Initiated by the China National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in 2020, the World Association for Performing Arts (WAPA) is an international, professional and non-profit social organization formed voluntarily by theaters, cultural groups, art colleges, cultural companies, and other institutions of performing arts. It now consists of 34 performing arts institutions from 22 countries.
WANG Ning, President of NCPA, is Chairperson of the WAPA. Three Vice Chairpersons are Georg Vierthdlaler, General Director of Stiftung Oper in Berlin, Alex Beard, Chief Executive of Royal Ballet and Opera, and ZHU Jing, Vice President of NCPA. Council members include Gerardo Grieco, General Director of Teatro Colón, Umberto Fanni, General Director of Royal Opera House Muscat, Ignacio Garcia-Belenguer Laita, General Manager / CEO of Teatro Real, and Rory Jeffs, Strategic Advisor of the UAE National Orchestra.
The mission of the WAPA is to build an open and multilateral exchange platform so as to promote the international development of performing arts with national and regional characteristics, the integration of science and technology with performing arts and the exchange and mutual learning and common prosperity of world civilizations.
As an important organization of the performing arts sector, the WAPA facilitates bilateral and multilateral cooperation in joint production, tours and visits, digital resources and talent training among performing arts institutions of various countries. It regularly holds three major forums, namely, the Beijing Forum for Performing Arts, the Beijing Forum for Symphonic Music, and the NCPA Taihu International Stage Art Forum, and organises key brand events such as the International Opera Film Exhibition and the online concert series Music from Around the World, etc.
Set at the NCPA, the WAPA Secretariat carries out daily operation of member services and website maintenance, strengthening communication with member institutions through E-mails, phone calls, official websites, and other channels.
We warmly welcome performing arts institutions and artists from around the world to participate in our activities and to engage in cooperation across various fields under the WAPA framework.
As the executive organ of the WAPA, the Council will be responsible for deciding the time and venue of each General Meeting, making decisions on the operational activities and arrangements of the WAPA, recommending new members to the General Meeting and exercising other powers related to the operation of the WAPA except as otherwise specifically provided in the Statute. This Council consists of one Chairperson, three Vice Chairpersons and four Council Members.
The Secretariat is the standing office of the WAPA. Its main duties include communications with members, operation of daily business of the WAPA, management of the logo and brand of the WAPA, provision of secretarial services to the General Meeting and the Council, consultation about the time and venue of the General Meeting and other secretarial activities. The National Centre for the Performing Arts of China functions as the Secretariat of the WAPA.
We sincerely invite colleagues in performing arts to join the BFPA and work together to build a Community of a Shared Future for Theatres Around the Globe. If interested, please contact: contact@beijingforum.art. Looking forward to your joining.
