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Performing Arts

See yourself on the stage? Why not build on your creative skills at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, one of the world's leading performing arts academies? WAAPA is recognised nationally and internationally for the quality of its acting, dance music theatre and music graduates. Your audition awaits.

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Why study at ECU?

  • QILT - Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching

    Top uni in WA for Creative Arts

    Includes best ranking for undergraduate teaching quality, skills development, learning resources and student support.
    QILT is an independent Australian government survey.

  • The Good Universities Guide - teaching quality

    The highest quality teaching

    ECU is one of the best unis in Australia for teaching. We've had 18 straight years of 5-star ratings in the Good Universities Guide to prove it!

  • THE World University Rankings Top 100 Young

    One of the world's young guns

    We're ranked one of the world's best universities under 50 years old, and we've already established a global reputation for such a young institution.

Courses

WAAPA provides world-class teaching, concert facilities and performance opportunities for aspiring professionals in acting, dance, classical, jazz or contemporary music, and musical theatre.

Need some help deciding what to study?

Our future student events include a mix of on-campus and online sessions designed to help you decide what to study at ECU.

Download a guide

If you prefer paper over pixels, please download one of our guides.

Creative thinkers start here

Experience Performing Arts at ECU.

Explore your options through the following media

Scholarship opportunities to reduce your expenses

Scholarships recognise those whose life journey may have been challenging, as well as students who've shown outstanding academic excellence and endeavour.

A scholarship can help you realise your ambitions by paying for fees, text books and living expenses.

Realise your dream with our scholarships

WAAPA stars are born

Our graduates excel in their chosen professions around the world, confirming WAAPA's well-earned reputation.

Many well-known actors, dancers, musicians and music theatre stars, including Hugh Jackman, Meg Mac, Frances O'Connor, Jai Courtney, William McInnes, Lisa McCune, Lucy Durack, Dacre Montgomery, Emma Matthews, Jamie Oehlers, Eddie Perfect and Tim Minchin have called WAAPA home.

Do you have any questions about the Performing Arts study discipline?

Student stories

  • The greatest gift WAAPA gave me was confidence

    Knowing what you're doing on set and within yourself with your acting is so important. Of course I have continued to learn so much more on set, but WAAPA gave me really strong foundations to work from. Everything both of these intensive courses offered me, from script-reading to short film work, has helped me so much and allowed me to feel ready for professional work in this amazing industry.

    Nelson Baker
  • The Bachelor of Performing Arts has given me the skills to maintain, develop and practice as an independent artist

    The Bachelor of Performing Arts is the type of course that doesn't confine you to one specific artistic form. Instead it opens doors and windows to numerous forms of performance art and how it exists in the world, broadening your own horizons of how you can be a part of it.

    It has let me experience what was once unknown practices such as the Suzuki Training Method and Butoh, it has even taken me to Singapore to train with many different cultures from all around the world at ITI. But most importantly, it has taught me what it truly means to be an artist.

    Mariah O'Dea
  • WAAPA has led to opportunities I would never have thought realistic three years ago

    This is largely thanks to the incredible work of the staff who go out of their way to help each student realise their ambitions. The most rewarding parts of the course, so far, for me have been devising and performing a solo piece, working with James Berlyn on Memory Bones at His Majesty's Theatre. And also the study tour to the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore in early 2017.

    If you're interested in writing, directing, performing and/or running your own theatre company, this is the course for you.

    Alex Beard

The Important Things

Things you should know about if you're thinking about studying here.

Course Entry

There's more than one admission pathway into an ECU course. It depends on what you've studied already, or your work or life experience.

Fees & Scholarships

Course tuition fees can change, but we can give you an estimate of your costs. If you're eligible, a scholarship or student loan can help too.

Applying

Applying for a course is a fairly simple process, especially if you have scanned copies of qualifications, your resume or other paperwork, ready to upload.

ECU Experience

Starting a course is an exciting and sometimes daunting time, so we make a massive effort to ensure you get all the support you need to have a positive experience.