Work
With Us
Work with one of Australia’s most experienced and respected school theatre companies. A unique opportunity to make a difference to the lives of students while being paid to do what you love.
Why audition
for Brainstorm?
We have 40 years experience in the industry, performing live theatre to over 260,000 primary and high school students each year. Our shows help schools create safer and more positive environments for their students, addressing issues such as bullying, inclusion, cyber safety, resilience, mental health and relationships. Each show is developed by our passionate team of creatives, teachers and psychologists, and scripts are constantly updated to ensure content is relevant and challenging for our audiences.
We are dedicated to nurturing a positive environment where actors feel valued and supported in all aspects of their work. Our actors have the opportunity to contribute to the lives of children and young people in a meaningful way, while developing their technical, creative and professional skills. Learn more about what we do and check out our current shows for primary schools and high schools.
Brainstorm offers full-time employment for actors. Weekly wages are paid at the Grade 1 rate from the ‘Live Performance Award’ plus an added loading (total whilst performing will be $1229.26 per week before tax). Actors also receive a Living Away from Home Allowance whenever the work is away from their base city. Also included is Holiday Pay, Sick Pay, employer’s contribution to Superannuation, and Workers Compensation Cover.
When actors are away for rehearsals and the South Australian tour, accommodation is provided by Brainstorm Productions and actors receive a Meals and Incidentals Allowance instead of the Living Away from Home Allowance. Company cars are provided. The majority of the work is in the actors’ base city, with only occasional short periods away (with the exception of one Melbourne-based contract, which includes 10 weeks in Adelaide).
Read on for more information about the contracts, roles, selection criteria, audition process and other frequently asked questions.
Brainstorm’s head office is located on Bundjalung Land. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of all the lands on which we operate. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the contributions and unique storytelling traditions of the oldest living culture in the world.
Applications for our 2023 acting auditions are now closed.
Applications for our 2024 Season will open 1st October 2023
Essential criteria for actors
Must be at least
19 years old
Playing range
of 16-24
Current drivers licence and good driving record
(Learners licence not sufficient)
Fit, healthy and able to
travel away from home
(most of the work will be in your base city, with only occasional periods away – see 2023 roles for more details)
Energetic and
responsible
Some singing, physical
theatre and dance experience
an advantage.
(Juggling and basic acro skills also an advantage for the 2023 Brisbane roles)
Brainstorm Productions is a
Child Safe Organisation
The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is central to all recruitment decisions. It is an offence under the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012 and the Children’s Guardian Act 2019 for a person convicted of a serious sex offence or child related personal violence to apply for these positions.
Before an offer of employment is made, we will require your permission to conduct a Police Check and a mandatory criminal record check for any history of violence or sexual based offences to provide you with a Working With Children Check number.
How to apply
Applications for our 2023 acting auditions are now closed. Thank you to everyone who auditioned.
Applications for our 2024 Season will open 1st October 2023.
To apply you will need to submit the following:
- A completed online application form;
- A video of your initial audition;
- Current CV;
- Current headshot.
For your audition video you will need to perform one of the monologues provided, sing ‘Happy Birthday’ unaccompanied and tell us briefly why you want to work for Brainstorm Productions and what you think you can bring to the role.
If you are represented by an agent, please discuss the position with them before applying and list their details on your application form. We will contact your agent regarding callbacks and contracts, if applicable, or if we require any further information.
If you have any further questions about our acting auditions you can contact us at:
The link to the application page will be available here from 1st October 2023
About the callbacks
Once you have submitted your initial application and audition video, you may be required to attend an in-person callback. If you are required for a callback you will be contacted via email, either directly or through your agent if you are represented.
Callback dates to be confirmed. Please check back here on 1st October 2023 for more details.
If you are not able to attend a callback on this date please let us know, as we may be able to arrange an online callback in some circumstances.
Roles for 2024
A list of the roles we are casting in 2024 will be available here in late September 2023.
Brainstorm Productions is Committed to Equal Employment Opportunities
We are committed to ensuring that all employees enjoy equal employment opportunity. This means that employees are treated fairly and equally when employment decisions are made and that unlawful discrimination does not take place. We aim to recruit a diverse range of people with a variety of talents and actors from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
FAQ
Yes, it is a full time job, Monday to Friday, for the length of your contract (excluding holidays).
Please see the list of roles above for the dates and length of each contract.
Most contracts start in early or late January but some do start later in the year (see list of roles for specific start dates).
Rehearsals are 3 weeks, Monday to Friday 8.30am – 4.30pm on the Far North Coast of NSW (near Byron Bay). Rehearsals are paid at award rates, and meal allowance and accommodation is provided. Most contracts also require you to do 2-5 days of pre-rehearsal work prior to these 3 weeks (e.g. a few days of training and choreography in your base city a few weeks prior to the rehearsals on the NSW Far North Coast). The pre-rehearsal dates will be arranged once the roles have been cast.
All shows are two-handers.
The sets are very minimal and fit in the back of a Toyota Rav 4. There are no ‘tour managers’ – actors are required to set up themselves at each school.
You do 1, 2 or 3 shows per day Monday to Friday in schools (maximum 15 shows per week but average about 12).
Weekly wages are paid at the Grade 1 rate from the ‘Live Performance Award’ plus an added loading (total whilst performing will be $1229.26 per week before tax). Actors also receive a Living Away from Home Allowance whenever the work is away from their base city. Also included is Holiday Pay, Sick Pay, employer’s contribution to Superannuation, and Workers Compensation Cover.
When actors are away for rehearsals and the South Australian tour, accommodation is provided by Brainstorm Productions and actors receive a Meals and Incidentals Allowance instead of the Living Away from Home Allowance.
We will consider you for all roles based in the city you reside in (Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane), unless you ask to be considered in more than one location. If you wish to be considered for a role in another city, please specify on your application form (e.g. if you are currently residing in Brisbane, but wish to be considered for a job in Sydney and/or Melbourne).
No, an automatic, air-conditioned company vehicle is provided for each team, including fuel and running costs.
You MUST have a current drivers licence and a good driving record (L-Plates are not acceptable). If you are offered employment with Brainstorm Productions you will be asked to provide a copy of your driving record from Service NSW, VIC Roads or QLD Roads (depending on which state/s you have held a drivers licence in).
You must be fit, healthy and prepared to be away from home for short periods of time. However, some tours require more time away from home than others – please see the list of roles for an overview of each contract.
No, our tours are mostly based within the actors’ home cities and surrounds, with only short periods away from home (e.g. a few in regional areas). One of the Melbourne based contracts has 10 weeks in Adelaide. Please see the list of roles for more information about each contract.
You will be notified by phone or email if you have been cast or if you are unsuccessful. If you are represented by an agent, we will notify you through them.
