Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts

What Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts does

The Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) is a Brisbane-based, First Nations-led Registered Training Organisation (RTO Code 6829) and registered charity that delivers nationally accredited vocational qualifications in contemporary performing arts. Established in 1997 by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, ACPA operates from the Judith Wright Arts Centre in Fortitude Valley and offers six accredited qualifications ranging from Certificate II in Performing Arts/Dance through to Advanced Diploma of Applied Performing Arts, spanning contemporary dance, music, and acting. Its proprietary "Self-Determined Training Framework" integrates Indigenous cultural practice (song, dance, storytelling) with modern performing arts techniques, and is the only such First Nations-led RTO of its kind in Australia. ACPA is supported by the Queensland Government (Arts Queensland), the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, and Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund.

ACPA's business model combines tuition revenue (Fee-for-Service at $1,499-$12,013 per course), government-subsidized training (Career Boost, Career Start, fully funded VET in Schools), and tax-deductible charitable donations through its DGR Item 1 Public Donations Fund. The organization recruits students via audition-based enrollment (including video auditions for remote applicants), school holiday workshops, work experience placements for grades 10-12 students, and corporate event performances. Distribution is primarily through its single Brisbane campus, with secondary channels including school-based VET partnerships across Queensland and online audition submission. The organization reports that 90% of graduates secure full-time or part-time employment or progress to further education, and alumni have achieved recognition at companies including Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Dance Company, Opera Queensland, Queensland Ballet, and Queensland Theatre, as well as through awards such as the 2019 Young Australian of the Year (Baker Boy) and the 2023 Australian Idol title (Royston Sagigi-Baira).

ACPA functions as a small, mission-driven not-for-profit with 13 employees, 13 board members/leaders, and a tightly defined operating footprint concentrated in Queensland. Its strategic priorities under CEO Tracy Hart (appointed November 2022) include extending training access to participants from age 8, deepening industry partnerships, and reconnecting the organization with First Nations communities. The organization does not publicly disclose revenue, and its growth has been incremental rather than venture-backed, sustained primarily by Queensland Government funding, philanthropic support, and tuition revenue from a small annual student cohort.

Name

Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts

Legal name

The Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts Pty Ltd

Website

https://acpa.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) is a Brisbane-based, First Nations-led Registered Training Organisation delivering nationally accredited vocational qualifications in dance, music, and acting from Certificate II to Advanced Diploma, serving First Nations and All Nations students across Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Performing Arts Education and Training

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

Keywords

• Performing arts training
• Vocational performing arts education
• Indigenous performing arts programs
• Accredited dance and acting courses
• Registered training organisation

Headquarters

HQ city

Fortitude Valley

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Course Fees: ACPA generates revenue through student tuition fees for performing arts courses. Fees vary by program type (Fee-for-Service, Career Boost, Career Start, VET in Schools) and course level. Government subsidies are available for eligible Queensland residents.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: ACPA accepts tax-deductible donations ($2 or more) to support First Nations and regional/remote youth access to performing arts training. Donations are managed through the ACPA Public Donations Fund with DGR Item 1 Status.
3. Government Funding: ACPA receives operational support from Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, and Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ACPA is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO Code 6829) that delivers nationally accredited performing arts qualifications from Certificate II through Advanced Diploma, covering contemporary dance, music, and acting for First Nations and All Nations students. Training is grounded in a self-determined framework that integrates Indigenous cultural practice with contemporary performing arts techniques. Core delivery is supplemented by school holiday workshops, work experience placements, and corporate performance opportunities.

Product overview

ACPA operates as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO 6829) offering a structured portfolio of six nationally accredited vocational qualifications ranging from Certificate II to Advanced Diploma levels. The core educational products include the Certificate II in Performing Arts (11305NAT), Certificate II in Dance (CUA20120), Certificate III in Performing Arts (11306NAT), Certificate IV in Performing Arts (11387NAT), Diploma of Performing Arts (11388NAT), and Advanced Diploma of Applied Performing Arts (11072NAT). These qualifications form a progressive learning pathway in contemporary dance, music, and acting, delivered through a self-determined training framework that integrates Indigenous culture with modern performing arts techniques. Supporting the main courses are ancillary programs including School Holiday Workshops for youth, a Work Experience Program for high school students, and Corporate Events that provide students with public performance opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certificate II in Performing Arts (11305NAT)

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of ACPA graduates secure full-time or part-time employment, or progress to further education
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bangarra Dance TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Bangarra Dance Theatre collaborates with ACPA on productions and provides professional performance opportunities for students. ACPA students have performed in Bangarra's children's works including 'Song of Bogong Moth'.
• Hymba Yumba Independent SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ACPA collaborated with Hymba Yumba Independent School for the production 'Gurril Storm Bird' celebrating Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Culture during the 2025 Queensland Out of the Box Festival.
• Opera QueenslandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Opera Queensland provides input into ACPA's training content and access to masterclasses, giving students opportunities to build skills and confidence for professional public performance. They collaborate on curriculum development to ensure industry relevance.
• Queensland BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Queensland Ballet contributes to ACPA's training content development and provides masterclass opportunities for students, helping bridge training and professional industry expectations.
• Queensland TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Queensland Theatre collaborates with ACPA on training content and provides industry exposure through masterclasses and potential performance pathways for emerging artists.
• Brisbane FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Brisbane Festival provides professional performance opportunities for ACPA students and alumni. Students perform at major stage venues as part of their formal assessment and showcase their talents to industry professionals.
• Kurul ProjectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Kurul Projects is identified as a key industry stakeholder with which ACPA is building strong connections within the performing arts industry.
• NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Students are invited to perform with NIDA and other major companies, providing industry exposure and professional development opportunities.
• QPAC (Queensland Performing Arts Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997QPAC hosts ACPA student performances and serves as a major Brisbane venue for end-of-year shows and professional performances.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Victorian College of the Arts (VCA): University of Melbourne's performing arts school delivering conservatoire-style training in dance, music, film/TV, and theatre. VCA is a direct competitor in Australian performing arts tertiary education, with overlapping disciplines and graduate-level outcomes.
• Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA): Major Australian performing arts conservatory offering accredited vocational and degree training in dance, music, and acting. WAAPA is one of the leading vocational performing arts schools in Australia, comparable to ACPA in offering intensive industry-aligned training with direct pathways to professional careers.
• Brent Street Performing Arts: Australian performing arts studio offering full-time and part-time training in dance, music, and acting. Brent Street is a comparable vocational-style training provider with a similar multi-genre curriculum and audition-based enrollment model.
• National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA): Australia's premier dramatic arts training institution offering accredited higher-education performing arts programs. Both ACPA and NIDA deliver nationally recognized performing arts training in Australia, with NIDA historically being a destination employer/source of masterclass opportunities for ACPA alumni.
• Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP): National youth performing arts training organization offering workshops and performance programs for school-age students. ATYP competes with ACPA's school holiday workshops and youth pipeline programs, particularly in the school-age segment ACPA is now expanding into via the 'Re-Imagining' strategy.

Broad incumbents

• TAFE Queensland: Queensland's largest public vocational education provider offering a wide range of VET courses including performing arts. TAFE Queensland is a broad incumbent in the same VET framework as ACPA, with much larger scale and government funding; ACPA's board includes a former TAFE Queensland executive director.

Regional players

• Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University: Queensland-based performing arts tertiary institution offering accredited degrees in music, acting, and technical production. Operates in the same Brisbane-adjacent market as ACPA but at degree level rather than VET level, so it competes for talent but occupies a different credentialing tier.
• Newtown High School of the Performing Arts: Performing arts-focused secondary school in Sydney. While not a tertiary RTO, it competes as a pre-tertiary pipeline for young performers and represents an alternative education pathway for the same target demographic of school-age aspiring performers.

Emerging players

• Bangarra Dance Theatre: Australia's leading Indigenous contemporary dance company and a key ACPA partner that employs ACPA graduates (Russell Page Fellowship). While not a direct training competitor, Bangarra shapes the Indigenous performing arts ecosystem ACPA serves and is a primary employment destination for ACPA alumni.

Others

• Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC): Major Brisbane performing arts venue and ACPA partner hosting student performances. QPAC is an industry infrastructure partner rather than a competitor, but it shapes the Brisbane performing arts ecosystem in which ACPA operates and showcases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/acpa_brisbane
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aboriginal-centre-for-the-performing-arts

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts