WAAPA unveils 300-show program at ECU’s new Minderoo Centre for Performance Excellence
WA’s next generation of artists will take center stage in the heart of Perth this year as the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts launches a blockbuster program of more than 300 shows at Edith Cowan University’s new urban campus.
Ahead of the opening of ECU City this month, WAAPA has unveiled its 2026 performance programme, marking a major transition to its new-build home at the Minderoo Center for Performance Excellence.
The year-long program will include theatre, dance, classical and contemporary music, jazz, opera and musical theatre, and many performances will be offered free of charge to the public.
WAAPA executive dean Professor David Shirley said the move signaled a new chapter for one of the state’s most renowned creative institutions.
“Our new performance space and state-of-the-art facility will ensure WAAPA maintains its place at the forefront of performing arts education both nationally and internationally,” Professor Shirley said.
The Premier Visiting Artists Fund, which will bring internationally renowned creators to Perth as a key feature of the 2026 programme. The $7 million investment fund is also supported by the Minderoo Foundation through its ground-breaking philanthropic agreement with WAAPA.
Ukrainian-born Australian classical pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk will be the opening artist-in-residence and will spend a week as a guest artist in Perth in March before performing at WAAPA.
The musician was described by fellow pianist Roger Woodward as “the most impressive pianist of his generation”.
Grammy Award-winning jazz composer and bandleader Maria Schneider will collaborate with the WAAPA Big Band for a special performance in October at the new McCusker Recital Hall.
The performance calendar also includes a wide range of student productions at major Perth venues.
Highlights include LINK Dance Company’s Enter Coda, featuring an excerpt from Hofesh Shechter’s Grand Finale, performed at the Liberty Theater in May, and a mid-year production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at the Heath Ledger Theater starring WAAPA’s graduating acting troupe.
In September, WAAPA’s new Playhouse Theater will feature the first performance of Purcell’s production of The Fairy Queen.
Music theater students will take to the Regal Theater stage in the popular Broadway musical & Juliet.
The year’s performance calendar will wrap up in November with a performance that will see students stage a contemporary Australian re-imagining of The Bacchae at WAAPA’s new Flex Theatre.
Music fans can also expect free concerts throughout the year, and weekend workshops will also be held for high school students.
Copies of the 2026 WAAPA performance program are available at the WAAPA Box Office or downloaded online via Roe Street.
