National Institute of Dramatic Art
The
National Institute of Dramatic Art (
NIDA) is an
Australian national training institute for students of
theatre,
film, and
television, based in the
Sydney suburb of
Kensington. It is supported by the federal
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. NIDA is located adjacent to, and has a strong relationship with, the
University of New South Wales. It is a member of the "Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence".
Established in
1958, the institute was opened in
1959 with only 23 students and 2 staff members. The only course offered was in
acting. Over the years, courses in areas such as
production,
design,
directing, and theatre crafts were added.
Admission into NIDA is extremely selective, and its auditions highly competitive: on average, out of every one hundred applicants, only one would be accepted. Graduates from its three year
tertiary education program have gone on to national and international success.
In April 2002 the new NIDA complex was opened. NIDA's facilities include:
*A 725-seat theatre with stalls, two balconies, a large stage and orchestra pit
*A self-contained flexible studio theatre, seating 120, with a wrap around balcony and stage pit.
*A new library to accommodate NIDA's expanding theatre and media collection of books, videos, CD's, audio-visuals and multi-media
*Reg Grundy Studio for film and television training and production
*New rehearsal rooms for training, outside hire, and NIDA's Corporate Performance and Open Program courses.
*Provision for Internet and television facilities as well as a broadband studio linked into all spaces.
*A foyer space for formal occasions such as product launches, conferences, and sit-down dinners for 300 people.
NIDA provides excellence in training for entertainment professionals including; full-time courses, short courses and corporate performance coaching. The award winning theatre complex hosts in-house and commercial productions. NIDA houses Australia's largest performing arts library and a broad range of theatre resources and archives.
Full-time
Full-time courses at NIDA include:
*Acting
*Directing
*Design
*Voice Studies
*Production
*Movement Studies
*Production Crafts â€" Costumes
*Scenery Construction
*Production Crafts â€" Properties
Short courses
The institute also offers a wide range of short courses, each relating to the dramatic arts. Such subject areas include
Acting,
Design,
Production,
Directing,
Voice all of which are offered to members of the general public.
Each course is dependent on all the others. Actors, stage managers, designers, costume makers, crafts people, and people who look after the audience, are all part of an interdependent team. The creative and professional dynamics of that team is the core of good theatre. Play productions are NIDA's most important teaching activity, with around 25 plays being produced at NIDA each year.
Each course is centred on training practitioners for work in a demanding and unpredictable industry. Each day provides students with a structured series of activities, which balance the acquisition of vocational skills with artistic excellence.
All the full-time courses are conducted in two modes. The first, the Teaching Program, consists of formal class work, practical instruction, seminars and research, often supplemented by periods of secondment in the industry. As part of the teaching program, students attend formal classes, seminars and/or discussion groups each morning.
The second mode, the Production Program provides practical learning experiences. Each student is given the opportunity to practice the intellectual, imaginative and technical skills acquired in the Teaching Program, working in the performance, design, manufacture or management of productions for presentation to the general public. Production work involves afternoon, night and weekend rehearsals or performances.
The NIDA School Year consists of three terms of 11 - 16 weeks. Courses usually commence in early February and end in mid-November.
Play productions are NIDA's most important teaching activity. Actors in particular learn by repetition, by performing a role many times in the theatre before different audiences. Once they have acquired the basic skills, students in the other courses learn by taking on the kind of responsibilities they will be faced with in the industry.
All NIDA plays are a microcosm of the industry, with every element of the production from lighting and set construction to costumes and properties being produced by the students.
Graduates of the NIDA full-time courses go on to work in a range of careers, in industries including film, theatre, television, opera, dance, animation, puppetry and events.
Career options for the NIDA graduate include:
*Actor
*Movement Coach
*Voice-over artist
*Voice Coach
*Performance Artist
*Choreographer
*Stage Manager
*Director
*Production Designer
*Scenery Maker
*Set Designer
*Special Effects Technician
*Costume Designer
*Properties Maker
*Lighting Designer
*Scenic Artist
*Sound Designer
*Costume Maker
NIDA courses are professionally effective and there is a high rate of employment of graduates in the expanding Australian and international arts entertainment industry.Notable graduates from NIDA include
Mel Gibson,
Baz Luhrmann,
Judy Davis,
Cate Blanchett,
Hugo Weaving,
Philip Quast,
Colin Friels,
Steve Bisley,
Tom Burlinson,
Dennis Olsen and
Rose Byrne.
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Official website
