By Mary Ward
It was in 2021 that Winston Hillyer received the call offering a job in the Australian production of Hamilton, one of Broadway’s buzziest musicals even after what was then more than five years of performances.
He knew the show would be huge, likely touring several cities. He would be an understudy for multiple roles, including the titular Alexander Hamilton’s rival, Aaron Burr. But was he willing to sacrifice being at home for his three-year-old daughter, Imogen?
Hamilton actor Winston Hillyer with his children Imogen, seven, and Sasha, three. Credit: Steven Siewert
Performing in big musicals before he was a dad, Hillyer had seen male colleagues leave their families for months at a time. It was something he and his wife, Aryna, a dancer herself, did not want to do.
“When kids are that young, they grow up so fast,” he said.
“So we came to the decision that we would do this as a team, and go along together.”
Now seven, Imogen has grown up around the show, travelling with Hamilton around Australia as well as on its international tour to New Zealand, Singapore, the Philippines and Abu Dhabi, completing schoolwork via correspondence and spending her Mondays – the show’s day off – sightseeing with her family.
Also in tow is Imogen’s younger brother, Sasha, who was born during Hamilton’s first Sydney run and will turn three in December.
A big fan of animals, Imogen said she had particularly enjoyed going to the zoo in each of the cities the family has toured. She would like to be a zookeeper when she grows up.
“I liked Singapore because it had sea otters,” she added.
Hillyer credits the Hamilton cast with his daughter’s transformation from a shy toddler into a confident girl who started receiving birthday invitations within weeks of starting school in Sydney when the show returned in July.
“Over the past four years, this company has become extended family,” he said.
On Saturdays, Imogen and Sasha come into the Lyric Theatre for the cast dinner. You will often find them in the green room, playing card games and the Nintendo Switch with the other actors.
Throughout the tour, two former cast members – Kirrah Amosa and Rachelle-Ann Go – also travelled with their children.
Hillyer said he was grateful to the production for accommodating working parents.
While Sasha is still a bit too young to sit through a theatre production, Imogen has seen Hamilton several times.
Her favourite parts of the show are when her dad performs, but her favourite song is The Schuyler Sisters, sung by the show’s three female leads.
She has even walked on the production’s rotating stage and has her own theories about how that theatre magic works.
“She still really thinks a mouse underneath the stage is what makes it move,” Hillyer said.
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