About Me
Jay Hayden (they/them) is a Los Angeles-based theatre maker orginally from a farm town in Connecticut. Jay is an alumnus Emerging Leader Fellow with TYA/USA (as an emerging voice in the field of Theatre for Young Audiences), and spent the last 6 years as a resident actor & instructor at The Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska. They create art about community, connection, and centering joy.
Jay’s select plays include: RISING AND GLIDING OUT (Open Hydrant Theatre Company, Valdez Theatre Conference, UVM Fringe Festival), and ODE TO TOY (The Rose Theater). Select available adaptations include: MACBETH (Old School Shakespeare Omaha), TWELFTH NIGHT, HAMLET, and WAR OF THE WORLDS (The Rose Theater).
They recently served on the Trans Rights Advisory Team for ACLU Nebraska, advising on best practices to uplift TGNC voices in hostile environments. Their DIY zine "METAMORPHOSIS: transsexual flash fiction" can be found in free little libraries... anywhere they can find one.
Jay believes firmly in the intersection of advocacy, liberatory education, and creative play. In other creative spaces, they have collaborated with Bluebarn Theatre, Benson Theatre, Old School Shakespeare Omaha, Theatre SilCo, Nebraska Thespians, Vermont Stage, The American Alliance for Theatre & Education, Queens Theatre of New York, and the NYC Roundtable. Proud member of Ring of Keys. Proud graduate of the University of Vermont.
My Work
Teaching Artist
I cultivate brave playful spaces where every student voice is valued. My work centers equity empathy and curiosity empowering young people to take creative risks explore identity and build community through the arts. Teaching is reciprocal and I learn alongside students while guiding skill growth confidence and belonging onstage and beyond.
Performer
I lead with generosity presence and adaptability. Performance is connection between partners story and audience and I approach each role with curiosity and care. I value physicality vulnerability and truthful listening trusting that authenticity and play power compelling storytelling.
Director
I prioritize curiosity collaboration and care creating rooms where artists feel safe to risk and bring full selves to the work. I am drawn to stories that center joy complexity and authenticity and I treat each production as a chance to build community onstage and off. The process values experimentation and conversation with a commitment to holding space for marginalized voices and cultivating respect and play.
Playwright
I write to explore complexity with clarity and compassion. I am drawn to stories that center marginalized voices invite audience reflection and blur the line between humor and heartbreak. The process is playful and responsive honoring collaboration while crafting theatrical worlds that spark curiosity and connection.
