Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition. WAAPA (commonly pronounced "whopper") operates as a part of ECU, located at the ECU campus in Mount Lawley, a suburb in Perth, Western Australia.

Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Established1980 (1980)
Parent institution
Edith Cowan University
DirectorDavid Shirley
Location
Perth
,
Western Australia
,
Australia

31°55′15″S 115°52′04″E
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Professor David Shirley is the Executive Dean of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), at Edith Cowan University.

Courses

WAAPA provides courses in many fields of performing arts including acting, music theatre, directing, dance, jazz and contemporary music, classical music, performance making, arts management, production, and design. 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.[1]

Performance season

A further primary purpose of the academy is to stage concerts and performances, laying the path for students' transition to professional life.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4]

The academy currently has eight public performance spaces. These include the Geoff Gibbs Theatre (a 270-seat proscenium arch theatre), the Roundhouse Theatre (a 130-seat court style theatre), the 165-seat Music Auditorium, an outdoor amphitheater, Enright Studio, Dance Studios, and Jazz Studio.[5]

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.[6]

Twelve large rehearsal and dance studios, numerous music and ensemble studios, a specialised visual and performing arts library collection, and numerous exhibition spaces.[6]

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.[7]

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. These have included New York saxophonist Jon Gordon and composer/arranger/guitarist Anthony Wilson.[8]

Notable past teaching appointments include the Australian conductor of choral, orchestral, and operatic works, 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, Edward Applebaum filled the appointment.

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts". WAAPA.
  2. "Bachelor of Arts". Directions Magazine. 2012.
  3. "WAAPA our partners". Hawaiian Alive. 2012.
  4. "WAPPA – Campus Life".
  5. "Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts". WAAPA.
  6. "Other WAAPA Studios". Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  7. "WAAPA student winner at WA Media Awards". Campus Daily. 17 November 2010.
  8. "WAAPA GRAD TAKEs ThE LEAD In WEsT EnD WAAPA ALUMnI". Docstoc.com.
  9. "Famous Western Australian Academy Of Performing Arts Alumni". ranker.com. 13 October 2018.
  10. Steve Dow (14 May 2011). "A Handel on history". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  11. "Aussie newcomer Sam Corlett stoked to star in his first feature film The Dry opposite Eric Bana". nickiedavis.com. 2020.
  12. "Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts". scoop.com. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  13. Koziol, Michael (28 August 2015). "Meg Mac: on her new album and the power of song". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  14. "2022 Course Guide" (PDF). WAAPA. p. 19/20. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  15. "Daina Reid directs The Handmaid's Tale" (PDF). Inside WAAPA. No. 53. September 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
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