With two seasons and 16 episodes to date, Bay of Fires is an Australian dark-comedy crime series that deliciously blends noir, satire, and family drama.
Created by Marta Dusseldorp, Andrew Knight, and Max Dann, the first season aired on the ABC in 2023 and returned for a second season in mid-2025. The show’s Tasmanian setting and off-kilter tone has proved a big part of its appeal, and it’s frequently cited as one of the ABC’s recent homegrown hits.
If you’re hoping to star in it, here’s what you need to know.
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Bay of Fires follows Stella Heikkinen (Dusseldorp), a woman in witness protection, who is relocated with her kids to the small, eerie Mystery Bay in Tasmania. But behind the facade of sleepy coastal life, an unexpected melting pot of small-town politics, cultish overtures, and criminal networks is quickly revealed.
The story rides a series of tonal waves: quiet family drama one moment and dark crime thriller the next, keeping audiences – and, no doubt, the actors – on their toes.
In addition to Dusseldorp, whose actor credits include The Twelve, Jack Irish, and Janet King, Bay of Fires boasts a diverse Aussie ensemble cast, including:
- Ava Caryofyllis (Thor: Love and Thunder) as Stella’s daughter Iris
- Imi Mbedla (Space Nova) as Stella’s adopted son Otis
- Ben Knight (The Fall Guy) as Tarquin
- Toby Leonard Moore (Billions) as Jeremiah
- Kerry Fox (Conversations With Friends) as Frankie
- Roz Hammond (Irreverent) as Heather
Bay of Fires’ casting director is Nikki Barrett (The Power of the Dog, The Babadook, Mad Max: Fury Road) of Barrett Casting. Barrett is a veteran Australian casting director who regularly contributes to casting Aussie talent in international productions.
Barrett tends to keep a low profile, but she has shared some general advice for actors keen to audition for her team. “The one thing you can control is your performance, focusing on doing the best audition you can, preparing and knowing as much as you can, and being the most detailed actor you can,” she told The Equity Magazine. “Keep waking up and being an actor. Watch stuff, listen to stuff, see stuff, and remember that you have this skill and you have this love for acting.”
Barrett also stressed that her team isn’t overly concerned about production polish when it comes to self-tapes. “People at our end don’t expect super-high technological quality,” she said. “We’re used to watching tapes done on iPhones and things like that. So long as we can see you and hear you, we don’t really care how fancy it is.”
Showcast, Casting Networks, and other casting platforms are widely used in Australia for sharing casting notices, but auditions for more substantial roles tend to be sent directly to agents as opposed to being made open.
Barrett Casting, however, occasionally shares casting calls on its official Facebook page, and Tas Casting, which is responsible for sourcing bit parts on Bay of Fires, does too.
Be sure to have a strong, up-to-date headshot, a one-page CV, and a concise showreel that showcases both comedy and drama, if possible.