European style Theatre in Australia came with the first European settlers in the 1780s. It has had a significant impact on Australian life, with a number of important playwrights, such as David Williamson capturing aspects of the culture of Australia for Australian and global entertainment. There are a theatrical or dramatic aspects to a number of Indigenous Australian ceremonies such as the corroboree. A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is someone who writes dramatic literature or drama. ... David Williamson (born 19 February 1942) is one of Australias most well-known playwrights who has also developed screenplays for film and television. ... The modern culture of Australia draws from many sources, including indigenous Australians, the United Kingdom, and the immigration of a diverse range of people with the Australian gold rushes of the 1850s, and post-World War II refugees from Britain and Europe. ... Indigenous Australians are the first human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands, believing they have been in occupation since the beginning of time and continuing their presence during European settlement. ... A Corroboree is a ceremonial meeting of Australian Aborigines. ...

There are a range of amateur and professional theatre groups throughout the country.

Organisations

• Bell Shakespeare Company
• Black Swan Theatre Company
• Company B - based at the iconic Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney.
• Kookaburra Musical Theatre
• La Mama Theatre (Melbourne)
• Melbourne Theatre Company
• Playbox Theatre Centre
• Queensland Theatre Company - the oldest continuous professional theatre company in Queensland.
• State Theatre Company of South Australia
• Sydney Theatre Company

Opera The Bell Shakespeare Theatre Company is a famous Australian theater company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare. ... Black Swan Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Perth, Western Australia. ... Company B is a renowned Australian theatre company based at the iconic Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney. ... The Melbourne Theatre Company, which is the oldest professional theatre in Australia, known popularly as the MTC, is based in the Malthouse Theatre on St Kilda Road in central Melbourne, and also the Fairfax Theatre in the Victorian Arts Centre. ... Queensland Theatre Company was originally called the Royal Queensland Theatre Company (RQTC). ... The Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is one of Australias most well-known and notable theatre companies operating from the Wharf Theatre near The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Sydney Theatre and the Sydney Opera House. ...

• Opera Australia
• Opera Queensland
• State Opera Company of South Australia
• West Australian Opera

Theatre: Physical Opera Australia is Australias major opera company, formed by the merger of the Australian Opera and the Victorian State Opera companies in 1996. ...

• Circus Oz

Education Circus Oz is an Australian circus group that was founded in 1978 through the amalgamation of two groups: Soapbox Circus and New Circus. ...

• National Institute of Dramatic Art

The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian national training institute for students of theatre, film, and television, based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington. ...

External links

• The History of Theatre in Australia
• AussieTheatre.com - Australia's number one theatre news site
• Highlights in Australian theatre history at the Australian Culture and Recreation Portal