| National Institute of Dramatic Art |
|
|---|---|
| Motto | Excellence, Innovation and Access in Arts Education |
| Established | 1958 |
| Location | Kensington, New South Wales, Australia |
| Website | www.nida.edu.au |
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 Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 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".[1]
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Established in 1958, the Southern Institute of Dramatic Art was opened in 1959 with only 23 students and two staff members. The second course offered was in acting. Over the years, courses in areas such as film production, design, theatre director, and production crafts were added.
Admission to NIDA is extremely selective, and its auditions highly competitive; on average, only one out of every one hundred applicants is accepted. Each year, approximately 24 actors, 6 directors, 6 playwrights, 14 production students, 8 designers, 5 properties students and 4 costume students are admitted.
Graduates from the institution's 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:
The National Institute of Dramatic Art provides education and training for the arts and entertainment industry including; full-time courses, short courses and corporate training. The 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 courses at the National Institute of Dramatic Art include:
The National Institute of Dramatic Art also offers a range of short courses, each relating to the dramatic arts. Such subject areas include acting, design, production, directing and voice, all of which are offered to members of the general public.
The Corporate Performance department provides executives and business professionals with access to acting, voice and movement practitioners for training in improving business presentations and communications.
The National Institute of Dramatic Art has many prominent industry professionals visit the institute throughout the teaching year to assist in the training of students in their selected fields.
Play productions are NIDA's most important teaching activity, with around 20 plays being produced at NIDA each year.
Each course is centred on training practitioners for work in the industry. Each day provides students with a structured series of activities, which balance the acquisition of 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.
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 morning, afternoon, night and weekend rehearsals or performances.
The NIDA School Year consists of four terms of 6 to 12 weeks. Courses usually commence in early February and end in early November.
Play productions are the National Institute of Dramatic Art'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 kinds 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.
There are also opportunities to develop skills for working in film, with Acting students having access to a film and television studio.
Graduates of the National Institute of Dramatic Art's full-time courses go on to work in a range of careers, in industries including film, theatre, television, opera, dance, animation, puppetry and events.
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 the National Institute of Dramatic Art include: