The Graduate Dramatic Society Incorporated originated in 1952 at the University of Western Australia, Perth.
In 1948, The Sunken Garden at the University, a theatre created from a sandpit, was the venue for a season of Oedipus Rex, which earned the plaudits of Laurence Olivier and Vivienne Leigh, among others. The subsequent blossoming of dramatic activity suggested to some of the undergraduates that they should continue acting after they graduated. Combined productions with the University Dramatic Society were an early feature of the Festival of Perth. For the ensuing years GRADS has been a leading source of fine theatre in Western Australia.
