EXCEL Open Day Invites Young Creatives to Find Their People, Their Voice and Their Purpose - Tuesday 25 August
EXCEL OPEN DAY
Tuesday, 25 August 2026 11am–2pm
EXCEL School of Performing Arts
20 Portage Rd, Avondale, Auckland 0600,
Workshops • Performances • Campus Tour
Come and discover where your creativity could take you.
For every young person wondering where they fit, whether their creativity has value or if there is a place where they can truly be themselves, EXCEL has a simple message:
'You matter. Your culture and your story matter. Your creativity has value. You could belong here.'
On Tuesday, 25 August, EXCEL School of Performing Arts will open its doors to high school students and their whānau for an Open Day featuring workshops, performances and a campus tour. From 11am to 2pm, visitors can meet EXCEL’s tutors and students, explore its Music and Dance programmes and experience the school’s creative culture.
For more than 30 years, EXCEL has helped young people from across Aotearoa find their voice, develop their gifts and build confidence through practical, industry-led training. Students gain real experience through rehearsals, collaboration and live performance.
EXCEL Principal Deborah Knight says: “We want every young person who walks through our doors to know that their culture will be respected, their story matters and they will be understood. “They don’t need to have everything figured out. EXCEL is a place where they can find their people and begin building a creative future filled with purpose.”
Whether they already know performing is their path or are still discovering their gifts, EXCEL meets young people where they are and helps them explore where their creativity could take them..
Young people do not need to arrive with their future completely figured out. Some may already know that performing is where they belong, while others may still be discovering their gifts and building the confidence to step forward.
EXCEL meets them where they are and helps them discover where their creativity could take them.
EXCEL offers recognised New Zealand Level 4 Certificate and Level 5 Diploma qualifications, centred on practical learning and performance. Students train with practising industry professionals and gain experience in the classroom, rehearsal room and performance space.