The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University in WA has been the first port of call for some very exciting young Australian actors with its 11347NAT Diploma of Screen Performance
While there are some gifted actors out there who have risen to an admirable position within the worlds of screen and theatre without the benefit of any real training, most will argue that a solid base of education and mentorship can provide the bedrock for a successful career. Thankfully for our young performers, Australia is home to some of the best acting and creative-based tertiary institutions in the world, and it’s likely no coincidence that Australian actors and creatives punch so impressively above their weight on the world stage.
Along with the likes of NIDA in Sydney, The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University in WA is one of Australia’s key institutions when it comes to education in acting for theatre, television and film. One of WAAPA’s most vital course offerings in this field is the Diploma Of Screen Performance. This one-year, full-time course sees students train in a range of performance skills including acting techniques, improvisation, movement, voice production, auditioning and self-testing.
Completing the course will see successful students armed with a basic knowledge of scriptwriting, storytelling and film editing in the context of screen performance. Students will also be taken through the pre-professional skills necessary to successfully audition and perform for the screen. After the course, graduates can confidently enter the industry as freelancers while looking to hook up with an agency, or have the opportunity to pursue further education at a higher level, such as WAAPA’s Bachelor of Arts (Acting) course.
And if you need any further proof of the effectiveness of the Diploma Of Screen Performance, here are five very impressive graduates.
TANZYN CRAWFORD
Recently named by The Casting Guild of Australia as one of Australia’s top emerging talents of 2025 via inclusion on its 11th annual list of CGA Rising Stars, Tanzyn Crawford was born in Perth and raised between Australia and the US. After graduating from WAAPA’s Diploma of Screen Performance, Tanzyn’s break-out role came in 2023 in the TV series Tiny Beautiful Things, playing Katherine Hahn’s daughter. Since then, Tanzyn has appeared in the 2024 Australian TV series Swift Street, and has also been cast in HBO’s A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, which is based on a novella by George R. R. Martin. Tanzyn has just wrapped working on Sheri’s Country, a series executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
SAM BARRETT
The long-running TV series Home And Away has proven an extraordinary launching pad for talented young actors – with everyone from Justine Clarke and Isla Fisher to Naomi Watts and Chris Hemsworth getting their start in Summer Bay – and WAAPA Diploma of Screen Performance graduate Sam Barrett is now poised for big things after her impressive eighteen-month run on the popular show playing feisty teen Chloe Anderson. Sam Barrett also appeared in the TV series The Heights, and proves that persistence, tenacity and commitment are key in the acting profession: the talented and appealing young actress auditioned for four other roles on Home And Away before she scored the plum gig of Chloe Anderson.
LUKE J. MORGAN
The long-running TV drama Neighbours has been just as influential as Home And Away when it comes to launching to careers, with the likes of Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue and many more taking off via the Melbourne-shot soap. WAAPA Diploma of Screen Performance graduate Luke J. Morgan appeared on the show after some short film roles, and major parts in the stylish, low-budget feature films The Xrossing (2020) and Sunflower (2023). Luke J. Morgan’s career continues on its impressive trajectory, with the engaging young actor booking a part on NCIS: Sydney and in the highly anticipated new Australian drama Dear Life, created by Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope and starring Brooke Satchwell.
KWAME N. KAMARA
In the last few years or so, there has been a huge shift on Australian screens, with actors of far greater diversity, and from all manner of cultural backgrounds, slowly but surely making their mark on the local industry. There is certainly a long way to go until our film and TV screens accurately reflect the broad nature of the Australian community at large, but with the continued presence of performers like rising young actor and WAAPA Diploma of Screen Performance graduate Kwame N. Kamara, the future looks bright indeed. Of African heritage, Kwame boasts an impressive screen presence, and the exciting actor has booked roles on the acclaimed mini-series Stateless, the locally shot international crime comedy drama Good Cop/Bad Cop and Garth Davis’ impressive 2023 feature Foe.
BAILEY SPALDING
WAAPA Diploma of Screen Performance graduate Bailey Spalding is a highly impressive multi-hyphenate, rating just as highly as a singer as she does an actress, having appeared on the popular talent show The X Factor, and also featuring for a number of years as a member of the legendary children’s entertainment troupe Hi5. Bailey has appeared in a number of short film projects, and has also featured in the acclaimed TV series Scrublands, adapted from Chris Hammer’s bestselling novel of the same name. Bailey was also part of the young ensemble cast on the 2025 Aussie horror flick Penny Lane Is Dead, and made her writing debut with the screenplay for the 2023 short film Idiot-Proof.
For all information on WAAPA’s Certificate IV in Screen Performance, click here.
