Study in Ballarat
Ant Crowley and Kim Durban, joint Program Co-ordinators from the Bachelor of Performing Arts at Federation University, describe the unique learning experiences students enjoy at their Ballarat campus.
“The Arts Academy, Federation University, resides in the heart of Ballarat,” explains Ant Crowley. “In rehearsal rooms that look out over trees bursting with autumn, students throw themselves into acting exercises with rigour and abandon.
“One of our former students is the award-winning music theatre performer Josh Piterman.”
“It’s pretty simple, if it wasn’t for my time at the Arts Academy, the detail of the teaching methods and the work ethic it instilled in me, I wouldn’t be enjoying the career I’ve had over the past 12 years,“ Josh said.
“The Arts Academy is unique. A regional campus dedicated to performing arts excellence,” Ant said. “Like Ballarat itself, it is a hub of tradition and innovation, skill and rebellion. Singing, acting, dance, art, design and theatre-making co-exist in a vibrant community of young artists and who live and learn together.”
Another former student Iopu Auva'a recently performed in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child.
“There tends to be a sense of community especially when majority of the students are not from the surrounding towns. Everyone gets to know each other on a more personal level and it makes working together much easier,” Iopu said.
“Here at the Arts Academy, we teach our students the skills they need to establish a sustainable and diverse career in the performing arts. We value a community of artists, emerging and established, who use their art to contribute to a sustainable, ethical world, full of powerful and innovative storytelling,” Ant continued.
Former Acting student Ash Flanders, is now the co-artistic director of Sisters Grimm,
"Developing a new work is a tricky thing, and the Arts Academy students made our work all the better for it with their enthusiasm, wit and diligence. Federation University's high-performance standard mixed an emphasis on autonomy and proactive attitudes is perfect training for students hoping to work and survive as artists in Australia,” Ash reflected.
“Why are performers important for the world?” asks Kim Durban. “This is a question we have asked auditionees for Ballarat over the years because we think performers are not just important, but essential for enriching our present culture and the future of our world. Sometimes the answer is stories’. Other times it is ‘entertainment’. But like us, no-one has ever said ‘they are not important’.
“A key statement about artistic life that I value was one I heard from director and performance artist Maud Davey at the AD 2002 Conference in Ballarat:
“The work is the focus – it is not a stepping-stone to other work. This lays bare the central commitment it takes to choose to be a professional performer, that is, a commitment to The Work. You do the work in our three-year fulltime Bachelor of Performing Arts degree. That work might be improving your skills; expressing an essential idea through the body, the word or the voice; performing a text from hundreds of years ago; screening or podcasting a new scene that you wrote 10-minutes ago; or collaborating with a multi-talented crew to entertain and delight through song and dance. My mentor calls this ‘Serious Fun.’
“A few weeks ago, I hosted a graduate panel and the participants included an actor collaborating on an indigenous project; a performer who had just finished voicing a character in an animated series; a comedy performer and writer who is creating a commissioned screen pilot; and a clown doctor. They are a beautifully diverse bunch of talents.”
If you have that dream, you can develop your passion by gaining industry-relevant skills that build towards a successful creative career. This is a welcoming community of practice. Here you will learn from a diverse range of industry professionals and acclaimed performing artists from across the globe.
Entry is by audition.
Find out more here: https://federation.edu.au/arts-academy/study/performing-arts/auditions
