising themselves with their material in the weeks leading up to the intensive rehearsals. All necessary learning materials, i.e. scripts and tracks, will be made available to them.
I'm not available for Auditions
If your performer is unavailable for the in-person audition workshop, they can still be involved! Make a note of this on your registration form and we will be in touch with instructions for how to submit a video audition.
Characters
Hermes
The charismatic Messenger God, Hermes is there to guide lost souls to where they need to go. While acting as Orpheus' mentor, Hermes also serves as the narrator of Hadestown, taking the entire audience underneath their wing.
Casting note: Hermes has been performed on Broadway by male, female and non-binary performers. The role is written to accommodate different gender presentations, with the script permitting pronouns to be adapted to suit the casting.
Tenor/Bass, range: C3-B4 (adjustments permitted to suit the casting)
Orpheus
The dreamer of our story, Orpheus is a gifted musician who believes his song can bring balance back to the dark world. A hopeless (maybe a little naive) romantic, he will stop at nothing to rescue his love, Eurydice from the Underworld.
Casting note: In professional productions, the actor behind Orpheus plays a guitar live on stage. This is not a requirement for the Teen production. If a performer can play, we'd love to know, but it is also an option to mime this.
Tenor with strong falsetto, range: D3-C5 (opt. Eb5)
Eurydice
A jaded and desperate girl, Eurydice has spent most of her young life running away from darkness. Her love for Orpheus is immense, but Eurydice knows the feeling of cold and hunger too well to not prioritise survival.
Mezzo-Soprano, range: F#3-D5
Hades
The all-powerful ruler of the Underworld and all its riches, Hades is a ruthless leader obsessed with progress. A compulsive industrialist, Hades finds himself stuck between his love of Persephone and need for glory.
Bass, range: F2-C#4
Persephone
The effervescent and larger-than-life Goddess of Spring, Persephone used to be madly in love but finds herself tiring of the double life she's forced to live. Her travels between the Underworld and above ground heralds the change of the seasons.
Mezzo-Soprano/Alto, range: F3-C5
The Fates
Simultaneously vicious and delicious, the three Fates sisters see all. Acting as enticing voices in their heads, the Fates are there to guide our lovers through their journeys, but whether the Fates are hoping for happy or sad endings is anyone's guess.
Casting note: Hadestown is typically performed with three Fates, but the Teen Edition does permit this number to be expanded.
Fate 1: Soprano (up to Eb5), Fate 2: Mezzo-Soprano, Fate 3: Alto (down to E3), all with strong harmony skills
Workers
The workers chorus are the spirit of Hadestown, symbolising labour and community throughout the show. There will be opportunity for featured Workers to be showcased as singers, dancers and actors throughout the story.
Note: Performers of all genders may be considered for all roles regardless of the original gender representation of the character. With the exception of Hermes (who is written as gender-flexible), character names and pronouns used in the script will not be changed. If a performer is not comfortable portraying a role outside of their gender identity, please inform the creative team prior to auditions.
Participation Policies
Participation in Second Star Youth Theatre programs is subject to the organisation’s policies, including our Code of Conduct, Child & Youth Risk Management Policy, Media & Photography Policy, and Refund & Cancellation Policy. These policies are available here. If prospective parents/guardians or participants have any questions or concerns around any of our policies, they are encouraged to contact Second Star Youth Theatre Director, Lauren, at lauren@secondstaryouththeatre.com.au prior to participating.
Content Note
Hadestown: Teen Edition is a PG-rated version of a mature story which includes references to alcohol and substance use, on-stage violence, and frequent uses of the word "hell". It is also centred around two romantic couples, and performers in those roles may be directed to embrace, hold hands, and sit or lie down together. No performers will be asked to kiss.
Some of the larger themes present in the show include death, poverty, coercive control, and abuse of power. If participants or parents/guardians have any concerns about the material, they are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the show before registering, and/or email Lauren at lauren@secondstaryouththeatre.com.au with any questions.
That's all the info, now it's up to you!
Click the button below to register your audition.
If you have any questions, reach out to us at lauren@secondstaryouththeatre.com.au