Hackney Empire are looking for young musicians aged 17 to 30 to take part in their Trainee Musical Director programme designed to demystify the role of the Musical Director (MD).

What you’ll gain:

• Understand what a Musical Director does
• Learn how Musical Directors collaborate with Directors, Musicians and actors
• Develop the skills and approaches needed to be a Musical Director
• Gain insight into a professional Musical Theatre making process by observing aspects of our 2026 pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk
• Better understand career opportunities for Musical Directors and how to find them
• Reflect on your own interests and skill set and set your own development goals for the project

They are looking for people who are:

• Aged 17 – 30
• Considering, or starting out in a career in music, and/or are in training at Higher Education level
• Passionate about music and developing their skills
• Want to learn about the industry and make connections
• Motivated and committed
• Ideally have keyboard skills

Observing Jack and the Beanstalk:

Their 2026 pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk runs from Sun 22 Nov – Thu 31 Dec and during this time, you will watch at least one preview performance to observe the Musical Director. A date will be mutually agreed in advance.

Deadline: 9am, Monday 3 August