Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Name	Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Established	1980
Type	Academy
City	Perth
State	Western Australia
Country	Australia
Campus	Suburban

Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts is a tertiary conservatoire located in Perth, Western Australia. It is part of a larger university and specialises in acting, music, dance, and production arts. The academy has produced graduates who have worked with major institutions and events across Australia and internationally.

History

The academy was founded in 1980 amid cultural initiatives linked to Sir Charles Court and development programs in Perth, opening as an institute that engaged with companies such as Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre (UK), and La Scala. Early directors forged ties with artists like John Bell, Robyn Nevin, Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett, Mel Gibson, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, and Hugh Grant, while exchanges involved ensembles including West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Black Swan State Theatre Company, and Perth Festival. The academy's curriculum evolved alongside policies from institutions such as Tertiary Education Commission (Australia), Curtin University, Murdoch University, and corporate partners like Australian Broadcasting Corporation, SBS (Australian broadcaster), Network Ten, and Seven Network. Over decades, collaborations referenced international festivals including Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Venice Biennale, Cannes Film Festival, and touring associations with Royal Opera House and Metropolitan Opera.

Campus and Facilities

The campus occupies a precinct within Edith Cowan University grounds in Mount Lawley and adjoins landmarks such as Hyde Park, Kings Park, Swan River, and the Perth Cultural Centre. Facilities include performance venues modelled after spaces at Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center, and studio complexes comparable to BBC Television Centre and RADA. Technical workshops maintain equipment from suppliers used by Cirque du Soleil, National Film and Television School, and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Recording suites attract connections to labels like Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and EMI Records. Costume, wig, and prop studios mirror practices at Victoria and Albert Museum conservation labs and collaborate with companies such as State Theatre Company of South Australia and Adelaide Festival Centre.

Academic Programs

Programs encompass undergraduate and postgraduate pathways aligned with industry providers including Australian Film, Television and Radio School, National Institute of Dramatic Art, Victorian College of the Arts, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, and Western Sydney University. Offerings cover degrees in acting, music theatre, jazz, classical performance, composition, production, and dance, referencing methodologies from practitioners like Stanislavski, Meisner, Jerzy Grotowski, Jacques Lecoq, and choreographic lineages linked to Pina Bausch, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham. Partnerships enable internships with Opera Australia, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Perth Festival, and broadcasters such as ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), facilitating exchange with institutions like Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Conservatoire de Paris.

Admissions and Scholarships

Entry processes combine auditions, portfolio reviews, and interviews drawing parallels with selection at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Juilliard School, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Scholarship programs are funded through trusts and donors including Australia Council for the Arts, Perth International Arts Festival Trust, Ian Potter Foundation, Gordon Darling Foundation, and corporate sponsors such as Telstra, Bankwest, and BHP, with awards named in the tradition of prizes like the Helpmann Awards, Green Room Awards, and ARIA Awards. Outreach includes outreach schemes modelled on initiatives from Creative Victoria and international residency exchanges with Fulbright Program fellows and fellowships akin to Rhodes Scholarship-style support for performing artists.

Performance and Community Engagement

The academy presents public seasons and community projects in collaboration with Perth Festival, Black Swan State Theatre Company, West Australian Opera, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Perth Concert Hall, Fremantle Arts Centre, and touring networks such as Country Arts WA and Australia Council for the Arts programs. Community engagement initiatives reflect partnerships with cultural institutions like Art Gallery of Western Australia, State Library of Western Australia, Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, and National Indigenous Television, emphasising connections to Indigenous creators including artists associated with Bangarra Dance Theatre and cultural custodians from the Noongar people. Student productions have toured to international showcases such as Edinburgh Festival Fringe and collaborated on film projects screened at Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni and faculty have included performers, directors, and musicians who have worked with Baz Luhrmann, Peter Weir, Baz Lurhmann (alternate associations noted in film collaborations), Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, Simon Baker, Jessica Mauboy, Tim Minchin, Deborah Mailman, Noni Hazlehurst, Luke Elliott, Kerry O'Brien, Sigrid Thornton, John Wood (actor), Barry Humphries, Maggie Scott, Erik Thomson, Asher Keddie, Anthony LaPaglia, Greta Scacchi, David Wenham, Sally Phillips, Robyn Archer, Meryl Tankard, Belinda Wollaston, Ned Kelly (play adaptation artists), Timothy West, Roger Hodgman, Katherine Langford, Hugo Weaving, Tracy Mann, and music figures who have collaborated with Brett Dean, Richard Gill, Trevor Jones (composer), Olivia Newton-John, John Farnham, Paul Kelly (musician), and Delta Goodrem. Faculty visiting artists have included directors and choreographers from Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre (UK), Cirque du Soleil, and conductors from London Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Category:Performing arts education in Australia