Australian Performing Arts Collection, National performing arts museum in Melbourne, Australia

The Australian Performing Arts Collection is a museum in Melbourne dedicated to the history of circus, dance, music, opera, and theatre, housing more than 780,000 items. The holdings are located at Arts Centre Melbourne and cover different areas of performing arts.

A committee was formed in 1975 to advise on material for a planned Performing Arts Museum, a name settled in 1977. Premier Sir Rupert Hamer launched it on 30 October 1978 at the National Gallery of Victoria, where Mobil Oil's George Pusak presented a $300,000 cheque. It opened at Arts Centre Melbourne in 1982, drawing 47,000 visitors in its first year.

The collection holds materials from Australian performers like Dame Nellie Melba, Barry Humphries, the Australian Ballet, and the Bell Shakespeare Company. These items document the careers of stage artists who shaped the country's cultural life.

The museum is located at 100 St Kilda Road and typically opens from 10 AM to 11 PM on weekdays. On Sundays, the hours are shorter, with the museum open from 11 AM to 5 PM.

The collection began acquiring items before Arts Centre Melbourne was built, and in 1975 an advertisement calling for theatrical memorabilia brought in so much material that volunteer archivists had to sort through it. It was considered unusual at the time for collecting anything tied to the performing arts rather than specialising.