by FilmInk Staff
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University in WA has launched – and continues to launch – some incredible Indigenous careers with its Certificate IV in Aboriginal Performance.
For many, many years, Aboriginal actors were sadly, miserably under-represented on Australia’s stages, cinema screens, and televisions. Thankfully, that is slowly, surely beginning to change, with not just Aboriginal actors, but also Aboriginal writers and directors – and Aboriginal stories – finally taking their rightful place in amongst all the other great talents making their way in the Australian creative industries.
For Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders with an eye for the performing arts, but an uncertainty about how to gain the right skills and get their foot in the door, The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts at Edith Cowan University in WA might be just the right place. Enrolments are currently open for the Certificate IV in Aboriginal Performance, a one-year, full-time course that offers students intensive training in acting and improvisation, dance and stage movement, voice and singing, script analysis and the audition process. All areas are performance based, where workshops feed into rehearsals, and rehearsals feed into performance.
On completion of the course, students will have integrated dance, singing and acting into a consolidated performance skill. Graduates will also have a basic knowledge of Indigenous culture as it relates to performance. The Certificate IV in Aboriginal Performance is a terrific grounding for aspiring Indigenous actors, with many graduates going on to further study in higher-level acting and dance training courses at WAAPA, the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), and National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA).
And if you need any further proof of the effectiveness of The Certificate IV in Aboriginal Performance, here are five very impressive graduates.
MARK COLES SMITH
Mark Coles Smith is a proud Nyikina man. With a passion for storytelling, he has worked across several performing arts genres, as an actor, writer, producer and sound designer. He grew up in Broome, Western Australia, and received a certificate in Aboriginal Theatre from The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. An accomplished stage performer and TV presenter, Mark Coles Smith’s screen credits include Last Cab to Darwin, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Occupation: Rainfall and Mystery Road: Origin.
SHARI SEBBENS
Shari Sebbens is a proud Bardi, Jabirr-Jabirr woman born and raised in Darwin. In 2006, she was accepted into The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) where she completed the Certificate 3 course in Aboriginal Theatre. Shari was then accepted into NIDA, and graduated in 2009. A highly accomplished actor, producer and director, Shari has worked extensively on the stage, and has delivered superb performances in films including Australia Day, The Darkside, The Sapphires, Teenage Kicks, Top End Wedding and The Moogai.
MEYNE WYATT
Meyne Wyatt is an award winning Wongutha-Yamatji writer, director and performer. He wrote the play City Of Gold, and has penned episodes of Heartbreak High and Total Control, along with a children’s book called Maku. Meyne has also appeared in films including The Moogai, The Sapphires, Strangerland and The Turning, and on television in The Broken Shore and Redfern Now. In 2020, accomplished artist Meyne was awarded the Packing Room Prize in the Archibald Prize for his self-portrait. His performance of a monologue from City of Gold on the ABC’s Q&A remains a landmark television moment.
ABBIE-LEE LEWIS
Abbie-lee Lewis is a Kalkadoon woman who grew up in Western Australia. She graduated from the Aboriginal Performance course, moved onto the three-year acting course at WAAPA, and has since made a name for herself on the stage, appearing in The Bell Shakespeare Company’s productions of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2022, Abbie-lee made her directing debut with Cutter and Coot written by Bruce Pascoe and produced by Mooghalin Theatre Company.
MEGAN WILDING
A proud Gamilaroi woman, Megan Wilding is talented actor, writer and director. Since graduating from WAAPA, Megan has performed in productions for The Sydney Theatre Company, where she played leading roles in Banging Denmark, Blithe Spirit and Blackie Blackie Brown, and Belvoir St Theatre, where she performed in The Rover. Megan also wrote, performed and directed A Little Piece of Ash, and has appeared on television in Mystery Road: Origin and The Edge of the Bush and on film in We Are Still Here.
For all information on WAAPA’s 10908NAT Certificate IV in Aboriginal Performance, click here.
