New World Stage Tour launched to help counter declining drama enrolments in Victoria

Drama Victoria and Travel Gang have announced the launch of the World Stage Tour, a new overseas learning program designed to expand opportunities for drama students and teachers across the state of Victoria. The tour, scheduled for January 2027, responds directly to recent concerns about declining participation in drama at the secondary level.

Recent national advocacy from the National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) has warned that offerings in school arts programs have been steadily reduced and that enrolments in senior secondary arts subjects have dropped sharply across most states and territories. An analysis in ‘The Australian Educational Researcher’ also highlighted a 44 per cent fall in arts subject enrolments between 2012 and 2022, based on ACARA data. ABC reporting has likewise noted that fewer Year 12 students are choosing creative arts subjects.

Drama Victoria’s Executive Director, Kelly McConville, said the World Stage Tour, travelling to London and Paris in January 2027, has been developed as part of a broader strategy to keep Drama and Theatre Studies visible, inspire students and strengthen programs statewide:

The data is unequivocal: the number of students studying Drama and Theatre Studies in their senior years is declining. This trend risks significant long-term consequences for Australia’s creative and cultural life. A coordinated, multi-pronged approach is required to ensure Drama and Theatre Studies are recognised for their educational value and that young people are actively encouraged to pursue pathways into the performing arts. Our partnership with Travel Gang provides aspirational learning opportunities that we expect will deepen students’ engagement and support their continuation in these subjects through the senior years and beyond.

The newly launched World Stage Tour program allows students to train with industry professionals in London and Paris. The program is open to Victorian students in years 8, 9 and 10 who are currently studying Drama, as well as to teachers seeking high quality professional development. Students from government, Catholic and independent schools can audition, and schools may submit one student or many. Teachers can attend without bringing students, and students can participate even if their school does not send a staff member.

One of the key barriers the program aims to solve is the challenge of small class sizes. Many schools do not have large enough drama cohorts to justify running their own overseas tour.

By combining students from across the state, the World Stage Tour creates a viable group experience and gives regional and smaller schools access to opportunities usually reserved for larger institutions.

“We designed this program so that a student in a small regional drama class has the same access as a student in a big metropolitan school,” said Dr Shane Bransdon, Company Director of Travel Gang. “By collaborating across schools, we can take Victorian students into professional rehearsal rooms and theatres in London and Paris, where they learn directly from industry practitioners. It is about lifting aspiration and making sure that no drama student misses out because of their postcode or school size.”

Auditions for the student ensemble are open now until 19 December 2025. Students are required to submit a self-tape monologue. Successful students receive a fundraising support pack, including a template letter and examples of creative fundraising used by past participants, to help make the tour more accessible.

Further information and audition details are available at the Travel Gang website.