The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) this week released its 2025 program. A program that marks the end of an era, as WAAPA bids farewell to ECU’s Mount Lawley Campus and moves to ECU City.
A brand new performance space and state of the art facility that will ensure WAAPA continues its place at the forefront of performing arts training, nationally and internationally.
This year’s program is not only full of great drama, musicals, concerts, workshops and dance; but also includes two world premiere productions, Antigone and Tivoli Lovely.
Antigone is Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, of the acclaimed UK theatre company Cheek by Jowl, version of Sophocles’ tragedy, performed by the final year acting students.
Australian musical theatre legend – and WAPPA graduate – Eddie Perfect together with the graduating Musical Theatre students present the world premiere of his latest musical, Tivoli Lovely. These productions are part of a three year creative residency supported by the Minderoo Foundation premier partnership.
Check out the line up of this year’s acting and musical theatre productions and get in early for tickets, as they are sure to be a sell out.
Images: The Laramie Project (2024) – photo by Stephen Heath | Everyman (2024) – photo by Stephen Heath | Carrie (2024) – photo by Stephen Heath
Words: Craig Dalglish
ACTING:THE WATSONS
Roundhouse Theatre: 11 – 16 April
In Laura Wade’s bold and playful adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel, The Watsons ventures beyond the artifice to imagine what might have happened. As the play opens, we meet a myriad of familiar characters: young women in search of a husband, flirtatious suitors, stuffy aristocrats, serious clergymen, dazzling army officers, formidable ladies of the manor, and a precocious child. All familiar territory … but what happens when the writer loses the plot allowing the characters to introduce plans of their own? The result is clever, playful and very funny. Characters courageously go in search of their own endings which delight, occasionally horrify but constantly entertain. Performed by Third Year Acting Students.
This winter, join WAAPA’s 3rd Year Acting cohort as they perform two plays by UK playwrights in repertory: Punk Rock and Consent. Working in two casts, the students will perform on alternate nights in the intimate setting of the Enright Studio. This is up-close-and-personal theatre.
PUNK ROCK
Enright Studio: 12 – 19 June
William Carlisle has the world at his feet but its weight on his shoulders. Tucked away in an English private school library, with the dreaded exam period looming, William and his class-mates navigate the brutality of teenage life. Raw and confronting, Simon Stephens’ Punk Rock taps into the rage and rebellion simmering just underneath the surface of these young people on the brink of adulthood.
CONSENT
Enright Studio: 13 – 19 June
Why is Justice blind? Is she impartial? Or is she blinkered? Friends Ed and Tim take opposing briefs in a sexual assault case. The key witness is a woman whose life is a world away from theirs. At home, their own lives begin to unravel as every version of the truth is challenged. Nina Raine’s powerful, painful, funny play sifts the evidence from every side and puts Justice herself in the dock.
ANTIGONE
Studio Underground – State Theatre Centre: 29 August – 4 September
Experience this electrifying adaptation of Sophocles timeless tragedy Antigone, written and directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, joint artistic directors of the internationally acclaimed UK theatre company, Cheek by Jowl. Generously supported by Principal Partner Minderoo Foundation, this powerful production brings the ancient conflict between duty and morality into sharp focus for modern audiences. Witness the clash between Antigone’s unwavering principles and King Creon’s unyielding authority as they grapple with questions of justice, loyalty, and the consequences of defying the state. Donnellan’s crisp direction and innovative staging breathe new life into this classic tale, making every line resonate with startling clarity and relevance. Don’t miss this opportunity to see one of the greatest dramas of all time performed with fresh insight and theatrical brilliance by WAAPA’s graduating Acting students.
HIBERNATION
Enright Studio: 4 – 11 September
Hibernation is a ground-breaking play that offers a uniquely Australian perspective on climate change. Set in 2030, it explores a radical solution: putting the entire human population into a year-long sleep to save the planet. Award-winning playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer skilfully blends intimate human drama with speculative fiction, challenging audiences to reconsider their relationship with the environment. The play refrains from offering simple solutions, instead delving into themes of political power, environmental responsibility and human resilience. Hibernation stands as a thought- provoking theatrical work that addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time in a compelling and innovative manner. Performed by Second Year Acting Students.
METAMORPHOSES
The Edith: 14 – 20 November
Expect anarchy, shape-shifting and a burning chariot of fire … Ovid’s ancient myths are spun by three leading British playwrights into a gallivanting piece of storytelling that delves into the depths of the Greek gods’ cruelties and the unfortunate humans who happen to get in their way. The eternal stories of Metamorphoses are transformed by Saimi Ibrahim, Laura Lomas and Sabrina Mahfouz into a gloriously fun theatrical performance that’s both provocative and hugely entertaining. Performed by Second Year Acting Students.
MUSICALSFREAKY FRIDAY
Geoff Gibbs Theatre: 11 – 16 April
Ellie Blake and her mother Katherine are about to have the freakiest day of their lives. Mother and daughter aren’t getting on: Ellie resents her mother for remarrying after her father’s death, while Katherine keeps interfering in her teenage daughter’s life. But the day before Katherine’s wedding, mother and daughter magically swap bodies – and they have just 24 hours to work out how to swap back. With its upbeat pop-rock score, Freaky Friday is a clever, funny, heart-warming musical in which a mother and daughter learn what it literally means to walk in someone else’s shoes. Performed by Third Year Music Theatre Students.
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Round House Theatre: 13 – 19 June
Following its recent triumphant Broadway revival, WAAPA proudly presents Merrily We Roll Along, one of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and personal musicals. Moving backwards in time, Merrily charts the turbulent relationship between three lifelong friends – composer Franklin Shepard, playwright Charley Kringas and writer Mary Flynn – tracing every milestone of their lives for nearly two decades as they navigate success, show business and unbreakable bonds. Featuring hit songs such as Our Time, Old Friends, Not a Day Goes By and the much-loved title song, this is a cautionary tale about the importance of staying true to one’s ideals. Performed by Third Year Music Theatre Students.
THE WEDDING SINGER
Roundhouse Theatre: 5 – 11 September
Love is what I do croons Robbie Hart, New Jersey’s number one wedding singer. That is until his own fiancée strands him at the altar. Can his broken heart be saved by the sweet-natured waitress Julia, or will she head down the aisle with her Wall Street trader boyfriend? Based on the hit Adam Sandler movie, travel back in time to 1985 for this hilarious, feelgood rom-com musical that boasts big song-and-dance numbers and even bigger hair. Performed by Second Year Music Theatre Students.
TIVOLI LOVELY
Heath Ledger Theatre – State Theatre Centre: 7 – 14 November
When an 85-year-old ex-chorus girl is teamed up with a troubled teen for a school project, an incredible story brings the Australian Tivoli circuit of 1954 to life. Tivoli Lovely, a new Australian musical comedy by Eddie Perfect (Beetlejuice The Musical, Strictly Ballroom The Musical), is a commission from WAAPA and Principal Partner Minderoo Foundation. Composed as a love letter to Australia’s theatrical past, this hilarious black comedy about a Tivoli-conquering dance act, The Eleven Kevins, is a riotous celebration of dance and variety. Australian premiere! Performed by Second and Third Year Music Theatre Students with Music Students.