Courtney Monsma graduated from the Musical Theatre program at Griffith Conservatorium of Music. Upon graduating Courtney toured Australia during 2017 with Mamma Mia! in the ensemble and as a cover for ‘Sophie’. She then went on to play Ensemble/Jasmine cover for the touring production of Disney's Aladdin! Courtney played ‘Katherine Howard’ in the Australian premiere of Six which opened at the Opera House in January 2020, then ‘Anna’ in Disney’s Frozen: the Musical and is currently playing Glinda in Wicked the Musical in the Australian tour. Courtney was also recently cast as Lillian Milton in Australian TV Series Paper Dolls (Helium Pictures, 2023). Whilst at NAPA Courtney had many achievements including being awarded the 2014 Performing Arts Ambassador Award at the International Women's Day Awards, Best Actress at the Indi Film Festival in Toronto (Short Film – “Dorothy”) and Best Actress in a School or Youth Musical at the Gold Coast Area Theatre Awards 2013 (Hairspray – PBC) and again in 2014 (Peter Pan – Top Hat Productions).
Michael Bishop was a student at NAPA from a young age and was part of our first generation of NAPA College students. While still studying Michael was cast in the Disney film ‘Spin’ and then went on to play Jonathan Kent in ‘Superman and Lois’, cementing himself as one of Australia’s best young actors.
Michael joined NAPA in 2012 when he was in Grade 4 where he studied Acting and Musical Theatre. His first production with us was Alice in Wonderland in which he played the role of Tweedle Dee. Michael has played many roles with NAPA since then whilst also gaining professional experience. His professional performances include:
In 2019 Michael enrolled into NAPA’s full time Certificate IV in Musical Theatre program and graduated in 2020. Before he could enjoy his graduation ceremony, he earned the role of DJ Max in Disney’s production of Spin and was flown out to Canada to begin filming. Michael has earned this success and we wish him all the very best in what is shaping to be a fantastic career in the industry.
Sebastian Li is a graduate from The Victorian College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. There, he was awarded the Grace Marion Wilson Trust scholarship for Excellence in Acting.
Sebastian starred as Chen in SBS mini-series New Gold Mountain and his other television credits include The Family Law (SBS) and Nowhere Boys: Season 4 (ABC). Sebastian has also performed the role of Prince Chululongkorn in Opera Australia’s The King and I (QPAC), and appeared as a supernumerary in The Australian Ballet’s 2023 revival of Don Quixote (State Theatre). Sebastian has performed with Melbourne Shakespeare Company on their productions of The Comedy of Errors as Angelo, A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Puck and The Merry Wives of Windsor as Slender. He most recently performed at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Breath and Bones Theatre Company in the original work How to Be a Person When the World is Ending, followed by a subsequent season at Theatre Works.
James Mitchell is a current student at NAPA who has recently starred as Chip in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’s Australian National Tour. James has also featured in many TV Series, TVCs and Modelling, and attributes his NAPA training to his success at such a young age.
Cru Lee is a current student at NAPA who is currently starring as Chip in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’s Australian National Tour.
Lucy Bowyer is a current student at NAPA who is currently starring as Anna-Mae (Young Tina) in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Australian National Tour.
RAHMAN CONNELLY
(FATHER OF IZELLAH CONNELLY)
My daughter, Izellah Connelly, has been a student of NAPA since she was 7 years old where she has trained in drama, singing and acrobatics.
During her time with NAPA she has been in three professional musicals: The King & I (Opera Australia), The Sound of Music (London Palladium) and in the Australiasian Tour of Matilda the Musical, playing the role of Matilda. There is no doubt that her NAPA training has played a big role in preparing her for these roles.
Having experienced a number of studios, what sets NAPA apart is the professionalism of their training and instilling that sense in the students, i.e. it’s not just a fun thing, but needs to be done to a very high standard to succeed. This is the reason why so many NAPA students have been able to secure roles in professional musicals.
NAPA has a great ethos, which comes across as a real sense of caring for their students whilst also demanding a high standard of behaviour and appropriate attitudes.
I commend NAPA and would be happy to speak with anyone that has questions about our experience with it.
Rahman Connelly
MAX BIMBI
My name is Max Bimbi and I am a professional musical theatre performer and actor. I am currently in the Australian company of Disney’s Aladdin The Musical produced by Disney Theatricals Australia. In this show I am in the ensemble and I am also the understudy for two principal roles in the production. I have also been in an Australian professional production of West Side Story and toured extensively through Australia and to Asia with Life Like Touring in their musicals of Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. I have also been a part of the musicals Hair, Merrily We Roll Along, Reefer Madness, Thoroughly Modern Millie and another production of West Side Story at university.
It has taken a lot of work and commitment to become a professional working in the Australian industry, and it all began under the tutelage of Lynn Dyer and Kim Reynolds at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA). I was an original student when the school began and finished at the end of their program when I graduated high school. Once I completed my time at NAPA, I continued on my training by doing a Certificate IV in Music Theatre and then auditioned and graduated from the prestigious and reputable Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Whilst I had further training to hone my skills, not only would I not be the performer I am today, I doubt I would be a working professional in this industry without my time at NAPA.
NAPA gave me the foundational skills and stage presence I needed to become a performer and more importantly taught me to respect and relish the performing arts. As a performer, your education and growth never stops, so this appreciation and desire to learn and work within this industry began at NAPA. I gained the skills and confidence required audition for courses that opened doors for me to enter this competitive industry. The dedication and zest of the teachers at NAPA is inspiring and what helped mould my professional journey. I am honoured to have returned to the school on numerous occasions as a teacher and guest mentor to help inspire and teach the students, the same way I was when I was a young budding performer. NAPA is not just an institution, but a community. Regardless of your talent and skills, working within the community and with other artists is just as vital. The community spirit and respect for your peers that NAPA instills in its students has continued with me into my communities at WAAPA and again into the professional community. As this is such a small, but vibrant, professional industry, it is of the upmost importance to be easy to work with, respect your peers and the work. These values are just some of the core values that were taught to me at NAPA.
I am so proud to see how far NAPA has come and so excited to see how far it is undoubtedly going to go. I couldn’t recommend anywhere other than NAPA to young people on the Gold Coast with aspirations of being a part of the performing arts.
Kind regards,
Max Bimbi
KIRSTEN DILENA
(MOTHER OF SAMANTHA AND WILLIAM TODD)
Our family stumbled upon NAPA when Samantha, aged 10, suffered a back injury training in Acrobatics. Her body needed to rest, but she was unable to sit still, so we started looking for an alternative sport for her. Dance was a natural choice, but where to go on the Gold Coast? That was when we found NAPA, a school that offered not only dance, but acrobatics, acting, singing and musical theatre as well. We had found our new sport, our new home and our new passion.
NAPA welcomed us with open arms. A new adventure began. Sammy initially joined one class, then another and another. In an extremely short time she was involved in every class offered and was invited to join the performance teams too. Ballet classes, aaahhh, tap, oooohhh, lyrical and contemporary, what were they? Musical Theatre, Acting, Jazz and Vocal classes all began. She gobbled it all up and began to learn so many new skills. Little did we know what would lie ahead?
Kim, Greta and Lynn, took her into their fold and gave her the confidence to take on anything. The love, support and training have been unlimited from all the teachers and administrators from Laurie to Amy, Jess, Kristine, Jeanette, Alanna, Kira and many more, NAPA is a family and community built around a business, based on the love of theatre, dance and the performing arts. It offers so much more than any school I have ever seen, as there is now also a theatre in-house, acting for camera classes and productions for everyone aged 3-100. There are workshops, holiday events and dance series all on offer at different times.
Seeing all the training, support and love Sam was receiving, my youngest soon wanted to join the action. William took on Musical Theatre to start, just to get a taste. However after one term he was also hooked and began to train in every genre available. Now long after he also joined the performance teams in jazz and lyrical. Like his sister, he began solo lessons and was soon following in her footsteps, participating in dance eisteddfods and ballet exams. No more footy for him; life was so much more exciting at NAPA.
The opportunities available to my children are endless. NAPA has given them such a solid base to work from. Acting skills, dancing skills and singing skills have been taught and are continuing. Samantha has been provided with opportunities too many to name, but include fetes, eisteddfods, community theatre, courses, trips won to dance in the USA and professional roles in productions such as Maiko Mermaids 3, The Sound of Music Australia, and Flammable Children - directed by Stephan Elliott of Priscilla Queen of the Desert fame. She is now auditioning for major film roles in the USA and Australia, and roles with Cirque Du Soleil on a regular basis. She will be moving to a full time Performing Arts School in Melbourne in 2018, all because of the support and tuition she has received at NAPA. Her goal is to be a star on Broadway and West End and to create a successful career in movies. Thanks to NAPA, her dreams are coming true.
William, who did not believe he could sing, spent many a session with his voice coach, Miss Kristine, and very quickly established a name for himself as a front runner for musicals. Initially being short listed for Tam in Miss Saigon, and then top 3 for Gavroche in Les Miserables with the Michael Cassel Group in 2016, touring Asia. But 2016 was to be his year and he secured his first professional role as Eric in the Australasian Tour of Matilda the Musical, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company along with his fellow NAPA classmates Izellah (Matilda) and Taye (Bruce).
NAPA has given my children the opportunity to learn, perform and shine in an environment that is nurturing and loving. They are also afforded the support to follow their dreams and always encouraged to follow their true path, even if it leads them from the NAPA fold. They are about the child, the adult, the individual and them reaching their potential and goals. I will always love our NAPA family, as they have given my children the gift of love, support, kindness, understanding, guidance, technique and the desire to be their best, whatever that may be.
Thank you Kim, Lynn and Laurie, with love, admiration and respect, you are the bees knees in my book.
Kirsten Dilena
Dylan Stipancic on set as Young Zac in Maiko Mermaids.
SILVANA STIPANCIC
(MOTHER OF DYLAN STIPANCIC)
I am very proud to write this letter of recommendation regarding the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA). Our association with this amazing training facility began back in 2013 when my son Dylan enrolled into their program.
Dylan thrived on variety and that is exactly what NAPA delivered. With their highly dedicated programs, NAPA is the powerhouse production-based training institution on the Gold Coast. This most-sought-after establishment, provides talented and dedicated students the training tools to be highly skilled to build a successful career to seek employment in theatre, entertainment or the film and TV industry.
We are grateful for the opportunities NAPA has provided Dylan, who as successfully ventured to professional work in the film and TV industry. Their well-earned reputation for offering the highest level of training by working industry professionals is extraordinary. They are credited for their outstanding commitment in making graduates to become well-known actors, dancers and music theatre stars, with Dylan being one example of this. The skills and knowledge developed through NAPA’s training facility, makes the transition into the industry a successful one.
We wish NAPA and all their students the continued support and success for the future years.
Kindest regards,
Silvana Stipancic