Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Edith Cowan University was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition comparable to the highest calibre of national and international training benchmarks to be able to meet industry needs around the globe.

The school is located in the suburb of Mount Lawley, Perth, Western Australia. It is regarded as one of Australia's leading performance training institutions.

WAAPA teaches Acting, Music Theatre, Directing, Dance, Jazz and Contemporary Music, Classical Music, Arts Management, Production, Design, and Broadcasting.

Originally an initiative of the State Government the Academy receives funding from both the State and Commonwealth governments.

The WAAPA Performance Season

Another primary purpose of the Academy is to 'stage' concerts and performances, laying the path for the smoothest transition possible from student to professional.Every year WAAPA stages hundreds of concerts and performances across the genres of Jazz, Contemporary and Classical Music, Dance, Acting and Music Theatre - more productions and more diversity than any other production venue or arts training institution in Australia.

Venues and Facilities

The Academy currently has eight public performance spaces constantly in use for performances and concerts. These include the Geoff Gibbs Theatre - a 270-seat proscenium arch theatre, the The Roundhouse Theatre - a 130-seat court style theatre, the 165-seat Music Auditorium, an outdoor amphitheatre, Enright Studio, Dance Studios and Jazz Studio all designed for more intimate performances.

Four more purpose built dance/rehearsal studio spaces were created. A state of the art recording studio, electronics studio, and four production workshops for design and costume making were also added to our 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 enviroment has been created where broadcasting students can gain first hand experience of working within a media environment.

Academic appointments

Academic teaching appointments are made not only on the basis of qualifications, but also on recent professional experience, as well as industry profile and reputation. Each year WAAPA also invites many renowned industry professionals to Perth as artists in residence to work with students on productions and performances.

Alumni

*Lucy Durack
*Hugh Jackman
*Lisa McCune
*Frances O'Connor
*Martin Crewes
*Charmaine Dragun
*Taryn Onafaro
*Jeremy Callaghan
*Eddie Perfect
*Kate Melisa Parry
*Andrew Bibby
*James Stevenson
*Jarrod Carland
*Paul Paddick
*Dominic Purcell
*Pria Viswalingam

External links

* [http://www.waapa.ecu.edu.au Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts]