Auditions for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s UK and Ireland tour of Matilda The Musical will be held in Manchester in February and March. The producers will be looking for children for the title role of Matilda and her classmates.
The tour will open in Leicester on October 6 and runs until June 2026, including performances at Manchester's Palace Theatre from March 26-April 25, 2026.
Auditionees for Matlida need to be aged between 9 and 12 on July 1 this year, as well as being under 4ft 3in (129cm) tall.
Matilda's classmates need to be aged between 9 and 13 on July 1: boys under 4ft 10in (147cm) tall; girls under 4ft 6in (137cm). Boys must have unbroken voices, and all auditionees need brilliant dancing and singing skills.
Rehearsals will take place in July and August in Manchester and London, with performances following from October 2025- June 2026 on tour. All children must be available for the entire rehearsal and performance period.
Children will be asked to audition with a short poem, speech or monologue and to sing something; they will also be taught a dance from the show. All children eventually cast for all roles need to live within an hour’s drive of central Manchester, so they can live at home and attend their own schools.
Based on the much-loved Roal Dahl book, the musical continues to play in the West End and has been seen by 12 million people across 100 cities around the world. The stirring tale of the strong and determined heroine with a vivid imagination has won over 100 awards, including 24 for best musical. The award-winning film adaptation, made by the same core creative team, was on BBC1 at Christmas and can be seen on Netflix.
The stage show will celebrate its 15-year anniversary when it opens at Curve Leicester in October, before travelling to Bradford, Liverpool, Plymouth, Sunderland, Edinburgh and Manchester. Further tour dates will be announced later this year. Casting and creative team details will be announced in due course.
More info on the audition process here.