Our WAAPA students are the shining stars of tomorrow. By donating to our Shining Light Scholarships you are investing in the future of emerging artists.

Studying at WAAPA is intensive, with long days and demanding teaching and performance schedules. This means students are often unable to reliably supplement their income with part-time work. Students can incur incidental costs (such as ballet shoes or musical instruments) in addition to their student fees, and financial hardship can be a significant obstacle to artistic and academic success.

Through the generosity of people like you, each year WAAPA awards scholarships to students who excel in their chosen artform but are experiencing financial challenges. With your help, your tax-deductable gift can offer life-changing scholarships and ensure that talented students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to attend WAAPA and experience specialised training of the highest order and realise their artistic dreams.

Help our students unleash their potential and bringing further richness to their education through performance experiences and visiting artists.

By making a tax-deductable donation to the WAAPA Production and Visiting Artist Support Fund you are helping to make our world-class performance season possible every year. We know that giving students the chance to create, present and perform is the best way to hone their skills as artists, technicians and performers. WAAPA’s annual performance program is at the heart of our training and it takes an entire student team to put on each production.

Everything you see at WAAPA is student produced. From performers to technical specialists in production or design. They dress, build and perform in over 300 performances each year. This is more productions and more diversity than any other arts training institution in Australia.

Our highly skilled staff are dedicated to helping our students reach their full potential. But this must be complemented by a planned and sustainably funded program of visiting artists of international repute. This allows students unparalleled access to professional world-class choreographers, musicians, technicians, artists and directors from across Australia and around the world. We want all of our students to have exposure to world-class artists to give them the cutting-edge experience that will lead them into successful careers—both here in Australia and internationally.

Aboriginal Performance at WAAPA is a unique course dedicated to the training and development of Australian Indigenous performers.

Audiences are hungry for authentic performance experiences and there is a great demand in Australia for skilled Aboriginal screen actors, film writers and directors and there are strong professional pathways and job opportunities for students who graduate from this course. There is also clear evidence of the transformational benefits that performance and artistry can bring and the value of education in breaking cycles of poverty and disadvantage.

By making a donation you are helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their communities to achieve their dreams and aspirations through further education. This fund supports the creation of authentic performance experiences through the commissioning of new works and the engagement of visiting artists to provide cultural and professional guidance and mentorship.

Executive Dean’s Highest Priority

A donation to our priority fund will allow your gift to have the biggest impact.

Funds raised are used to support the area at WAAPA which needs it the most. This could include equipment, musical instruments, productions, visiting artists, national or international student tours and support for students experiencing hardship.