2027 GRADUATE PROGRAM
Applications for the 2027 Graduate Program open October 16th, 2026.
Applications close November 16th, 2026.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Established in 2008, the program is designed to guide and enrich the transition from training institutions by providing a professional platform for artists to work in the industry. We offer positions across Acting, Directing, Dramaturgy, Design or Stage Management to join Red Stitch as full ensemble members for a year. Since 2023, the Graduate program has been generously supported by the Hansen Little Foundation.
MEET OUR 2026 HANSEN GRADUATES
ELIGIBILITY
Graduating students are only eligible in the year immediately following the completion of their training.
EXPERIENCE
Brian Lipson & Susie Dee in The Amateurs rehearsals.
Graduates are welcomed into the Red Stitch ensemble as full members and regarded as key stakeholders in the company.
Throughout their year long engagement with Red Stitch, graduates gain invaluable skills, experience and contacts. They develop their craft, form relationships with leading industry professionals, and have a supportive platform to demonstrate their work.
This program often acts as a springboard for graduates, as many are recognised and go on to have successful and fulfilling careers in theatre.
A graduate year is not only busy but very exciting. Graduates:
work on multiple productions
source and develop new material
are directly involved in the operations of Red Stitch alongside the rest of the ensemble and staff.
Red Stitch is extremely proud of this unique program. No other theatre company in Australia offers such a rich and immersive opportunity to artists negotiating the transition from training to institution.
POSITIONS
In addition to working on productions, graduates are involved in the day-to-day workings of Red Stitch, including sourcing and developing new work. In accordance with Red Stitch policy, all members may take leave of absence for professional work outside the company.
Acting, Directing & Dramaturg Graduate
Graduates assist on at least one Red Stitch production during their time with the company, building relationships with established practitioners and experiencing a variety of rehearsal processes.
Stage Management and Designer Graduates
Graduates work alongside industry professionals, receiving expert guidance and support from Red Stitch resident Designers and Production Management team. We guarantee graduates will assist on at least one production during their time with the company, with the option for more subject to availability.
This time last year, approaching the end of my undergraduate acting degree - as the first in my family to study the arts with no prior industry connections or credits - the most daunting hurdle on the horizon was entering The Industry. I anticipated it being a painful, awkward process where I attempt to push my way into rooms that I don't quite belong in, harass people over email for coffee dates to "pick their brain" about the industry, and soullessly 'network' my way up the creative ladder to get my foot in the door. But this year, I've realized that all it takes is one person, or one company, to give you that first opportunity, that foot in the door, and take a chance on you, to completely change the trajectory of your career. That is exactly what Red Stitch has been for me, and I couldn't be more grateful.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have been selected from among so many talented drama school graduates to join a company that not only has an extensive creative network, but is also deeply respected within the Australian theatre industry. Even with my limited knowledge of Melbourne's theatre landscape when I applied, Red Stitch's reputation preceded it. I had already heard it described as "the big little theatre" - a company renowned for consistently punching above its weight and producing work of an exceptional standard. It has more than lived up to that reputation. The first Red Stitch production I saw, Ray Lawler's 'The Doll Trilogy' at the beginning of the year, remains one of the most extraordinary theatre experiences I've ever had.
In just the first six months of the graduate program, I was introduced to an entirely new community of generous, inspiring and immensely talented artists. I was also entrusted with my professional debut lead role in the Australian premiere of 'Anna X' from April to June. It was an invaluable and unforgettable experience that not only expanded my professional network through working alongside director Tait de Lorenzo and actor Tom Stokes, but also gave me the rare opportunity to showcase my work directly to casting directors and agents who attended the production. As someone at the very beginning of my career, that kind of exposure is incredibly difficult to come by and has been genuinely career-changing.
Even if my graduate experience had consisted solely of this one role, I would already consider it more than worthwhile. But since then, I've also been invited to participate in the development of a new work with an emerging playwright and have had the opportunity to observe rehearsals for Red Stitch's upcoming production of 'Luke'. Being welcomed into so many different aspects of the company's creative process, like the fortnightly ensemble meetings, has given me an invaluable insight into how exceptional theatre is made and has continued to broaden both my skills and my professional relationships. Becca Galvin (Graduate Actor) - 2026
