If music theatre is where you want to be WAAPA is it. Industry professionals say WAAPA is the best in Australia. WAAPA grads always get work. It has the name and prestige.

Everyone wants to be there.

I understand that it is considered to be "the" place for musical theatre. I have a friend who graduated 2000 who is a singing teacher and she is in contact with a lot of her fellow graduees from that year and I am sad to say that the majority of them are not performing in any shows and having to do other things.

If you want to pursue a career in musical theatre whilst WAAPA is a fantastic place there are many other ways to achieve your dream. How about going to Sydney, Melbourne even London and having a go.... thats how a lot of people do it. Dont think by attending WAAPA it will open any doors for you. Its a cut throat business out there and you have to get out there a do it.

Good luck to you all with your career aspirations

Drama schools in general, is not a GUARANTEED way of getting you work.

Put it this way, every year you have 40-50 grads coming out every year from WAAPA/NIDA/VCA who are all roughly in the same demographic. In terms of how much work there is out there for that age-group in the industry - the grads are up against last year's grads and all the non-drama school actors and you'll find the competition is just as hard regardless of the degree.

Drama school is a great place to have intensive training that will make you a PROFESSIONAL performer.

Actually, a friend of mine in 2nd year Acting at NIDA told me his teacher told the class that only 2 from each group will get a fulltime successful career as an actor. The rest, will disappear into the woodwork.

Does anybody know what happened to Hugh Jackman's classmates at WAAPA? I don't remember reading any interviews about any high profile actor who said he was in Hugh's class at WAAPA

Like Rhoda said, its a cut-throat business.

Well Crispy... I think some of Mr Jackmans 1994 class mates have done very well for themselves...

1994
Matthew Aris
Lisa Baumwol
Ian Bolgia
Mark Constable
Wadih Dona
Alan Hayward
Hugh Jackman
Simon Lyndon
Natasha McNamara
Fiona Mahl
Marin Mimica
Jennifer Priest
Lucille Reynolds
Christie Sistrunk
Jeanette Taylor

WAAPA is far from the place to be. Troy Dodds opened this debate months ago on BroadwayAustralia.com and the debate it pulled was incredible. WAAPA is currently producing below-par performers and in the majority of shows you'll find about 50% are waapa grads, 50% aren't. It's not the be all and end all.

okay ...hand over all your gold ....throw the bathwater out and follow it up with a you know what ...who was it who knew who the grads of 1994 from waapa were...the trustees of the jack human trust fund ..and all very good at dacking from all accounts ...A question that seems to be floating around, are you all that perplexed my cherubs???...is having been heard of in the lounge rooms of the dispossessed a necessary pre requisite of having " made it " and your time at a drama school having been worth it ???..i would like to think more meaningful yardsticks would be an appropriate measure of one's survival and contribution to the arts industry ...to hold on so tightly to ridiculous notions of success and self worth can only invite a self indulgence which mitigates against the very fundamentals of what some of those highly regarded dackers of 1994, held dear to them as they walked away and out of the doors of mount lawley, so many years ago. Its about the journey and all you sail with ...not just the destination ...hard to believe when enraptured with the narrow vision of stardom I know..which unfortunately many wannabees lock themselves into, to the detriment of their long term sense of self .. drama schools have their place and some of it is wasted space ...but not all of it ...

The trappings of stardom I ponder ...osa ....as i lie quietly upon the green lawn ...what are they ..oh yeah ... heaps of cash, chicks, and heaps of cash and chicks and heaps more cash and chicks ... are a wonderful lure which only allows the very few to bite( major bummer) ...the rest just get on with getting on and trying to be true to themselves ...as the great one who ran waapa in those halcyon days of yore was oft heard to say....love the art in you ...not yourself in the art ....what a fucking bummer to have to hear that when dreaming of the big things ...oooh well, for many of us it worked and is still working and I am always stoked and proud for those with whom I shared that special time, when I hear titbits along the grapevine that they are perhaps achieving what they are hoping to do in any way shape or form and whatever the fuck it is ...it ain't easy ,that's why only a few of the besotted ones dare venture forth...but it aint making babies ... I didn't know that being talked about or praytell being mentioned around a skinny decaff flat white whilst catching a sideways glance at the size of your ageing arse was a green light for a self congratulatory pat on the back and a wistful knowing smile of saying " fuck man, i've kicked some serious arse " ,....but fuck ...I wish had Jackman' money!!!!
at the end of the day ...i want to be hugh jackman ....and he wants to be me ...you dumb mutherfuckers ..its all about the glory ...nothing else really matters ...hold on tight kids ..its a hell of a ride .....
you can be the slave to technique ...or you can be its master ...

As a student studying TEE (Tertiary Entrance Examinations) Drama at high school in my final year. Yes WAAPA is talked about alot and many people from my class are thinking of auditioning there. They want to audition because there isn't much opportunity to study performance theatre in WA. Only a few can afford to go over to Melbourne and Sydney etc to audition to study at say NIDA or other performance schools but in honesty I have seen many performances at WAAPA and no doubt people there have talent. You NEED it to get in but it is true it is a cut-throat industry and people understand that but if studying at a place with a good reputation can help get you a job then why not at least try.

I'm not saying wAAPA is the best out there or in the country or anything like that but it has credit and i know people who have studied there and are doing quite well for themselves.

On someone's comment that 50% are WAAPA students and 50% are not well if anyone saw the Lion King in Melbourne for example only two people. . .if i remember correct. . .from the whole cast and crew studied over here. They are examples of WAAPA's success but also that it isn't the only place alot of those performers studied either in the Eastern States or over seas.

Sure WAAPA is good and has a good reputation but for people in WA like me and my fellow actors in my class WAAPA is the best option we can afford to have! I believe it is nor only quiality but also teh fact that WAAPA has little challengers over here in WA to contend with that helps make it more noticable.

I am neither for nor against but just think that if you were 17, 18 etc and in WA with little money and little credit then WAAPA is the best option you have as a performer to develop.

~ Tari

The Writer is a child forever listening at the keyhole of the adult world.

>> Comment made was :Is it really the be all and end all of our insudtry?

No of course not. There is no be all and end all, but that is not to say that WAAPA is without any worth either. May I draw all your attentions to an article posted September Last. Follow the link.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/the-stars-rising-in-the-west/2005/08/31/1125302623838.html

Check out some of the profiles in this Black Swan Productionline up...

http://www.bstc.com.au/go/be-active-bsx-theatre/the-hotbed-artists

Or this Blue Heeler's star...

http://www.aussietv.net/ukbhw/ditch.htm

Then there is this posted back in 2002

http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_people/Transcripts/s650684.htm

Shall I go on?....

Dixi

Jeff Watkins
Perth based Actor/Performer
Fight/Sword Choreographer

http://au.geocities.com/labrug

Waapa is awesome, i'm doing the musical theatre cert this year, and it's great. really good place to start if you wanna be in the industry, and ecause i'm still young i want to stay in perth, so waapa is the place for me.

xoxo

I'm afraid a bit of a pedant myself. I am actually horrified that young people who have qualified for University require a spell checker and presumably a grammer checker to ensure that their written work is coherent. And remember as far as I am concerned Grammer checkers are usually wrong and a spell checker has no idea whether you have used the right word or not.

True, My sincere apologies, I should have used my spell checker.

Hi all!!

Firstly, of course the people in here make a big fuss over nothing - the spelling mistake(s) saga I mean - they are into "drama"!!!!

Ad, congrats on getting into WAAPA - well done! Hope you enjoy it there! (I felt rather sorry for how your spelling was fussed over!)

My parents were so incredibly pedantic about grammar and spelling and all - you would think the world turned on it!! Fortunately, I did well at English from it all - (my biological dad was a journalist, mother a secretary and had fantastic english, and my step-dad was my English teacher at school and recited "The Highway Man" for us at home - just for fun - we had spelling competitions at the family dinner table as well as harmony singing sessions!!)

I love musical theatre!! I studied BA(Music) at QUT - Kelvin Grove in Qld and loved it. I wanted to study drama at uni also but didn't audition for some reason and did an English minor instead. I've been learning dance since I left uni - ballet, tap, and such - flamenco is really my forte. I love to sing and act and be a complete idiot just for fun!! Been in amateur musical theatre groups - jolly fun and good for experience. I think getting into a musical theatre course full time would be amazing!! I totally love MGM musicals and the like - growing up on them, and used to dance with my folks in the loungeroom - learning to do Pride of Erin, and to jive along with listening to heaps of 50s and 60s music which I grew to love - so energetic!!

Anyhow - I talk stacks!! (especially when excited!) Very happy to meet everyone and have the privilege of chatting with you all on such a great topic - MUSICAL THEATRE and DRAMA!!

Who else has graduated from Waapa that we can actually talk to about it??

I want to audition (i live in perth), but i dont know of any graduates who still live here. I think that it would be good to get some idea about the place from those who have experienced it.

Hopefully not every person who comes out of waapa gets swallowed up over east, never to be heard of again. I would love to get into Waapa, and even stay in WA afterwards if it is possible to get work.
We can all dream !!

Cisco, I totally recommend you do the Audition Masterclass and Explore Music Theatre Course that will be on this year. Contact WAAPA. They are great and well worth the money. You are taught by the teachers who teach the BA/Cert and you will get a better insight into the place, what is expected and future prospects.

Why dont you go to WAAPA and speak to current students about the course etc. They are a great bunch and would only be too hapy to help.

Cisco wrote: "Who else has graduated from Waapa that we can actually talk to about it?? I want to audition (i live in perth), but i dont know of any graduates who still live here. I think that it would be good to get some idea about the place from those who have experienced it".

Here are just some (ie: the ones I know about and can recall at this particular moment) of the WAAPA Musical Theatre (BA) and Theatre graduates who are currently residing in Perth, and in most cases working in the arts in some way or other:

Gillian Binks, Sharon Wisniewski, Jeremy Levi, Helen McFarlane, Timothy Schoenmakers, Paul McKay, Ann Adlem, Naomi Hanbury, Morgan Smallbone, Helen Searle, Brendan Hanson, Peter Webb, Paul Peacock, Larissa Gallagher, Rhoda Lopez.....

***Come on Balthazar I refuse to let you die,
Come on fallen star I refuse to let you die,
'Cause that's wrong and I've been waiting far too long***

Hey Guys,

I know that most people who graduate from the BA and Acting do end up heading east, thats what the course is aimed towards. Showcasing in both Melbourne and Sydney in order to get the best possible agent and the best chance at getting commercial/touring work, or TV etc.

But there is nothing that says you have to do this... In the end its your choice, you can quite easily do the course and then move back to Perth and set up your own company or work with companies here.

I will admit though, after 3 years of very long days, weekends full of homework and basically working your ass off, you really do feel like you have sacrificed a lot for your art and therfore should give yourself the best chance at a successful career. Or at least this is how I feel.

Perth may not have the same reputation as the east, but i have spoken to grads who have been over in syd & Melb and they reckon that the industry is in such dire straits at the moment - and that there is just as much opportunity for acting work in perth !!

I have seen heaps of shows that have had waapa grads in perth, both independent and professional company !

As Gilli B wrote:
"Here are just some (ie: the ones I know about and can recall at this particular moment) of the WAAPA Musical Theatre (BA) and Theatre graduates who are currently residing in Perth, and in most cases working in the arts in some way or other:

Gillian Binks, Sharon Wisniewski, Jeremy Levi, Helen McFarlane, Timothy Schoenmakers, Paul McKay, Ann Adlem, Naomi Hanbury, Morgan Smallbone, Helen Searle, Brendan Hanson, Peter Webb, Paul Peacock, Larissa Gallagher, Rhoda Lopez....."

These are just a few of the names that are making the perth scene a more viable and exciting place !
Rock on !

Jezz

Work is work is work...wherever you can get it, take it.
The perth theatre/film & tv scene is really taking off.

I am amazed that there is so much debate about the success of one school and its students. Hugh Jackman's success is incredible - but many of his students of 94 are still working actors. Their faces may not be splashed across the international screen but most are treading the boards, working in TV, writing etc. Dominic Purcell (began in class of 94- completed studies later) and is now forging a successful career U.S. Marty Dennis (did not complete the course) is a successful Film writer (Erskinville Kings etc). Wadih works largely in theatre - STC etc. Lisa Baumwal was a regular cast member of TV - Big Sky. Jenny Priest was a regular on TV - Pig's Breakfast. Christie Sistrunk is a regular in TV-Lockie Leonard due to be released. All of these and more have been working since graduating.

The school is a brilliant training ground - so if you aspire - go for it! However, there are many who have found alternate paths in schools overseas or within Australia. There is no right way!

we think that getting into WAAPA would be the best accomplishment ever.
you would learn so many new things about dance and theatre that no other school could offer!!

Friend of mine went to preview 2nd year WAAPA MT perfomance on the weekend OMG she said it was just the best thing ever

is wappa the best thing to go for if i live in perth? i want to audition for the Advance Diploma of Performing Arts course not necissarily this year and i was wondering if it is extremely difficult to get in? anything from anyone would be appreciated
thanks

I was wondering if there is any other courses i should do first? thanks again

Helen, it's not a matter of what to do first. Go for it now, as well as other things. Do what you can. If you try an order it, you could very well miss out on other opportunities. You just take your future by the horns and run with it. It's all about you after all.

Dixi

Jeff Watkins
Perth based Actor/Performer who can also sing
Fight/Sword Choreographer
Virgin Director

http://au.geocities.com/labrug

Thank you! :-)so you think that one of the best courses of action would be to, this year get involved with some theatre work and gain some more experience and then go for it. i didnt know that you could audition more than once...

does anyone have any advice for my sister who is 12 is looking for somewhere to start acting i didnt do much until i got to secondary school so what should she do until she go's to secondary school? I cant really help her.

thank you. I will take your advice and get some experience...after all like you said they dont normally take students straight after high school. Thank you again

Hi,
I am currently in yr 11, in perth, and really would like to do MT BA at waapa wen i leave skool.....i have studied singing nearly all my life, including a lot of drama etc. However I stopped taking dance lessons quite a few years ago. I have recently goten abck into doin amatur musicals this year, and am doing some dancing, however am not teh best dancer in the world. Although i can pick rhythm and basic steps etc. Im sure with time ill get better. Just wondering if anyone knows if you do need a lot of dance training for the BA course, or if they allow basic dance skills, and give you the teaching and training at the academy (THE GREAT ACADEMY). I really look forward to talking to mroe of you MT fans, esp. waapa students (CHARITY...HAha...woud really like to know your real name so i can see who you played in the awsome musicals this year). Anyway if anyone knows anything about the level of dance you need, or any other info, if you could please let me know.
Thanks awsum people!
Ben

You should be right you dont have to be the best dancer to get in There are a number of levels the students are in for dance classes eg beginners, int and advanced.

You need the voice first then an acting ability basically if you can sell yourself in those two areas you should be ok

Hum your age may be a problem though. They like you to have more 'worldly experience' first. however, having said that, who knows, they have been some young ones.

There are a couple straight out of school in the certif course, I would try for that first, then progress. Well, tick both boxes on the application and see what happens.