Do WAAPA MT cert kids automatically get into BA

I recently went to the WAAPA MT Certificate course performance and OMG are there some great ppl in that. There were a few that really stood out and one in particular was an amazing dancer as well cos I couldnt keep my eyes off her, she could do everything, sing dance act and her legs went up to her ears in high kicks. After watching this you start to doubt your ability. Now I auditioned in Sydney and I was wondering if anyone knew if the cert ppl get into the BA and how many spots are available for interstate ppl. I havent had a call back but given the talent I seen in the cert I wonder what chance interstaters have. Ahhhh, I am going to tick the cert course as well next yr cos if this is what the cert produces its unbeleivable

hey no the cert definately dont get into the BA, the cert is not a pre requisite or garantee that u will get into the BA, many cert ppl dont. I belive the girl your talking about is called sophie and yes she is a fantastic dancer!! chookas

So right moogffs there are no garantees but I will take bets on who from the cert will get in. I reckon there are 2 definate females and 2 definate males umm maybe more. wasnt there 4 from the cert last year who got in. So much talent there

Wow hard to believe they can find better than them, well I thought the WAAPA panel look for potential and then when you get into the BA you are taught and improved over 3 years to be like how the cert are. They are professional before they even start the BA course. I didnt get to see the BA showcase cos I had to get back for exams. but WOW what a standard for cert.. Ok I understand it is not a pre requisite but what more are the panel looking for? I gave my audition my best but I reckon I must have looked like one of those bad ppl on Aust Idol lol. I have a good voice and have won singing comps but I cant dance like that and my acting is getting there. I have a lot of work to do for next year but I do want to get into WAAPA. How about those who try for 5 years in a row, maybe that will be me. No, I have confidence.

have faith, i mean some people get in on their first go then there are others who get in 2nd or 3rd time THEN others who audition 10 times and are never sucessful. It all depends, i mean there are alot of people who are talented out there but talent only gets you so far in the end. You need to be what the panel are looking for, weather it be looks, personality or whatever. And for some people, like me for example, WAAPA isnt the right place. I mean i auditioned for WAAPA BA music theatre/ acting 2 times and got rejected then auditioned for NIDA acting and got in first go and have just finished 1st year. I feel like i went shockingly in my WAAPA auditions just like 'the bad idols' on tv, however i did the same monolouges for NIDA and went fantastically... So look around, decide weather WAAPA really is right for you, then if you feel it is go for it!! Oh and dont feel intimidated by the talent of others, never compare yourself. I know its hard not to but you are your own unique person and in the end Thats what they want, uniqueness. Just be yourself, do what you do, live, love and most certainly learn from all your audition/ life experiences and use them in your work!! xx

Last year 3 cert kids got in, and they took 5 from Perth in total, one other who had done cert in the past - a record in recent years. Interstate kids have a very good chance. as for 4 definites from cert this year, not from what I saw. Don't doubt yourself so much, but you should definitely think about doing cert - it is a fantastic course.

Thanks Newbie, I will definately select cert next year. You obviously saw the MT Cert performance didnt you think there were 4 that showed great potential. I liked Sophie (as moogffs said) and the girl who did the comedy monologue (Bri I think) and 2 of the guys were particularly good. The one who opened the show was funny. Most were brilliant but if you didnt think so then maybe I will have a chance. Its difficult when you see something such as this then doubt yourself.

I was of the understanding there are 18 selected. 9 are male 9 are female. A couple are selected from each state. They auditioned in Tas for the first time but no one go in from there last year. So, I thought at least half were from WA. I had heard, tell me if Im wrong, that the occassional interstate person leaves for one reason or another and especially if they are young and home sick. I dont know if this is correct but I heard on the grapevine that only one of the 25 WAAPA MT Certificate was from interstate. Thats amazing, given that its a fee paying course and you have to uproot yourself for a year. Huge cost but obviously worth it

I think you will find that a lot of ppl from interstate just audition for the BA course and they are reluctant to take people from interstate because there are many similar courses in both Melbourne and Sydney. The VCA music theatre course and the NIDA Actor, Singer, Dancer course for instance. So the draw to WAAPA for cert isn't as strong as for BA. There aren't any set quota's from where the people they take come from, they just take the best 18. Normally 9 boys and 9 girls, but recently they took 8 and 10. In our year there were 3 from Perth, 1 from Adelaide, 2 from QLD, 1 from Hong Kong, 1 from New Zealand, 6 from Melbourne and 4 from Sydney. A pretty mixed lot. Good luck to everyone auditioning.

Yes thats true I think that the eastern states has great opportunities for education in MT but having seen the cert I would recommend it to those who are hell bent into getting to WAAPA. WA is a long way from Sydney and you really have to want it bad to make the move. Im interested if anyone got a call back in Sydney?

We had a great group in the 2006 certificate course. I would have to say that Soph and Bri would be the 2 females who have improved the most over the year. Im glad you liked our performance, I think nearly all of us except 2 are auditioning for the BA. It isnt garanteed that we get into the BA. The certificate is an excellent course for those who are looking at WAAPA for their MT study. It is highly recommended and extremely professional. Good luck to all those auditioning for both MT courses. :)

I am no expert on the way WAAPA sources their talent for the BA. However, I would think that those selected for the CERT course would be looked on preferably after their one year of training, if they show great improvement and dedication. So many times in this business have I seen great talent or potential wasted because of laziness, a negative frame of mind or those who want to just party hard. The cert course is a great way to assess those who want it badly and those who dont. Good luck cert students

I saw the cert performance and I agree how fantastic they were. Loved the dance part and whow those straddle leaps.

are you guys talknig about brianne and sophia?

hey guys was interested in doing the mt cert course in 2008 because i missed the audition dates this yr i was just wondering if anyone knew of or could recommend a good voice teacher SOR to help prepare for the audition??

I thought it was just Sophie not Sophia and Bri, I dont know if she is Brianne

Ring the Waapa MT department and see if the recommend a singing teacher

my son goes to Roma Barrett. She lives in Freo and works part time at WAAPA. Great teacher

oops I mean Roma Conway. Roma Barrett is a totally sifferent person :)

so was there any other talented people in cert in there showing, i heard the guy who sang "anthem" was great... im hearing the bar has been raised for cert, with the '06 year. i actually heard that there showing was more impressive then the b.a showcase mt, not sure about that one, but the cert kids have gotten some real buzz

It was best cert course ever according to MT hierachy. They were all fantastic, I was only picking my favourites sorry. Others might pick differently cos they were all so good. The guys were unbelievable and yes the one who sung 'anthem' , whats his name??? I have only got names from this website for females no one has given me the males. I didnt see the BA showcase but the 'goss is' that the cert was an extremely high standard. Definately no call back for me, I will so try again next year.

Art Vandelay! That's hilarious (Go Seinfeld). I don't want to sound condescending folks, but what is so great about going to WAAPA? I have been asked, "Are you trying out for WAAPA this year, since I was 18." I tried once and stuffed up one of my pieces. I auditioned more out of pressure than any real willingness to go. However, I don't understand what the great hoplah is about these courses, whether it is a certificate or a BA (these are also available at other institutions). I understand that they have some great teachers there, but learning in a confined community has a lot of drawbacks, in my opinion. You are taught extensively by a small group of teachers who all have specific ideas about stagecraft. In addition to this, you are all expected to conform to these ideas. One thing I have learnt from my 30 odd shows in community theatre is that the more directors/actors you work with, the better you will become. One person can help improve your skills as an actor, but working with many, even if some are negligent will give you a great spectrum of knowledge. Sure, by all means do courses and workshops, they are a great thing. All I want to know is, what learning benefits does WAAPA have over other institutions and is it worth the vast amounts of money you spend to go there? And hey, at the end of the day, you’ll still be just as unemployable as I am, doing a double BA.

No not condescending at all, WAAPA is an amazing institution but ultimately its what the individual wants and where they want to be educated. WAAPA may not be right for you, and thats fine. Also no institution garantees work, its up to yourself and the availability of work at the time. Seek and he shall find or maybe not. MT is such a competitive industry and most want WAAPA for the 'excellent' reputation. Whether you think its good or bad, everyone has their own opinion. As an ex WAAPA grad I totally enjoyed every minute but then there are some who thought it was just ok. And yes agree with those who liked the Cert perfomance, very high standard and I know the people you have talked about, they were very impressive

Last year at the same time on this site it was inundated with posts from would be WAAPA contenders. Where are they all this year. Has WAAPA had the same sort of response, like 900 applicants or is that what they say and they only get like 20. Its so very quiet. Who got call backs, what did you wear to audition, what did you sing, how did the monologue go, did David, Crisp or Jenny say anything or how was the interview. Boring - we like to hear about experiences. I know Perth are doing auditions this week but come on other states

Anthem = Jarrod

yeah jarod was great, he could really go places... lets see who else there was in the year... gabby, tyler, sam, pene, anthony, julia, simon, emily, lara, jess, bri, tim, mitch, tammy, bec, scott, soph, caroline, kia, gemma, and im missing people... wow i think that was all of them. having watched both cert and mt b.a showings, i must say i really liked the certs show more. the program flowed nicely and the level of not only talent, but dedication was unreal. the song and dances were both enjoyable, as was the robbie medley... and the acting scenes, where really intense, even the comedies... does anyone know who chose the pieces? julia did a fantastic job of "mix tape", was concerned that it couldnt work as a solo, but was happly surprised. And her scene with em, sophie and jess, was really interesting with the concept, and emily was great. That girl who sang from "dance a little closer" not only was amazing in her song, but had proberly the finest comic timing ive seen from that play, well done. sam and tyler were great in there scene... considering that a cell phone went off like 3 times. Does anyone know what that spy scene was from? Pene and Garreth were in it. They worked well off each other and had both humerous and serious moments. Whoa and caroline, wow, not only insane song performance, but really carried the closer scene, and took it into a diffrent but still compelling direction. and ok , so im going to stop and ask someone else to contribute as to what they think of or thought of the cert kids thanks xxx

Great feedback and interesting that the cert showing flowed better. Well done all cert students. Goodluck

Firstly, it's really bizarre seeing our names up here considering showbag was a 'closed' performance and that we only invited family/friends etc, 2-3 people each. So I'm not sure who's posting all this stuff about us! But whatever. No, doing the certificate at WAAPA is definately not a guarantee that you will end up doing the BA. It says that in the course information booklet, and we basically just knew that when we started as general knowledge. In any case, it's very evident from past certificate year groups that only a few find themselves in the bachelor course, and for those that do, they usually have a year or more off between cert and BA. Usually. I think someone asked how our (certies) auditions are going... as far as I know, 5 out of the 6 of us who auditioned today have been called back, but there is still the rest of the week to go for the first round so we'll see. Chookas to the other certies auditioning!!

asking the question "do the cert studnest automatically get into BA" is a patheti question, who the hell asked it!! 1) the cert has 24 places and BA has 18. so how would that work? 24 certies fitting into 18 spots for the degree (i think not) 2) if doing cert was a definete of getting straight into the BA afterwards, then what would the need for general auditions for the BA course be....wouldn't that mean that you have to be in cert to then crry on to the BA. so can we please forget silly questions liek these!! its called common knowledge!

My question was genuine. However, maybe not explained properly.

But Ooooh we are pedantic arent we. As I see it, not all cert student want to go on and do the BA. I hear from previous years that some want to do other courses, some go overseas, found jobs, moved interstate. I asked cos I didnt know if those left who then wanted to continue with the BA were garanteed a place I did not mean if all got into the BA, that would be stupid but of those who wanted to continue are they automatically garanteed but obviously not. I have not seen any booklet or other info about the cert cos I only auditioned for the BA and got info on the BA only hence I asked the question.. I really didnt think the cert performance was going to be as good as it was but of course I was pleasantly surprised with outstanding performances and will audition myself for the cert now. My friends male friend was in the show and I was invited, is that too complicated. lol I am from Perth but got a contract job through my work in Sydney from Nov therefore I auditioned in Sydney. Hope that satisfies curiosity.

Sorry, wasn't meaning to be rude asking who was posting about the showbag, was just suprised to see all the talk about it. I'm glad people seemed to enjoy the show, we had a fantastic year and it was great to see so many people there to support us at the end. There are about 4 of us who decided not to audition for the BA this year, for various reasons. As far as I know, everyone else is trying out.

Thats ok Cert 06er, dont worry you were not rude and yes you were all fantastic, I really enjoyed it. I just had to clarify why I asked the question and it was not directed at you. Thanks for all the positive feedback and I will audition for cert next year as well as BA..

why would the question of "do cert students automatically get a place in BA?" isnt that a bit pathetic considering: 1) there are 24 in the cert course each year and just 18 for BA....so how would they fit 24 studemts into an 18 studnet limit course??? (yer i dunno!) 2) if cert were automoaticaly guaranteed a place, what would be the need for normal public to audition for BA? becasue then cert people woudl get the spots and then it would be like a four year BA course with cert as the first year.

theres no need to be rude. This forum is created so people can ask questions and find out about things. Wheres your holiday spirit hehe

I agree no need to be rude and repeat yourself using 2 different names in 2 posts. Outsiders dont know the WAAPA process and it was a very good question for public interest, and I agree that no question is pathetic. Hyperthetically, maybe only 4 certies want to continue and do the BA not all 24. Therefore leaving auditions open for other spots to others. Not all 24 certies have ever wanted the BA after completing the course. Outsiders dont know the process. The question WASNT - Do ALL certies automatically get in to the BA. ALL - was not the question as I see it. The reference was made about the STAND OUTS in the performance and "some great ppl" as I read it. This person was at the certies showbag he/she would have seen the panel writing stuff about the certies, giving an impression that some certies were already selected. This maybe where this topic/thread comes from. ( I think alot) This year only 4 certies are not auditioning, last year there were more that didnt audition. No one can say 24 certies for 18 spots when not all want it. And for those CERTIES who do get in then the BA course will be 4 yrs for them and a fantasic 4 yrs at that. Give outsiders a break when they dont know the system. Most of us are only too happy to give our advise on the way the process works. But you always get one trouble maker!!! GOODLUCK TO ALL AUDITIONING

hey all, i heard a rumour yesterday (so i really ahve no idea if its true or not) that from now on the WAAPA mt department are only allowing 16 spots into the BA course each year now instead of 18....i hope this isnt true!! hehe, we need all the spare spaces we can get! anyone heard anything like this? or is it just a load of fake rumour? thanks guys ben

Been working all week on our show in the New Theatre on Saturday. The New Theatre is right across from where the auditions are, and I can tell you there has been a constant stream of nervous-looking folk going in there! and re why WAAPA- any method of study can work for people, but my experience from the last 15 years or so is that the actors/dancers/singers with the training at these type of institutions are more likely to have success in the professional field. If you are serious about performing as a career, then you do have to very seriously look at studying at a WAAPA or NIDA (or similar). It might not work for you, but you have to at least consider it. I think that Mr Kershaw answers his own question- First reason- "I understand that they have some great teachers there" this is good I presume? Two: "You are taught extensively by a small group of teachers who all have specific ideas about stagecraft." Well, you are taught extensively- again important, and thank god it's a small group. There is nothing worse in your early training than getting dozens of differing and competing ideas. and god-forbid your teachers would have specific ideas about stagecraft. I presume you'd rather everyone had vague & varied ideas? I think they are enough reasons on their own to justify it myself. I feel a need to address the rest of this post. "In addition to this, you are all expected to conform to these ideas." My god- any director doesn't expect this?! Apart from the fact that I am not convinced this is the case with all teachers in all areas at WAAPA (though I am sure some are more guilty than others), having to do it someone else's way is part of your job (unless you are the director/producer/financier!) "One thing I have learnt from my 30 odd shows in community theatre is that the more directors/actors you work with, the better you will become." Of course, but not everyone can afford to sit around for 30+ community shows hoping that this is the one that will give you 'x'. and do we all agree that doing a community show is not 'free'? (petrol, time etc.) "Sure, by all means do coursesi and workshopsi, they are a great thing. All I want to know is, what learning benefits does WAAPA have over other institutions and is it worth the vast amounts of money you spend to go there?" Well, they all cost money, and some much more than others. Is WAAPA better? That's unanswerable as it is pretty un measurable. Again, if it is a career choice, you have to consider how you will be trained to do your job. Every job in the world requires that you get trained in that job. Flipping burgers requires less training than being a doctor. "And hey, at the end of the day, you’ll still be just as unemployable as I am, doing a double BA." I think a fair number of WAAPA/NIDA/Brent St etc. grads would dispute that. I am a WAAPA (music) graduate, and have been out of work for 3 weeks since graduating in 1996. As you and others hint at- it's not the training itself, it's the personal work-ethic. Good luck all in auditions! And congrats to those with call backs. Nev It's the simple things stupid...

GO YOU CERIES WHO ARE STILL IN THE RUNNING FOR THE BA, jarrod, bec sam,lara julia sophie oops who else sorry

Does anyone else find this sort of intrusive? I really don't think the Cert kids appreciate having their names spalshed around like this. Aside from anything else, yes, the Cert Showing performances ARE meant to be private and not talked about in a public forum, regardless of how great they are... Chookas anyway, all...

Too nice! I mean really nice.... Great to see someone that is willing to tell it how it is online! I am sure person/people you have helped really appreciate it! I am waiting on either a call back or a place in JCCS (Jesus Christ Superstar - my first amateur theatre)! So if everyone is as nice and encouraging as u - I'M IN!!!!!!!!! Well done! Nyree (nyree_walls@hotmail.com)!

Who says it cant be talked about. A public forum is to congratulate talent, to encourage others and express and inform about good performances. The showbag is private showing to family and friends, however you can never stop THE FRIENDS or maybe even family from posting and being proud of their certies. Dont forget other certies themselves If someone choses to name another, its called freedom of speech, there is nothing anyone can do about it. The comments have not been derogatory or defaming. They have all been positive. Making defaming comments is a whole different matter. However, this doesnt mean that I think its right that students are named but what I am saying is, there is nothing you can do about it. In this industry you have to be thick skinned, if not, you dont make it!!! Its the same for all the certies who did not get callbacks, its not the end of the world you try again next year. MT is full of disappointments

Go Grommetik! (I know who you are!) 2nd round of call backs yesterday and so far as I know there are 5 of us Certies who have been called for the final round tomorrow. Very exciting, Go Certies Go! Sorry to all who didn't get recalled - you know you are all fantastic and I miss you :( To people going back for the acting/dance tomorrow... see you at 2 (how excitement)!

Wow! Huge to say that the certificate showing was better than the BA 3rd year SHOWCASE!!!.....Saw both and I don't think so! Not really something you can compare....3yrs fulltime training to 1 yr part time! There was SOME talent there but really....better than the 3rd years!!! Certificate is valuable yes but by no means a guarantee into the BA...the fulltime staff see you at the beginning and the end of the year....no more unfortunatley! Its good to do to see if this industry is really for you and it keeps you doing some form of training but thats all! chookas to those auditioning. See you in Perth 07!

I just heard that 2 certies have been approached to study in London. Wow what a big decision they have to make. Oh and both didnt make the final round. Yeah you go Certies.

edit - both didnt make the final round for WAAPA BA I mean. ha ha ha lol

Sorry its taken a while to write back - but thanks again for your post - just thought I'd let you know I GOT IN!!!! To JCSS - yay! Managed to score a role as a Soul Girl! Hope you Melbournians will come watch me and the rest of the amazing cast! Opens April 20th - Forrest Hill - through Park Players! Rehersals are underway and I have to say the whole gang from cast to director etc are awesome - I am thrilled to be working with them!