Best Acting Schools in Australia – To become an actor, film producer, scriptwriter or theorist, attending an acting school will help you climb the ropes faster in your acting career. Unlike actors and actresses who learned by just starting or scriptwriters who just follow their instincts, graduates from good acting schools are likely to be organized, intelligent and impressive in their every move and acts.
Producing movies requires more than just the acting. It takes a lot of effort and knowledge from the part of the actors and visual artists to make good movies. The members of the crew most times are three times more than the cast. The cast members are the most important, as they do the most required part of the work. Training these actors, actresses, producers and crew members is done in an acting school, and naturally, some of the best actors/actresses, scriptwriters, and acting producers have been produced over the years from these acting schools.
A good acting school trains its students on the different aspects of acting and film making, some of which include cinematography, directing, producing, postproduction and others. Many people often ask questions like “Why should I go to an acting school?” wondering if there is a need to attend acting school.
Attending an acting school will give you an upper hand in the movie industry. You get to make connections and if you are exceptional, you could join big projects as soon as you graduate. This is not the case for people who wish to use the harder method. It will take years to join any big project no matter how talented the actor/actress is.
The acting industry values experience or degrees or better, both. Attending a good acting school means you will get a degree and a little experience from internships and on-set practical classes. Without attending an acting school, you will have to work very hard for years to gain enough experience to be considered worthy.
Where are the best acting schools located?
The best acting schools are scattered around certain locations in the world. The best acting schools are located in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, India and some other countries. Australia possesses one of the most popular acting schools. We will discuss the acting school later on in this article.
For Australian citizens or foreigners who are looking for the best acting schools in Australia, this article provides a list based on international rankings, alumni and many other factors.
Best Acting Schools in Australia
- National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)
- Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
- Victorian College of the Arts (VCA)
- Actors Centre Australia (ACA)
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT )
National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)
The National Institute of Dramatic Art, also called NIDA is the national acting school of Australia. In NIDA, professional and successful actors and actresses are churned out every year. Frankly speaking, NIDA is the most funded acting school in Australia.
Chances of success in NIDA are very high if you are hard working and have the passion of an actor/actress. There are state of the art facilities like rehearsal/practice theatres, actual theatres, and other required facilities.
Talking about an almost perfect acting school, National Institute of Dramatic Art comes to mind. Joinging the school is a little competitive and rigorous, being a well known acting school. NIDA focuses on helping students discover themselves and achieve personal growth through knowledge, practice and consistency.
As is with other to acting schools, by the second year, the acting students are offered internship opportunities and acting roles in big projects. If the student performance is impressive, by the third year, there should be other offers to participate in big projects.
NIDA is also located in Sydney, the same location where some top filming schools in Australia and the world are located. This means that the connection of NIDA to the local industry in Australia is even stronger.
The school was established in 1958 and is considered the top best acting school in Australia. In 2018, the National Institute of Dramatic Arts was ranked the tenth best acting school in the world. The duration of the courses offered in the institute is three years. Some of the well known alumni are Judy Davis, Cate Blanchett, Sarah Snook, Hugo Weaving and Miranda Tapsell.
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth is considered one of the five best acting schools in Australia. This acting school is rather unique and well known. It is located in Perth and the admission is pretty tough, with the school offering admission to only 18 students per admission session.
The environment is sober and allows the students to grow without any kind of pressure. It is affiliated with the Edith Cowan University. The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts allows young acting students to interact within the campus. The teaching system is very effective and students can be monitored thanks to their number.
The growth and development of each student can be tracked by the academy. Before graduation, the students get to work with real projects and take important roles. By graduation time, students of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts are qualified enough to work on almost any show.
The high quality of acting education offered in WAAPA can only be found in other best acting schools in Australia. The duration of the courses offered in the institute is three years. Some of the well known alumni are Francis O’Connor, Jai Courtney, and High Jackman.
Victorian College of the Arts (VCA)
The Victorian College of the arts, under the University of Melbourne is known for being previously he second best acting school in Australia. Due to a series of accusations and negative information, the Victorian College of the Arts lost face and its ratings decreased significantly.
This occurrence would however bring on the determination to reform the school and regain its popularity. The courses have been reformed and are now on a high quality, even when compared internationally.
The Victorian College of the Arts offers courses in eight majors. These are film and television, dance, production, theatre, visual art, scriptwriting, music theatre, indigenous arts and drama.
The duration of the courses is three years and some of the well known alumni are Ashley Zuckerman, Vince Colosimo, and Alison Bell.
Actors Centre Australia (ACA)
Undergoing a couple of reformations recently, ACA is becoming a sensational acting school in Australia. The facilities are state of the art fashioned and the members of staff are professionals with industry experience.
The Actors Centre, Australia is headed by Dean Carey. The duration of the courses offered is three years and some of the well known alumni are Hugh Jackman, Jonathan Lapaglia, and Rose Byrne.
Queensland University of Technology (QUT )
Queensland, a state in Australia is particularly famous for its beaches and beautiful scenery. The environment in most of the cities is most perfect for students and there are student cities where the Pacific Ocean and the Coral Sea are at the borders, a most exciting state.
Also called the sunshine state, Queensland is almost perfect for acting students. Apart from foreigners, citizens of Queensland are also interested in knowing the best acting schools in Queensland. The passionate students who wish to study in the best schools in Australia are also interested in checking if there is any in Queensland.
Queensland is a well known location and is quite perfect for the Queensland University of Technology. The marketing of the Queensland University of Technology Acting School was done by the success of its alumni.
In Queensland, the Queensland University of Technology is the best in many things. This is the same with acting. Also called QUT, the Queensland University of Technology has the best acting school in Queensland and one of the best in Australia.
The duration of the courses offered is three years and some of the well known alumni are Wayne Blair, Matt Okine and Brenton Thwaites.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Here are some answered questions you may have about the best acting schools in Australia:
Here is a list of the best acting schools in Australia:
- National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)
- Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
- Victorian College of the Arts (VCA)
- Actors Centre Australia (ACA)
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT )
No. If you attend an acting school, it becomes even easier to become a professional actor in Australia. If you wish to do it the hard way by joining local teams, it will be more difficult to work your way up the ropes.
Conclusion
Apart from countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Canada, Korea and China that also have some of the best acting schools in the world, Australia possesses a lot of acting schools that offer great quality.
Finding a school that matches your need is a little difficult without the right information. This article lists the best acting schools in Australia according to qualities and international rankings.
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