Give your kids something life-changing to talk about in the school holidays
SINGING
DANCING
ACTING
STAGECRAFT
This week-long adventure is for creative kids, big thinkers, those looking to build their confidence, and aspirational young performers.
Participants will be coached by practicing industry professionals and WAAPA graduates who have worked with the likes of Anthony Warlow, Marousia Louwerse and Drew Anthony. Our mentors are trained in musical theatre, producing, creative writing, and education.
Every July, we learn funs songs and scenes from a wide range of musicals - classics to the current hits on Broadway! Then, we show off everything we’ve learned with an in-house showcase to celebrate a big week! We guarantee this will be a school holiday experience like no other.
Jan 2026 sold out…don’t miss out for July!
JULY 13 - 17 | 9AM - 3PM DAILY | MOUNT HAWTHORN
In the meantime, here are some memories from July 2025…
Participants must be aged between 9 and 16
Our professional mentors
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Bright Side Founder, Industry Professional, WAAPA grad, Primary School Teacher
Double Bachelor WAAPA graduate Amy Fortnum began her training in 2013 with a Bachelor of Music, specialising in Classical Voice. Integrating this experience with fifteen years of dance tuition at Jody Marshall Dance Company, she was accepted into WAAPA’s Music Theatre Bachelor degree, where she played leading lady Julie Jordan in Carousel. In 2020, Amy became the first female to play Weasel in Australian Shakespeare Company's 34th annual season of The Wind in the Willows. She regularly tours with the National Theatre for Children, highlighting issues such as mental health, nutrition, and sustainability through performance. In 2021, Amy understudied Liza Minnelli in The Boy From Oz with Platinum Entertainment. She also starred as leading lady Beryl Mills, the first ever Miss Australia, in the regional tour of Miss Westralia. In 2024, she joined the cast of Titanic the Musical: In Concert at the Melbourne Town Hall alongside Anthony WarlowShe regularly stars in Zealous Productions’ annual Traditional Christmas Pantomimes at the Regal Theatre.
Amy is also a producer, writer, director, and creative mentor. Her original educational musical Filter Fun Park has been presented all around the country, including Yagan Square, presented in partnership with Development WA, Melbourne and New South Wales through Filter Your Future. Her cabaret Golden Age Girls won the 2019 Fringe World Cabaret Award and the 2018 Julie Michael Cabaret Award, with the sequel undergoing creative development with Hayes Theatre Co. Most recently, Amy toured a brand new show Bibbity Bobbity Bondi in a sold out Edinburgh Fringe Season.
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Mentor, Emerging WA Artist
Ethan is a graduate from the Diploma of Acting course at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). He’s everybody’s favourite at our Bright Stars school holiday programs and sometimes even stars in our shows alongside our young artists. He joined Bright Side in 2024 for Filter Fun Park in Yagan Square, presented in collaboration with Development WA and Filter Your Future. A true staple of the local Perth theatre scene, Ethan’s most recent theatre credits with Drew Anthony Creative include Footloose and Saturday Night Fever at Planet Royale. Last year, Ethan joined WA Ballet in The Sleeping Beauty at His Majesty’s Theatre and toured all around WA with Perform! Education. He also worked with Humphrey Bower and Teresa Jakovich for WAYTCo.’s production of Shakespeare (a)Gender.
Ethan most recently returned from a nation-wide tour with Drew Anthony, taking over some of the biggest theatres in Melbourne and Sydney!
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2026 Program Leader
Tate Bennett is a dynamic and versatile actor with extensive experience in theater and musical productions. After training at NIDA in Sydney, he returned to his hometown of Perth, where he has become a sought-after performer.
Tate's talent landed him a role in Zealous Productions' 2021 Season of The Addams Family, and he received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Laurie in Little Women, winning the Robert Finley Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. He has also appeared in Xanadu, Seussical the Musical, Miss Saigon, Cinderella a Traditional Christmas Pantomime, The Graduate, and Rock of Ages. Tate's ability to bring complex characters to life has made him a favorite among audiences. He is also expanding his career into feature films and saw two highly anticipated releases and two short films released last year.
After leading our 2026 July Program, Tate will travel overseas to commence an exciting contract cruising internationally!
Don’t take it from us…
Hear from some of our previous participants that just keep coming back!
On the fence? Let us convince you…
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We promise you'll have fun
That lady in the big white dress is Amy, the one who designs and leads all of our programs. She’s ridiculously passionate about this kind of thing and is determined to get as many kids to experience the joy of theatre as possible. She’ll make sure everyone is welcomed, feels safe to grow, and gets as many daily laughs as possible.
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What if I don't fit in?
It can be scary joining a new group of people, and yes, some of our participants have gotten to know each other quite well. But we love finding new friends and encourage everyone to really get to know each other on the first day. Our activities are designed to strengthen new relationships and celebrate our differences, so that everyone can find new lifelong connections and thrive.
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It's not all hard work!
We celebrate all of the big and little wins at Bright Side. It’s really important to us to balance focused, hard work with silly fun.
It was really warm during our January program, so we held a crazy water fight to celebrate a really great run of the show. It’s moments like those that make everybody’s day and will stick in our memories for a long time.
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Never done theatre before?
The joy about our programs is we cap them at a small number so we can tailor everything to who’s in the room. If you’re new to singing, dancing, acting, or all three…don’t worry! We’ll give you the time you need to explore, introduce you to new things in a safe space, and make sure you feel comfortable on showcase day. Be brave! We promise you won’t regret it.