Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Encyclopedia
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Edith Cowan University
Edith Cowan University
Edith Cowan University is located in Perth, Western Australia. It was named after the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman....

 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
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. 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, Composition and Music Technology, Dance, Acting and Musical 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 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 musical advice through workshops. These have included New York saxophonist Jon Gordon and composer/arranger/guitarist Anthony Wilson (musician).

Notable Alumni

  • Andrew Bibby
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  • Jeremy Callaghan
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  • Jarrod Carland
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  • Vivien Carter
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  • Karina Carvalho
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  • Dustin Clare
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  • Andrew Cook
  • Martin Crewes
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    -Early life:Crewes was born in London. He moved to Australia when he was 10 years of age, and attended the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, in Perth. Other notable graduates of WAAPA include Hugh Jackman, Lisa McCune and Frances O'Connor...

  • Cassie Davis
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  • Charmaine Dragun
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  • Lucy Durack
    Lucy Durack
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  • Georgie Gardner
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  • Marcus Graham
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  • Hugh Jackman
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  • Hélène Joy
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  • Gerald Lepkowski
    Gerald Lepkowski
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  • Ewen Leslie
    Ewen Leslie
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  • William McInnes
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  • Lisa McCune
    Lisa McCune
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  • Janis McGavin
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  • Tim Minchin
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  • Frances O'Connor
    Frances O'Connor
    -Background:O'Connor was born in Wantage, Oxfordshire, England to a pianist mother and nuclear physicist father. When O'Connor was two, her family moved back to Perth, Western Australia. O'Connor was raised a Roman Catholic and attended the Mercedes College in Perth...

  • Taryn Onafaro
  • Paul Paddick
    Paul Paddick
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  • Kate Melisa Parry
    Kate Melisa Parry
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  • Eddie Perfect
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  • Chris piechocki
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    Krzysztof Piechocki aka Chris Piechocki born in 1979 in Gdansk, Poland is a Polish-born Australian actor.-Personal:At the age of 9 months Chris moved from communist Poland to Perth, Australia with his family...

  • Dominic Purcell
  • James Stevenson
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  • Kris Stewart
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  • Pria Viswalingam
    Pria Viswalingam
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  • Heath Ledger
    Heath Ledger
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