The anticipation leading up to the opening of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts’ (WAAPA) landmark ECU City campus location earlier this year was immense and it now appears that the reality of the move has been nothing short of inspiring.
The four-year lead-up saw its fruition when WAAPA opened its doors to students in Semester One right in the centre of Perth’s CBD and cultural precinct. ECU City is the centrepiece of the Perth City Deal, a collaboration between the Australian Government, Western Australian Government and ECU to deliver a world-class university to the heart of Perth.
Mission accomplished. As Executive Dean of WAAPA, Professor David Shirley, told Variety AU/NZ this time last year, most leading conservatoires in the world are located in a city environment, and with that the benefits of being in close quarters with not only key arts organisations – WA Ballet, WASO, the State Theatre, and The Blue Room are a stone’s throw away – but the business community as well is a win/win scenario for all concerned.
By bringing daily student life, public performance and creative education directly into the city centre WAAPA is standing up as a leader of arts/performance education and a cultural anchor for the CBD.
Coming in joint place with Kyoto, Perth has recently been crowned the 20th best city in the world to live in, according to the latest ranking by Monocle. The city’s ranking has improved in large part due to the Perth City Link, a major urban renewal and redevelopment project that reconnects the CBD with Northbridge for the first time in over a century.
“The link’s crown jewel, Edith Cowan University’s city campus, opened earlier this year in a move that has injected youth and learning into a district that has long been crowded with engineers and mining executives.” (monocle.com)
Meanwhile opportunities spanning performance, production, music, dance, acting, musical theatre, design and contemporary creative practice await in abundance. Surrounded by the energy of a vibrant city centre, students have access to a suite of specialist, purpose-built venues and rehearsal rooms designed for professional-standard training and public presentation.
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These include eight public performance and rehearsal spaces, featuring a recital hall, playhouse theatre, dance theatre, jazz and contemporary music studio, flex theatre, Aboriginal theatre, and dedicated music and theatre rehearsal spaces. All these venues are supported by advanced acoustics, contemporary production technology and specialist design intended to mirror the expectations of professional performance environments.
The ECU City Campus won the most accolades at the 2026 West Australian Architecture Awards, including the most esteemed honour, the George Temple Poole Award.
The City Campus also took out the 2026 Australian Construction Achievement Award (ACAA), the construction industry’s highest honour – Multiplex was awarded for its construction and delivery, with ECU City recognised as a city-defining education precinct.
Established in 1980, WAAPA has long been regarded as Australia’s most comprehensive performing arts school across the acting, dance, music, and design disciplines – a status confirmed with its Top 100 ranking globally for performing arts by the QS World University Rankings.
Across four decades WAAPA has built a legacy of excellence and dreams accomplished. At a new home and in a new era the future of the performing arts is – as it ever was – in excellent hands.
To find out more about courses visit waapa.ecu.edu.au.