From BYU to Boston to New York, Hailey Hyde Shares Her Journey to the Broadway Stage
A call from Hailey Hyde’s agent while home with her family for the holidays turned into a career-defining moment when she heard the words, “you got it!”
These words were more than just preemptive encouragement — “it” was a part in the cast of Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical “The Outsiders.” Based on the novel by S. E. Hinton and movie adaptation directed by Francis Coppola, the show opened on Broadway in April 2024 and has enjoyed a successful run ever since, drawing in longtime fans as well as a new generation of enthusiasts.
Hyde has had a strong love of music since childhood and grew up singing at the piano in a music filled home. “From a young age, I knew that this was a part of me, and I feel very privileged to have that sense of calling,” she said.
Performing runs in Hyde’s family — her aunts have performed in Broadway tours. One of them, Mindy Robbins, owns the Utah Conservatory of the Performing Arts (COPA). During her childhood, Hyde took many COPA classes and grew to love dancing as well as singing.
As an MDT (music dance theatre) student at BYU, Hyde performed with Young Ambassadors (YA) for three years and was inspired by the words of YA’s director Nathan Balser, who encouraged the performers to deliberately think about their “why” to keep them going through the challenges of the performing arts.
“If I hadn’t solidified my ‘why’ early on and let it fuel me, I think I would have given up a long time ago because there are a lot of nos in this industry,” said Hyde. “It’s a crazy thing to choose to do for a living, but I’ve always had this sense that this is what I am supposed to be doing.”
During her time performing in YA, Hyde had many opportunities to serve others through the arts — running workshops with kids, singing in retirement homes and more. “BYU’s focus on service has been a huge source of peace in my life in knowing why I am doing this,” said Hyde. “Seeing the impact that music and theatre can have on people solidified my testimony of the arts and that Heavenly Father thinks they are important.”
After graduating from BYU, Hyde spent the summer performing at Music Theatre Wichita. While there, she signed with an agent, which was helpful when she moved to New York in October of 2023. “It’s hard to get in the room in New York because it’s so saturated, so getting an agent is a really good asset,” Hyde said. In mid-October, she spent time in Boston while performing in the musical “Elvis: the Musical Revolution” at the North Shore Music Theatre.
Back in New York, Hyde dove in head-first, submitting self-tapes (sometimes filmed in her church gym) and taking dance classes and voice lessons. During the summer of 2024, she returned to Boston for a role in North Shore Music Theatre’s production of “Frozen,” and then went back to Utah to perform in three shows at Tuacahn Amphitheatre: “Anastasia,” “Frozen” and “Jersey Boys.”
When her agent got her an audition for “The Outsiders,” Hyde received a callback within a few days of submitting her self-tape. “The whole audition process for 'The Outsiders' was really interesting because I felt God’s hand in it more than other audition experiences I’ve had,” she said. “I was so aware of Him magnifying my talents; it was a moment of alignment.”
While she was home for the holidays with her family, she found out through a call from her agent (less than three weeks after submitting the initial self-tape) that she would have the opportunity to understudy the roles of Cherry, Marcia and Beverly. “My heart just dropped and I immediately burst into tears,” said Hyde. “That moment was so overwhelming, and it was so special to be with my family to experience it.”
Hyde began rehearsals in early January, learning the tracks for the three parts. On January 24th, Hyde performed as Cherry for the first time in full makeup, wig and costume in a “put-in,” in which the cast and band run the show without an audience so that understudies and those learning new tracks can become more comfortable with their roles.
Hyde was initially overwhelmed by how many moving parts were required to create the overall picture of the show, but was reassured upon understanding how her track fits into that huge picture. “When you watch the show, it is so amazing how they have constructed all these different images,” said Hyde. “Everyone is doing their own thing to make this beautiful picture for the audience.”
In addition to understudying the roles of Cherry, Marcia and Beverly, Hyde sings in the booth, where off-stage singers provide additional vocal support to the on-stage performers. After singing in the booth for several weeks, Hyde made her on-stage Broadway debut in the Marcia track on February 26 and her principal debut as Cherry Valance on March 1.
“It was such a surreal experience to be on that stage. I just kept thanking my Heavenly Father and was filled with joy and gratitude — I cried the whole day,” said Hyde. “The cast was so sweet and supportive throughout both shows! They carried me in such a lovely way and made the experience so special, reminding me to take moments to remember the little things.”
“It was crazy to reflect on all of the experiences that led me to that stage — all those years of dance class, voice lessons and performing. I felt the love of all my family, friends, teachers and mentors who have supported me,” said Hyde. “I also took time to reflect on the younger version of myself, and I was proud of baby Hailey for sticking to what she loved.”
