ABOUT
PERFORM AUSTRALIA
And hello to you!
You've arrived at Perform Australia, your destination studio for acting classes throughout Canberra and Brisbane. So glad to see you!
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At Perform Australia, it's all about you becoming an actor - your development as a performer. Your confidence. Your mastery of skills. Your connection to others. Your part in the ensemble. Your engagement with our artistic community.
Whether you're looking for something fun and educational for your child, or you're an aspiring professional actor, at Perform Australia, you'll join a vibrant company of like-minded individuals and passionate teachers. Our job is to build you up - to help you to get to where you want to go.
What we do for you
At Perform Australia, it's all about lighting a spark!
Our mission is to launch you as a passion-driven actor with a sense of self and story. When you engage with dramatic art, you'll come to life in ways you never thought possible. If you want to find a passion for life, and a passion for the art form, you'll discover it through acting.
To get started, choose from our suite of programs:
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Some famous faces we've worked with
At Perform Australia, we make sure you're well-connected to industry - which will not only inspire you, but will also help you in your acting career.
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In addition to our permanent staff (below), we regularly invite industry guests to speak or run programs for us. Some of our past guest speakers include these wonderful people from film, theatre, musicals, and television.
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William Zappa, a veteran of Australian theatre, film and television, has been our Patron since 2011 and supports the work that we do.
OUR VALUES.
Passion
We encourage passion for mastering the art and craft of performance. It's not just the final product, it's the journey towards excellence which is also important.
Industry
Passion alone is not enough to achieve dreams and goals. All artists need industry - an approach to their work which involves hard work, determination and dedication to see their task through to completion.
Community
We nurture a diverse artistic community, providing an experience of belonging and creative exploration.
Generosity
Of mind, of spirit, of time. We foster a community of generosity in learning and creativity. Our teachers and tutors are generous in sharing their wisdom and knowledge with our students.
Story
Actors, writers, artists, dancers, singers, musicians and directors are all storytellers in their own way. Stories are how we understand the world and ourselves; story is essential to interpreting our past and making our future. We aim to liberate storytellers to tell stories that matter. Actors can be culture-makers and culture changers, and this is an important role in society.
OUR HISTORY.
Perform Australia began back in 2009 when actor/director James Scott and his wife, playwright Elizabeth Avery Scott, saw a need for actor training in Canberra.
There were no accredited vocational acting courses available in the ACT at that time, and with university drama courses closing down, the Territory's greatest young talents were leaving to study and live interstate. They resolved to create something new, something exciting, and something which would give the people what they wanted: professional actor training qualifications.
Thus, Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art (CADA) was born. Together, the Scotts established not only a number of accredited and industry-approved courses under the Australian vocational education system, they also founded numerous after-school drama programs for children.
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Accolades came rolling in for the duo's innovation. In 2011, they were recognised by the Canberra Business Point Awards (winning the 'Creative & Design' Category) - and again won in 2012. In 2013, Elizabeth Scott was declared a finalist in the Telstra Business Womens Awards. And in 2019, Perform Australia won the Award for Most Outstanding Performing Arts Organisation in the Local Business Awards (Canberra region). But things didn't stop there.
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Reaching interstate began with regional NSW, opening drama classes in Queanbeyan and Yass. But Queensland also called. In 2017 Elizabeth and James purchased the Australian School of Performing Arts, Film and Television (ASPAFTV), a Brisbane-based drama school. Merging Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art and ASPAFTV in 2019, the two schools together became Perform Australia.
In 2021, Perform Australia took the reins of Brisbane-based Drama Works Academy of Performing Arts, too, drawing even more students into its family.
Today Perform Australia has its national headquarters in the ACT while also running many classes in the suburbs of Canberra, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, and parts of regional NSW.
The Coronavirus pandemic also resulted in the establishment of online classes.
Perform Australia continues to inspire several hundred students and families each year. We are also a proud sponsor of the Best Performance Award at the Lights, Canberra Action! Film Festival.
