After a sold-out extended season in 2025, Hayes Theatre Co will raise the Jolly Roger once again as they revive their acclaimed version of The Pirates of Penzance, opening next week at the Foundry Theatre. New recruit Sarah Murr joins the cast, and The Scoop sat down for a chat on Friday ahead of the season.
Sarah gave an insight into what audiences can expect from this madcap production, and shares a bit about her musical theatre journey so far, including her incredible recent casting in SIX the Musical. Read the full interview below.
It has obviously been a very big week for you. Congratulations!
Thank you so much. It’s been overwhelming, to be honest. It’s been nuts.
I can imagine. We will touch on that in a little bit, but first, let’s talk about Pirates.
Yes ma’am.
It’s a production that has just five actors. Can you tell us about the show and where you sit within it?
So basically, this version that Richard Carroll has made up, his adaptation is nuts. Think of it as the Iron Man Challenge for performers. Five performers taking on Gilbert and Sullivan like you’ve never seen it before. It is non-stop from the beginning to the end.
I play multiple roles. I play Isabel, who’s one of the sisters. I play Barry, who’s become one of my favourites. He’s a pirate. And then many more. But we all play multiple roles, and it’s giving costume box on stage, like the audience is just in for a wild ride, I’m telling you now. It is chaotic in the best way. We just laugh every day. It’s been such a joy.
It is a really fun show, and perhaps one that some of the younger generation may not be familiar with, but has this one been given a bit of a modern overhaul?
Yeah, Richard’s adaptation alongside Victoria Falconer’s musical arrangements are just so funny. When we did our first read-through the other week, I was laughing because the way that he has woven in things that are current, it just makes you laugh. It’s so good. The Pirates of Penzance is a classic in the musical theatre canon. But to have those little glittery drops of modernisation. It’s just so funny.
This is not your first time working with the Hayes. Can you to tell us a bit about your history with the company?
Yeah, so obviously, anyone in Sydney knows that the Hayes is just a little hub of brilliance. And I remember moving to Sydney and being like, I cannot wait to work there.
The first time I worked with them, I was doing a production of Lizzie, which was a four-hander, and I was the offstage cover. And then I did Bonnie and Clyde, and also Jekyll & Hyde back-to-back.
So I spent a lot of time in the Hayes. I love them very dearly. It’s nice to come back. But also, we’re doing it at the Foundry this time, which is so exciting.
Tell us about the Foundry Theatre, because that’s a fairly new venue.
Yes, if anyone has been to the Lyric Theatre, it’s basically the little nightclub sister theatre that’s just behind it. So you still come in through the main foyer of the Lyric, and then there’s this little hole in the wall. But I think it seats around 280, I believe, which is so exciting.
We actually did our first walk-through of the space. And as you walk down the foyer into our theatre, it’s like those bars that are behind a telephone box or something. The minute you walk in, it’s an experience.
I love that. You are a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium, from 2015. My son recently graduated from their Acting course. We’re still here, based in Brisbane.
I miss it so much. Hadestown didn’t go there, and I am desperate to come home.
I do feel a bit of a soft spot for Con grads. I’d love to talk about the Con just for a sec. Was Lauren Jimmieson part of your cohort?
She was in the year above me.
Right. And was she in the first batch to graduate?
The very first year was Kimmy Hodgson. And then the second year was Lauren Jimmieson and Georgina Hopson, and then the third year was me and Vidya Makan.
Ah, right. Is there anyone else from your cohort that our readers would know?
Beautiful Emily Monsma. Tim Carroll. Jordan Malone was the year below that. There’s so many of us, we’ve just infiltrated everywhere. I’m also such a softie. I’m always like, Oh, you’re a Sabey baby? Great.
I love it. I interviewed Lauren back in 2024 for Elvis, and she said something that stuck with me, which was: What’s meant for you is easy. I wondered if you wanted to speak to that?
I just love that woman. I think sometimes, we have our hearts set on specific things, and it doesn’t work out for a reason. And as Lauren said, once you find it, it just makes sense.
I felt that way when I went to the Con. When I was auditioning in 2012/2013, WAAPA and VCA and NIDA were the ones. The Con was still so new. When I got my acceptance there, I thought, you know what, I’m going to go. It’s in Queensland. My parents were happy about that, because I’m from Townsville originally.
And the minute I got there, I was like, Oh, this is exactly where I’m supposed to be. And Paul Sabey, who is the head, I love that man dearly. I owe him so much for my training and how I operate as a performer in the industry now.
But I think what Lauren said is perfect. Some doors shut, and that’s okay, because it means that that wasn’t for you. Something else is coming.
Yeah, exactly. That is a good segue into talking about SIX. Was that on your 2026 bingo card?
(Laughs) I feel like in this industry, we never know what’s coming until that brief drops. But I had auditioned for it before. I’d gone for it three times.
Oh, wow.
So this was my third time, and it worked. But it’s interesting. The last times I went for it, I feel like I wasn’t as sure of myself. I’m 31 now. I know who I am. I know what I bring to a room. I just feel like it was the right timing for this to happen for me, and it just feels, I don’t know, very special.
Yeah, absolutely. I noticed on your Instagram story, on the day that the news dropped, you wrote ‘from so many No’s to No Way.’ And I think it’s lovely to share that, because people just see the gloss.
A hundred per cent.
They don’t see the struggle. I wondered if you had anything to say about the grind, and about how for all the yeses, there are so many more no’s.
Oh, a hundred per cent. I think, you know, it’s like the social media effect, where we see the highlights. I think there’s so much that we don’t see that goes into people’s every day.
And not only is it getting no’s from shows, but sometimes we have to say no to things. It’s not aligning with who we are or where we want our trajectory to go. And that means, you know, I went and worked retail for eight months. Which is not where I want to be every day, but sometimes it’s just the hustle.
So, I think, people forget that, all of us, every single person that steps into an audition room, we all have such different journeys. And sometimes it takes longer for others, and sometimes it’s quicker.
And then sometimes you book a show like me. I booked Les Mis straight out of uni, like my graduating year, and then I didn’t get my next show for two and a half years. You just never know what your journey is going to be; it’s so different to everyone. You have to love it to stick around, because it’s not easy.
That is another excellent segue into my final question. You’ve just had this amazing casting. What would you say to someone who might feel like quitting or who isn’t sure about pursuing this dream?
I would say, if you have that little creative beast in your stomach, something that you can’t explain, if it’s there, you owe it to yourself to follow it. Even if it feels hard. Because you can always come home. That’s what my mum always said to me. She said, Go and try it, and you can always come home.
There’s no right or wrong, and it will be hard. That’s the thing. There are days when you cry, and there are days when you just don’t have any self-motivation. And self-motivation is the key to keep going. I think just pursue it. You just have to try. To try and to fail is to be human. So just go do it.
I love that. Is there anything else that you wanted to share that we haven’t covered?
Come see Pirates. I love musicals. I appreciate you calling.
Sarah can be seen in The Pirates of Penzance, presented by Hayes Theatre Co. It runs from 12 May – 7 June at Foundry Theatre, inside the Sydney Lyric, Pirrama Road Pyrmont NSW 2009.
Tickets: https://www.foundrytheatre.com.au/the-pirates-of-penzance
Website: https://hayestheatre.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/foundrytheatresydney/ and https://www.instagram.com/hayestheatreco_official/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/rrumharas/
Hero image photo credit: Cybele Malinowski
