New Performance Centre for Wellington City

The Whitireia New Zealand Performance Centre will be officially opened in Wellington this week by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Hon Chris Finlayson.

25 Vivian Street, Wellington City will be the central hub for all Whitireia performance disciplines including Performing Arts, Stage and Screen Arts, Musical Theatre and Commercial Dance. Rooms for music and drama, studios for ballet and dance, a ballroom style dance studio, a function room and a theatre are just some of the areas that make-up this fantastic facility for students studying in these disciplines.

The new centre will cater for as many as 500 students on a wide variety of courses, community weekends, weeknights as well as full-time programmes during the day. Those who choose to study at the Whitireia Performance Centre have the opportunity to become fantastic live performers, tour internationally with the highly acclaimed Whitireia dance programme, gain confidence and develop talents in a wide range of art forms.

Students can study for a Bachelor of Applied Arts, Performing Arts, for a Diploma in Performing Arts in either Dance or Singing and for a Graduate Diploma in Applied Arts. Also on offer is the Diploma in Stage and Screen Arts. All courses are full-time.

Students are provided with a number of opportunities to perform live in front of local, national and international audiences. These opportunities are made available through Whitireia and the commercial contracts they have with a range of organisations. Performing Arts students have exciting opportunities to perform at Te Papa – this year during the rugby world cup, the Mayo Clinic Conference, WOMADelaide, WOMAD Taranaki, while festivals in Italy will be part of the line-up for 2011. All students perform at WOW and the rugby sevens in Wellington.

Two years ago in 2009, Whitireia purchased the Wellington Performing Arts Centre and relocated its performance programmes into the city. “It’s great having all the performance programmes together and now in this fantastic new facility, the centre is a hive of activity and buzz” said Pip Byrne, Programme Manager, Whitireia New Zealand. “What we have created is a fabulous Performance Centre with a great atmosphere, great performance programmes on offer, real industry professionals as tutors who can provide students with an abundance of knowledge and skills and we are right in the heart of New Zealand’s cultural capital” she said. “What more could Whitireia and our students want!”

The official launch is on Thursday, at the Whitireia New Zealand Performance Centre, 25 Vivian Street, Wellington City. It will include a showcase performance, “Illuminate”, a celebration of new beginnings. The performance will include all disciplines studying at the centre.

ENDS

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