The East Anglian Touring Consortium and the New Wolsey Theatre are seeking two young performers (aged strictly 17 - any gender) to share one role in 'Caroline: A New Musical' - the consortium’s inaugural production.

Caroline: A New Musical – the story about the globally renowned tale of Radio Caroline.

“A radio station for young people! Why do we need that?” Caroline dreams of something more than stacking shelves at the local greengrocers. Her days are routine, but her nights come alive, walking the pier, sharing laughs with her best friend Mary, and spinning records with Robbie, her music-mad boyfriend who’s big on charm but short on direction.

But a music revolution is coming, and Robbie lands a shock gig with Radio Caroline – the pirate radio station blasting pop, soul and rock ’n’ roll from a ship off the Essex coast – and suddenly everything changes. Caroline is swept into a tidal wave of music, mayhem and a movement that would shake up British culture forever. She’s not a DJ. She’s not a rock star. But in the middle of Britain’s radio revolution, Caroline might just steal the show.
Set to a soundtrack of iconic hits from the 60’s, Caroline is a vibrant, heart-warming and rebellious new musical about love, ambition and discovering your own voice.

The two young performers will share the role and split the performance schedule equally, each appearing in half of the performances. The role features a small number of lines across several scenes and offers an opportunity to be part of a professionally produced new musical – from early rehearsals through to performance. Performances will take place at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich. Travel expenses to the rehearsals and performances will be reimbursed.

Rehearsal and performance schedule:

First day of rehearsals at the New Wolsey Theatre – Monday 16th March 2026
Tech Week at the New Wolsey Theatre – Week commencing Monday 13th April 2026
Dress rehearsals (times TBC) – Thursday 16th & Friday 17th April 2026
Performances – between Friday 17th April – Saturday 2nd May 2026, including the official opening night/press night on Tuesday 21st April.

Click here to download a Word document containing all performance dates and times.

Your rehearsals will take place across the final three weeks of the rehearsal period, for two evenings per week (TBC), and will be held at DanceEast and Suffolk New College, Ipswich.

Auditions will be held at the New Wolsey Theatre on Wednesday 11th March at 7pm. The audition will comprise of a workshop with a small amount of singing and script work.

Candidates should have experience performing in school, youth or amateur theatre, and we actively encourage applications from young actors of all backgrounds and communities. This is a brilliant opportunity to work alongside professional artists in a supportive, high-quality rehearsal and production process.

How to apply:

Click the ‘Email to apply’ button at the top of this page to email Rebecca Hall from our Creative Communities team, including a recent photograph and a short paragraph (up to 150 words) telling us why you’d like to be considered for this role and any relevant performance experience. If you have them, you’re welcome to include links to a short video or showreel, but this is not essential. Please also click the ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Form’ button at the top of this page to fill in the online form that enables us to capture data on our equality, diversity and inclusion. The deadline to apply is 10am on Friday 6th March.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email rhall@wolseytheatre.co.uk.