The Australian Institute of Music – Dramatic Arts (AIMDA), formerly known as the Australian Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA), is a drama school in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. It offers a degree in acting and theatre-making as a department of the

Australian Institute of Music The Australian Institute of Music (AIM) is an Australian private tertiary education provider, with campuses in Sydney, New South Wales and Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1968, AIM delivers education for careers in the Australian music, entert ...

(AIM).

History

AIM Dramatic Arts was formerly known as the Australian Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) and was established in 1983. It became the first private drama school in Australia to gain State vocational education accreditation, in 1987. In 2006, AADA became a department of the

(AIM), and in 2013 was rebranded as Australian Institute of Music – Dramatic Arts. From 2007, Andrew Davidson was the Head of the School, and in 2013 Peta Downes took over as Head of Dramatic Arts.

The degree

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 Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, Australia. The university in its current form was founded in 1989 as a federated network u ...

'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.

Placement

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, Performance Space, Playwriting Australia, Powerhouse, Shopfront, Sport for Jove, Sydney Theatre Company, Tamarama Rock Surfers, and Version 1.0.

Campuses

Australian Institute of Music

Main Campus is located at the

, 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.

Pilgrim House

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 The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. It was host to international performers, including

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

, in the 1940s. The

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

and

2GB 2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by parent company Nine Radio, a division of Nine Entertainment Co., who also own sister station 2UE. 2GB broadcasts on 873 kHz, AM. In 2010, 2GB held 14.7% of the total rad ...

Radio were tenants until the 1970s. Throughout the 1990s, Sydney Art Theatre was the resident company. The school's lease began in 2004 and finished in May 2017. The Dramatic Arts department is now situated at AIM's main campus, 1–15 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, with classes and performances taking place in and around the Drama Theatre, on Level 5 of Building A.

Notable productions

*'' Blackrock'' – opened 12 May 2004 *'' 13'' – opened 22 August 2015

Notable alumni

Alana Patience Alana Louise Patience (born 21 November 1980) is an Australian ballroom dancer and twice winner of Channel 7's ''Dancing with the Stars''. Career Patience studied acting at the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA), now known as the Austra ...

* Reshad Strik

References

External links

* * {{authority control Australian Academy of Dramatic Arts Australian Institute of Music Australian tertiary institutions Drama schools in Australia Education in Sydney Australian Academy of Dramatic Arts Theatres in Sydney