Our Mission: We Launch Passion-driven Actors
We seek to find those performers who can unite their passion for the performing arts with hard work and focus. Our job is to help them springboard into performance. Into joy. Into a career.
Sometimes those actors start out as small children, while others discover their love of theatre and film much later in life. Whichever you are, we are ready to help you launch - through actor training, classes, workshops and performances.
Sometimes those actors start out as small children, while others discover their love of theatre and film much later in life. Whichever you are, we are ready to help you launch - through actor training, classes, workshops and performances.
Our Team
Elizabeth Avery ScottChief Executive Officer & PrincipalElizabeth Avery Scott is co-founder and CEO of Perform Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Mass Communications) from Macquarie University, a Master of Arts Practice (Scriptwriting) from Charles Sturt University, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and a Diploma of Counselling among other qualifications. She is a playwright, producer, teacher, and arts entrepreneur. She was shortlisted for the prestigious Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award in 2009 for her play, 'Lies, Love and Hitler', and in 2013 was a finalist in the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year awards for her work with Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art, Perform Australia's predecessor. Her recent writing credits include 'Chez Francois' (2019), 'All That I Am And All That I Have' (2018), 'The Rational Dress Society And Other Tales' (2017), 'Australurbia' (2016) and 'The Sound of Musicals' (2015, co-written with Glenn Braithwaite). Her work has been performed in Sydney and Canberra and she has also been seen on ABCTV in the series, 'The Boffin, The Builder and the Bombardier', playing the 'Boffin's wife' and in the documentary, 'Building Australia' (Wildbear TV).
Her variegated past life was spent in journalism, human rights advocacy, and even massage therapy. Elizabeth is also a judge on the theatre panel in the Canberra awards, The Ovations. |
James ScottDirector of Artistic DevelopmentJames Scott is an actor, director and teacher. He is co-founder and Director of Artistic Development at Perform Australia. He holds a Diploma of Performance from the Actors' College of Theatre and Television and a Master of Arts Practice in Acting from Charles Sturt University, as well as a Diploma in Vocational Education and Training. James's performance credits include a wide range of stage and screen projects over more than 25 years of performance. Most recently he has been seen in 'Lies, Love and Hitler' (2010, 2014), 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged' (2015), 'Underneath the Lintel (2015), 'Henry Five' (2016), 'It's A Wonderful Life: The Live Radio Play' (2017), 'Mistakes Were Made' (2018), 'The Woman in Black' (2019), and 'Danny The Champion Of The World' (2020) - the majority of these with Honest Puck Theatre, a company he founded. He has also recently participated in several play development projects at The Street Theatre, Canberra.
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Kristy GriffinManager of Children's Programs
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Jamine AlavazoCustomer Care CoordinatorJamine Alavazo is from The Philippines and is Perform Australia's Customer Care Coordinator. She has worked with a childcare service provider based in Australia, assisting parents over the phone and email. Working with a similar organization and her nine years of experience as a customer service representative, Jamine is a great addition to Perform Australia's administrative staff - from guiding parents and students through the enrolment process, to providing details about our programs, and helping parents choose the most suitable class for their children.
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Clare MossActor, Director
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Craig AlexanderActor, Director, Writer, Teaching Artist
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Glenn BraithwaiteTheatre Director & Teaching Artist
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Amy OrmanMusical theatre performer
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Brendan KellyActor, Director, Writer
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Sarah CarrollActor, Director, Vocal Coach
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Bianca Butler ReynoldsPlaywright, Actor, Academic, Theatre Producer, Teaching Artist
Bianca Butler Reynolds is a published playwright, academic and performer based in Brisbane. She is co-Artistic Director of Minola Theatre, an independent theatrical production and training company. Bianca holds a PhD in playwriting and Jungian psychology from Queensland University of Technology, where she has taught in recent years in the undergraduate creative writing program. She has trained with NIDA, La Boite Theatre Company, Playlab Theatre, Dead Puppet Society and the Arvon Foundation (UK).
Bianca’s original comedy Love you hate you drive you wild was published by Playlab in 2019, and Eventide, the play completed as part of her PhD, was published by Australian Plays in 2020. Her drama How Long Have You Been Waiting? was awarded Best Play at the Short + Sweet Theatre Festival Melbourne in 2016. Bianca has been employed as a playwright-in-residence at Brisbane Arts Theatre, as a performing artist for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, and is the former Training and Development Coordinator (Children’s Programs) for Perform Australia. As of 2021, Bianca is a vocational trainer for Perform Australia’s accredited courses in Brisbane. |
Frances FooActor, Writer, Director, Costume Designer, Teaching Artist
Frances Foo is a Brisbane-based performing artist. Her theatre credits include Ariel from Shakespeare's The Tempest, Ilse from Spring Awakening and children’s theatre shows, Aladdin’s Magical Lamp and Mulan.
Frances enjoys devising theatre and has performed her work at the Short + Sweet and FAST Festivals. She is a contracted performer for Brisbane City Council’s cultural festivals where she entertains audiences with traditional Chinese stories that she adapts for stage. She joins Perform Australia’s Brisbane team as a tutor for the Certificate IV for Acting for Stage and Screen. Frances also works as an acting tutor for Dramaworks Academy of Performing Arts and a Costume Designer for Brisbane Arts Theatre. |
Andy TrieuTV Presenter, Actor, Producer
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Teresa WojcikVocalist, Composer
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Jenny OliverActor, Costume Designer, Speech and Drama Professional
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Gabi KucksActor
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Tijana KovacActor, Singer
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Patrick UrenActor, Theatre Technician
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Teig Sadhana
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Monica EngelVocalist, Actor, Speech and Singing TeacherMonica Engel is an experienced, passionate and diverse artist. A teacher, performer, musician and composer and mother, her extensive experience in various branches of the Arts richly informs both her teaching and her own artistic practice. Monica was awarded the Bill Hyslop Prize in Voice for her work at the Australian National University’s School of Music in 2020. Monica has appeared in various Honest Puck Theatre productions including ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘Danny, The Champion of the World’. From 2018 to 2020, she sang in the Contemporary Choir for the Australian of the Year Awards, performed at the Sound and Fury Festival in both acting and musician roles, and performed various shows of her original compositions in a variety of settings and venues including Festival of the Forest, Smiths Alternative, Enlighten Festival, Winterfest, and Haig Park Experiments. Combining two of her greatest passions, education and music, she composed and recorded a catalogue of children’s songs for Lollipop Tots.
Monica spent eight years in Melbourne teaching drama and art in secondary schools, and held the position of performing and visual arts co-ordinator at the Islamic School of Canberra. Monica holds a Bachelor Degree in Visual Arts, a Diploma of Education, studied Musical Theatre and will have completed a Bachelor of Music (Performance) by mid 2021. |
Morgan HainFilm ProductionMorgan Hain is Perform Australia's Film Production Assistant at our Canberra headquarters. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Film Production from the University of Canberra as well as a Certificate IV in Acting for Stage and Screen from Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art. Morgan started her journey doing an online script writing course which led her to her degree in film making. Whilst at uni, Morgan took part in beginner improvised acting classes which sparked an interest in acting. She regularly takes part in the making of short films around Canberra. Her credits include Dead Beat (Director and editor, 2017), Rent (Editor, 2017), Gold Filling (Sound Recordist, 2017, LCA Finalist); as well as smaller credits like script supervisor and 2nd AC in films such as 'Black Sheep' (2017, UC Film night Best Film award, Best Actor), and 'Coffee' (2017, UC Film night Best Sound Design). At Perform Australia, Morgan manages film/videography projects.
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Sheen GalupoSocial Media and Marketing CoordinatorSheen Galupo graduated with a degree in Fine Arts major in Advertising Arts in the Philippines. She is one of our remote employees who is in charge of Social Media Management and Marketing. She has worked with several brands and helped them build campaigns using Social Media platforms. She creates copy and content consistent with Perform Australia's branding, values and mission.
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Our Company 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.
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.
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.
Today Perform Australia has its headquarters at 11 Whyalla St, Fyshwick, 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 through ActLive TV - actlive.tv. Perform Australia continue to inspire several hundred students and families each year. It is also a proud sponsor of the Best Performance Award at the Lights, Canberra Action! Film Festival. |