Live Performance Australia (LPA) is the peak body for Australia’s live performance industry. Our role is to protect and promote the interests of our Members.

We are a registered employer organisation under the Fair Work (Registered Organisation) Act 2009, which allows us to negotiate industrial agreements on behalf of our Members.

We represent:

• promoters and producers, both commercial and independent
• performing arts companies
• theatres, venues and performing arts centres
• arts and music festivals
• stadiums and arenas
• allied industries and institutions such as ticketing companies, technical
• suppliers, independent cinemas, exhibition venues and performing arts colleges

We are here to:

• Negotiate industrial and workplace agreements on behalf of our Members
• Help our Members navigate complexities of the regulatory environment
  Provide advice, information and support on industry issues such as workplace relations, taxation and investment, copyright, licensing and insurance
• Lobby government on relevant issues such as venue infrastructure, investment incentives and regulatory changes
• Conduct research and collect data, including for the annual Ticket Attendance and Revenue Report
• Develop industry codes of practice for areas such as ticketing and the prevention of workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, harassment and bullying
• Produce industry best practice guides such as work health and safety, child employment and safety, censorship, auditions and arts access
• Foster industry development through professional development and networking opportunities
• Honour artistic excellence and industry achievement through the Helpmann Awards, the JC Williamson Award, the Sue Nattrass Award and our Hall of Fame

Our History

In 1917, at the height of World War I, a group of Australian theatre owners joined together to develop a united response to a range of issues that were impacting the theatre industry. Issues included the government’s decision to promote enlistment in the armed forces with pre-curtain speeches at theatre performances and the introduction of an entertainment tax on theatre tickets to fund the war effort. The theatre owners formed the Theatrical Proprietors’ and Managers’ Association, which was registered as ‘an organisation of employers in, or in connection with, the Theatrical, Vaudeville and General Amusement Industry’. More than one hundred years, and four name changes later, that association has evolved into Live Performance Australia.

The industry has been on a roller coaster ride of adaption and creative ingenuity since 1917. Talking movies and the birth of television were both predicted to cause the end of the live performance industry. Contrary to this gloomy forecast, live performance has flourished. As the industry diversified, so has our member base. We now include Members from theatre, musicals, opera, dance, festivals, contemporary and classical music, comedy and variety, circus and physical theatre, special events, colleges, multi-purpose and sporting venues and hirers, ticketing, exhibitions and displays, promotion and production, cinema exhibition, crewing, sound and lighting, service supply and contracting.

In 1998, we inaugurated the JC Williamson Award, a lifetime achievement award that recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to our industry and shaped its future for the better. This prestigious and coveted award is named after theatre entrepreneur JC Williamson, whose company dominated the Australian theatre scene for much of the 20th century.

In 2001, we introduced the Helpmann Awards to recognise artistic excellence. The awards are named in honour of Sir Robert Helpmann’s memory and achievements. In 2018, the awards ceremony was televised live nationally on ABC for the first time, bringing it to an estimated audience of more than 200,000.

In 2014, we inaugurated the Sue Nattrass Award, a lifetime achievement award that recognises outstanding service to our industry in a field that may not have a high public profile. This award is named in tribute to the lifetime service of Sue Nattrass AO who, amongst many achievements, was a long serving Live Performance Australia President.