The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), is back with another exciting program, packed with talent for 2022. The world-leading performance school is renowned for their inspiring and highly accomplished students across music, dance and theatre.
Members of Friends of the Academy have a week of first-dibs on tickets for the exciting program from Wednesday February 23rd at 9.00am. You can view the complete guide to the 2022 program on scoop.com.au.
Friends of the Academy has been supporting WAAPA behind the scenes and opening doors for gifted students for almost 40 years. Now made up of over 500 members, the organisation is invested in providing ongoing support to local arts and culture through donation and fundraising initiatives.
Annually, they provide over $60,000 in students grants, on top of putting $30,000 towards WAAPA’s annual showcase tour. Grants are also given to students in WAAPA’s prestigious Aboriginal Performance program, which prepares Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students for a career in theatre, film, television and radio.
Kevin Button, the Chair of the organisation, revealed that funds collected from the Friends of WAAPA membership fee have allowed the organisation to sponsor Classical Voice Students and the WAAPA Symphony Orchestra for $20,000 which will go towards their major annual event Hansel and Gretel at Geoff Gibbs theatre.
Fundraising activities include exclusive members’ performances and behind the scenes tours of the academy, which have proven exceptionally popular, and consistently sell out.
After their release last week, three out of four guided tours have already sold out with only limited vacancies available for the tour in September. Friends Tours’ tickets not only include tours through behind-the-scenes workshops, you can also expect complimentary morning-tea and a performance from the academy’s talented students.
The benefits to joining the Academy include discounted tickets, priority advance bookings with no booking fees, plus invitations to special Friends events such as post-show Q&A sessions where the audience can ask questions of the cast and crew. Considering some of the stars that have come out of WAAPA, it’s a rare opportunity to have an informal interview with the next Australian A-lister.
Despite our current uncertain circumstances, WAAPA is still set to make its move into the heart of Perth’s CBD in 2025, with developments of the state-of-the-art city campus beginning in May. A membership will open even more opportunities to experience the best of live performance on a regular basis. WAAPA is expected to host 300 performances at the new campus every year, which is set to attract thousands of spectators into the city. Becoming a member of Friends of WAAPA means that theatre-goers will have priority access to tickets for shows that often quickly sell-out.
If you are interested in seeing more from WAAPA and supporting WA’s rising stars, get in touch with the team at Friends of WAAPA and become a member. More information can be found here.
Take a look at WAAPA's 2022 program