Hayden is New Zealand born and trained in Australia at NIDA . In recent years he has  been acclaimed for his work in theatre and cabaret both in Australia and New York. Hayden won the New York Award at the 2002 Sydney Cabaret Convention and has performed in most of the top cabaret rooms including the Algonquin Oak Room in NYC

Hayden won considerable praise also for his satirical tonight show “Muftee” which played in Australia for a year and a month in New York, featuring some of the top names in Australian and American show business as guests  .In 2003 Hayden released his first solo self titled CD which won a special award on the “Cabaret Hotline on Line” site as one of the five best male CDs of that year.

Hayden was selected as one of the top twelve young voices of musical theatre in the world in the BBC “Voice of Musical Theatre” competition.

More recently Hayden performed the role of Lt Joe Cable in “South Pacific” at the Adelaide Festival Centre winning considerable praise. He has played for twelve months on the west end as Marius in “Les Miserables”(2005/06),played in the workshop of “Snugglepot and Cuddlepie”directed by Neil Armfield at Belvoir St and is currently starring as Thomas Andrews in “Titanic-the Musical” (Theatre Royal, Sydney)

Earlier professional musical productions include  -“The Wizard of Oz’(SEL/Gordon Frost) ,  Jack in “Into the Woods” and Grumio in “Kiss Me Kate” (Court Theatre, NZ)