The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a performing arts school in Perth,

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. Established in 1980, it is notable for being the most comprehensive performing arts school in Australia by disciplines of study and has produced some of Australia's most prominent graduates in the field. It is scheduled to re-locate to the currently under-construction Perth CBD campus following completion in late 2025. The ECU City campus, which is designed by

Lyons Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

and will be located in

Yagan Square Yagan Square is a public space and a component of the Perth City Link in Perth, Western Australia. It is situated between the Horseshoe Bridge and the Perth Busport in the eastern part of the Perth City Link precinct, occupying . Constructio ...

, is planned to have six performance venues which are projected to have 300 performances annually. The campus will be accessible by public transport, being built on top of the underground Perth Busport opposite the

Perth railway station Perth railway station is the largest station on the Transperth network, serving the Perth central business district, central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It serves as an interchange between the Airport line, Perth, Airport, Ar ...

. As of 2019, the executive dean of the school is Prof David Shirley . Prior to being assigned, he was the director of the Manchester School of Theatre and chair of the Federation of Drama Schools in the United Kingdom.

Courses

It offers study and research programs in

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

, screen performance, arts and cultural management, dance (

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as en pointe, pointe work, turnout (ballet), turnout of the legs, ...

and

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...

), music (in various fields of

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

and voice performance,

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

and school teacher education),

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

(including directing and

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

), production (including

production design In film industry, film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and ...

, costume design,

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight. ...

prop A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

s and scenery,

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

and

stage management Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including overseeing of the rehearsal proce ...

) and other fields of

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

. It also offers a vocational program in Aboriginal performance and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research program with an integrated "performance, exhibition, event or an embodiment of some form". Broadcasting is now taught in the School of Communications and Arts of ECU. Originally an initiative of the state government, the academy receives funding from both the State and Commonwealth governments.

Public performances

The performing arts school showcases a large number of performances across all fields annually that are open to the public. This events are mostly held at WAAPA's own theatres and facilities in Mount Lawley. Performances and events are also held at various external venues such as the Rosemount Hotel, Government House Ballroom, Ellington Jazz Club, Luna Cinema, Subiaco Arts Centre, Studio Underground, Blue Room Theatre and the Albany Entertainment Centre.

Venues and facilities

The WAAPA buildings and facilities form part of the Edith Cowan University campus in Mount Lawley, a suburb in Perth, Western Australia. The academy currently has eight public performance spaces. These include the 297-seat Geoff Gibbs Theatre proscenium, the 200-seat Richard Gill Auditorium, the 194-seat court style Roundhouse Theatre, an outdoor amphitheater, Enright Studio, dance studios and a jazz studio. Four more purpose built dance/rehearsal studio spaces were created: A recording studio, electronics studio, and four production workshops for design and costume making were also added to the existing workshops and behind the scenes production facilities. Twelve large rehearsal and dance studios, numerous music and ensemble studios, a specialised visual and performing arts library collection, and numerous exhibition spaces. Fully equipped broadcasting facilities and studios for television and radio. An environment has been created where broadcasting students can gain first hand experience of working within a media environment.

Academic appointments

Academic teaching appointments are made on the basis of qualifications, recent professional experience, industry profile, and reputation. WAAPA invites international professionals to Perth as artists in residence to work with students on productions and performances and to provide performance and professional advice through workshops. Notable past teaching appointments include the Australian conductor Richard Gill as dean of the Western Australian Conservatorium of Music from 1985 to 1990. When Gill moved to take up an appointment as Director of Chorus at

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, New South Wales, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with t ...

, Edward Applebaum filled the appointment.

Notable alumni

* Hollie Andrew * Luke Arnold * Viva Bianca * Andrew Bibby * Shalom Brune-Franklin * Jeremy Callaghan * Fiona Campbell * Jarrod Carland * Vivien Carter * Karina Carvalho * Bryn Chapman Parish * Dustin Clare * Imelda Corcoran * Sam Corlett * Jai Courtney * Martin Crewes * Cassie Davis * Charmaine Dragun * Stella Donnelly * Lucy Durack * Georgie Gardner * Mark Gasser * Marcus Graham * Kerrie Anne Greenland * Haruhisa Handa * Georgina Haig * Geraldine Hakewill * Karla Hart * Hugh Jackman * Jim Jefferies * Kate Jenkinson * Hélène Joy * Alasdair Kent * Kučka * Gerald Lepkowski * Ewen Leslie * Ben Lewis * Meg Mac *

Tammy MacIntosh Tammy MacIntosh (born 16 February 1970) is an Australian actress known for portraying Dr. Charlotte Beaumont in the medical drama '' All Saints'' and Jool in the TV series ''Farscape''. She is also known for her roles on television series '' The ...

* Suzie Mathers * Tim McGarry * Ainsley Melham * Jonathan Messer * William McInnes * Lisa McCune *

Tim Minchin Timothy David Minchin Order of Australia#Levels of membership, AM (born 7 October 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician, poet, composer, and songwriter. Minchin has released six CDs, five DVDs, and live comedy shows that he ...

* Seann Miley Moore * Dacre Montgomery * Frances O'Connor * Ben O'Toole * Linda May Han Oh * Taryn Onofaro * Paul Paddick * Karin Page * Nicholas Papademetriou * Kevin Penkin * Eddie Perfect * Chris Piechocki * Gemma Pranita * Aiv Puglielli *

Dominic Purcell Dominic Haakon Myrtvedt PurcellO'Connor, B,Break Out". '' Men's Fitness''. December/January 2007 Issue; retrieved 18 December 2006. (born 17 February 1970) is an Australian actor. He is best known as Lincoln Burrows in ''Prison Break'' (2005� ...

* Daina Reid * Matthew Lee Robinson * Gretel Scarlett * Kris Stewart * Roza Terenzi * Pria Viswalingam * Erica Wardle * Nic Westaway

References

External links

* * {{authority control Australian tertiary institutions Universities in Western Australia Film schools in Australia Drama schools in Australia Culture of Western Australia Dance education in Australia Edith Cowan University Educational institutions established in 1980 Mount Lawley, Western Australia 1980 establishments in Australia