Staging Success: Newcastle's Youngest Producer Takes Centre Stage
When Seb Smee saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on the West End, he was not even double digits, but he knew that making theatre was his destiny.
Now, fresh off completing the HSC at the Hunter School of the Performing Arts, Seb is focused on a fruitful 2025 and for his new production company, Hyde Entertainment, whose mission statement sees younger performers centre stage.
“As a young person, it’s exciting to give opportunities to other young people, and Newcastle has some of the best young talent I’ve ever seen,” says Seb.
Producing is not entirely foreign to Seb, having staged and performed in a run of Enda Walsh’s Chatroom in January 2023 at his alma mater and then having restaged it in collaboration with Jopuka Productions on the Central Coast in June 2024.
In 2025, audiences have two musicals that Hyde Entertainment is mounting to look forward to - the Tony Award-winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in February, which he will be directing, and another very exciting musical comedy to be staged here in Newcastle this July, which puts a contemporary spin on an old classic.
“One of the best things about Newcastle is the amount of theatre,” he opines on the pivot to directing Spelling Bee, “being able to work alongside other people, see how they do things, and bring it to my own rehearsal room is wonderful.”
The musical follows six ambitious preteens competing for a cash prize, each with their own quirky approach to navigating the challenges of the English language’s orthography. “Something fascinating about Spelling Bee is the contrast to our inaugural show [Chatroom], which was very dark. We’re excited to show that we can offer more than that kind of show.”
More to the point, Seb relishes the notion that Spelling Bee offers young performers the opportunity to play roles that address their demographic and experience rather than the usual older characters offered in the modern musical theatre canon.
To stay abreast of Hyde Entertainment, look them up on Facebook or follow them on Instagram @Hyde_Entertainment.
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