Gay Pirates, Evil Twinks, and Everything You Missed at the Festival of New Works

Do you know what it took to get your favourite musical onto the mainstage?

From a twinkle in its creator’s eye, chances are it went through years or even decades of writing, re-writing, editing, workshops, showings, developments, readings, and more, all before you even heard of it. But what if you did get to hear about it?

Enter Hayes Theatre Company. A stone’s throw from Kings Cross station, a tiny 111-seat theatre houses a small but dedicated team with a big heart. They’ve been supporting new musical theatre work for years through their Hayes Creative program, which has brought you shows like Zombie!, The Lucky Country, and Dubbo Championship Wrestling. Last year, they premiered something special: their annual Festival of New Works. This year, it’s back – and this time, conveniently aligned with uni break (yay!). For two weeks, Hayes brings together audiences, professionals from across the industry, and works at all stages of development, to learn, network, perform, and have a whole lot of fun! If you’re bummed to have missed out this year, or if you’re dying to know what’s next for Australian musical theatre, here’s a recap of everything that went down.

The festival’s highlights were its concert presentations, showcasing full-length drafts of new shows in a scaled-down concert format. As an audience member at a concert presentation, you get to be one of the first people to see these shows, giving you future bragging rights (on top of a great night out). Last year, one of these presentations was Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical, which is receiving a full production in October as part of the Hayes 2025 season. This year, three stunning new musicals were presented.

First up was Tristan and Isolde, adapted from the classic tale by Drew Livingston and Madeleine Jones. In the warring nations of Cornwall and Ireland, knight Tristan and princess Isolde are tired of living according to their parents’ demands. They fall in love despite the odds, and plan to break free from their royal lives – but will they succeed? With its driving folk-rock sound and riveting plot, Tristan and Isolde is sure to be adored by the enemies-to-lovers lovers and fans of a tragic ending.

Next was the much-awaited Sydney premiere of Cassie Hamilton’s hyperpop extravaganza A Transgender Woman On The Internet, Crying. Avis O’Hara is the ‘DIY Doll’: the internet’s most famous trans creator, moulding her transition to the whims of her audience. In the eyes of Corrin Verbeck, though, she’s a bioessentialist, a right-wing beacon of heteronormativity, and a threat to the trans movement. Corrin befriends Avis, plotting to bring her down, but things don’t quite go the way they planned. ATWOTIC is a hilarious and often heartbreaking story of love, betrayal, and the internet, ending with an uplifting message of trans joy and the importance of community.

Finally, Silver Tongue, following on from its presentation at last year’s festival. Written by Jacob Parker and Miranda Middleton with music by Alec Steedman, Silver Tongue is a raunchy, irreverent, deliciously queer retelling of Treasure Island. This version centres on a female Long John Silver, accompanied by a motley crew of wannabe adventurers, self-aggrandising noblemen, and aspiring cabaret stars. Its lush seafaring soundtrack and tongue-in-cheek sense of humour mean this pirate romp is definitely one to keep your eye(patch) out for in future.

For even more new musical fun, the Ready or Not showcase saw 15 more works of all formats and genres presented over the course of 3 nights. Some of these works were ready and waiting for full seasons. Others were just an idea when they were submitted, with the showcase giving their writers the deadline they needed to start working. Each creator presented 20 minutes of material from their show, followed by a short Q&A. For writers, the showcase meant a chance to get their work on stage and learn about how audiences connected with it. For audience members, it’s a peek at the potential hits of tomorrow and an opportunity to learn about the process of creating a new show. Either way, it’s a jam-packed night of laughter, tears, and future must-sees.

Of course, we wouldn’t be talking about new Australian musicals without Home Grown. Originally from Melbourne, Home Grown is now a Hayes staple, bringing together a star-studded group of writers and performers to show off the wealth of talent we have right here in Australia. As usual, this round’s stacked lineup ranged from brand-new, never-before-heard work to shows currently playing on some of the world’s biggest stages. Home Grown happens year-round, and it’s always an absolute blast to watch.

To round out each week of the festival with a bit of silliness and laughter, there was side-splitting musical improv show Musical Bang Bang (another year-round event!), and the 2-Day Musical Challenge performance, taking ‘new musicals’ to its extreme. Plus, masterclasses to hone your skills, networking events for professionals to connect with each other, and panel talks where the best of the best discussed producing, directing, writing, and more.

Whether you’re looking to see a great musical, say you knew that show way back when, share your masterpiece with the world, learn a new skill, hear about what happens behind the scenes, or just soak up the atmosphere, the Festival of New Works has what you’re after. Keep your eyes peeled for its 2026 edition!