Australian Institute of Music – Dramatic Arts

Former name of the Australian Institute of Music - Dramatic Arts theatre school in Sydney

Not to be confused with National Institute of Dramatic Art.

Australian Institute of Music –
Dramatic Arts

Former names

| Australian Academy of Dramatic Art (1983–2013)

|

Type| Subsidiary
Established| 1983; 41 years ago (1983)[1]

Parent institution

| Australian Institute of Music
Location|

Sydney CBD

New South Wales

Australia

33°52′24″S 151°12′29″E﻿ / ﻿33.87333°S 151.20806°E﻿ / -33.87333; 151.20806
Campus| Urban
Website| Official website

The Australian Institute of Music – Dramatic Arts (AIMDA), formerly known as the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA), is a drama school in Sydney. It offers a degree in acting and theatre-making as a department of the Australian Institute of Music (AIM).

## History

[edit]

Logo for the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art, the former name of the Australian Institute of Music – Dramatic Arts.

AIM Dramatic Arts was formerly known as the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA)[2][3] and was established in 1983.[1] It became the first private drama school in Australia to gain State vocational education accreditation, in 1987.[4] In 2006, AADA became a department of the Australian Institute of Music (AIM),[1] and in 2013 was rebranded as Australian Institute of Music – Dramatic Arts. From 2007, Andrew Davidson was the Head of the School,[1] and in 2013 Peta Downes took over as Head of Dramatic Arts.[5]

### The degree

[edit]

In 2007, consultation with the theatre industry began to create a unique, university-level qualification. The growing independent theatre scene in Sydney and other Australian capitals was now to be supported by a custom-built training in contemporary theatre practice, "a unique education for the Actor / Creator / Producer". The school took the baton from the University of Western Sydney's now-defunct Theatre Nepean, a training program that gave the Australian performing arts sector over a decade of graduates who are all-round theatre makers. In 2009, the department accepted its first intake of students in the new Bachelor of Performance degree.[citation needed]

### Placement

[edit]

Students undertake a unique interaction with a creative workplace and, often, a future employer. They are matched with leading performing arts companies in Sydney, during or following their final trimester of study. Placement Partners include: Bell Shakespeare, Channel 7, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Fountainhead Casting, Griffin Theatre, Performance Space, Playwriting Australia, Powerhouse, Shopfront, Sport for Jove, Sydney Theatre Company, Tamarama Rock Surfers, and Version 1.0.[citation needed]

## Campuses

[edit]

### Australian Institute of Music

[edit]

Main Campus is located at the Australian Institute of Music, 1–15 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills. Established in 1968 by the late Peter Calvo, the campus of the Australian Institute of Music has grown since the 1990s to house two concert halls, a black box theatre, four dance and drama studios, and multiple classroom, rehearsal and practice spaces.[citation needed]

### Pilgrim House

[edit]

Teaching and performances took place at the historic Pilgrim Theatre, located in Pilgrim House at 262 Pitt Street, Sydney until early 2017. Built in the Italian Palazzo style in 1927-8, the theatre was used as a broadcast and recording hall for live radio during the Great Depression. It was host to international performers, including Noël Coward, in the 1940s. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation and 2GB Radio were tenants until the 1970s. Throughout the 1990s, Sydney Art Theatre was the resident company.[citation needed]

The school's lease began in 2004 and finished in May 2017. The Dramatic Arts department is now[when?] situated at AIM's main campus, 1–15 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills.[citation needed]

## Notable productions

[edit]

* Blackrock – opened 12 May 2004[6]
* 13 – opened 22 August 2015[7]

## Notable alumni

[edit]

* Alana Patience[citation needed]
* Salme Geransar[8]
* Reshad Strik[9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "August 2007 Vol. 21 No. 1" (PDF). Dalcroze Australia. 2007. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
2. ^ "Home > Courses > Dramatic Arts". Australian Institute of Music. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2016. "Formerly known as the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA)"`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
3. ^ "Australian Academy of Dramatic Art". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
4. ^ Duncan, Bronwyn (Winter 2006). "Chris Lilley and his Aussie Heroes". Macquarie University. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
5. ^ Gallasch, Keith (October–November 2013). "Making it: Interview, Peta Downes, Dramatic Arts, AIM". RealTime (117): 31. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
6. ^ Creagh, Sunanda (12 May 2004). "Black side of teenage excess". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
7. ^ "AIM DRAMATIC ARTS 2015 Bachelor of Performance Graduating Company 13 by Mike Bartlett Teacher's Education Resource Kit". Australian Institute of Music – Dramatic Arts. 2015. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
8. ^ "Salme Geransar". Casting Networks. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
9. ^ "Newcastle". Impact Internet Services. 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2017. "Reshad graduated from Australian Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA) in 2004."

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Australian Institute of Music – Dramatic Arts.

* Official website – Australian Academy of Dramatic Art (archive 19 August 2006)
* Official website – Australian Institute of Music – Dramatic Arts

* v
* t
* e

Performing arts schools in Australia

Acting|

* Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts
* Adelaide College of the Arts
* Australian Institute of Music - Dramatic Arts (formerly Australian Academy of Dramatic Art)
* Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne
* National Institute of Dramatic Art
* New York Film Academy
* Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University
* Screenwise
* Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

Dance|

* Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts
* Australian Ballet School
* Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne
* National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association
* Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

Music|

* Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts
* Australian Institute of Music
* Australian National Academy of Music
* Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne
* Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University
* Sydney Conservatorium of Music
* Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music
* UWA Conservatorium of Music
* Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

Musical theatre|

* Australian Institute of Music
* Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne
* Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University
* Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

Secondary|

* Australian Performing Arts Grammar School
* Newtown High School of the Performing Arts
* Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School
* John Curtin College of the Arts

Portals:

* Theatre
* Australia

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