SEMESTER ONE 

ACT7101A ACTING STUDIO (30 credit points) 

ACT7101A Acting Studio begins the process of cultivating the technical craft required of the individual actor, releasing imagination and creativity within a developing ensemble. Self-discipline and awareness are developed through practical experiential exercises with classes examining particular theatrical and screen forms, individual and group research, vocal, physical and music training. The subject aims to cultivate the uniqueness of self to reveal and release habitual physical patterns that impede effective communication. Technique and craft coupled with knowledge and critical awareness of self will aid the actor in making imaginative connections to body, sound, words, emotion, and the creative world of stage and screen.

SEMESTER TWO

ACT7101B ACTING STUDIO (30 credit points)

Acting Studio further engages with the theoretical, technical and practical fundamentals (acting, voice, movement and music) for effective communication for the professional actor. The subject aims to continue the process of unlocking habitual physical patterns that impede selfexpression, individualism and creativity and, through the exploration of the principles of voice, body and music, release and reveal textual and physical constructs (i.e. ownership of language, form and structure of verse, rhythm, length of words and imagery). The embodiment of technical facility and flexibility, coupled with knowledge and critical awareness of self, will aid the actor in making imaginative connections to words, emotion, and the creative world of stage and screen.

SEMESTER ONE 

ACT7102A ACTING INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION (15 credit points)

Acting Interdisciplinary Collaboration provides students with the opportunity to engage with theories and techniques that encourage creative collaborative stagecraft and performance practice for the actor. Through the interface with collaborative theatre practice and the rehearsal process students will acquire an appreciation of the roles and responsibilities that inform theatrical production and actively contribute and participate in the forming of a creative ensemble. Classes examine a particular theatrical construct, as well as individual and group research for collaborative in-house performance outcomes.

SEMESTER TWO

ACT7102B ACTING INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION (15 credit points)

Acting Interdisciplinary Collaboration provides students with the opportunity to engage with theories and techniques that encourage creative collaborative stagecraft and performance practice for the actor. Through the interface with collaborative theatre practice and the rehearsal process students will acquire an appreciation of the roles and responsibilities that inform theatrical production and actively contribute and participate in the forming of a creative ensemble. Classes examine particular theatrical constructs, as well as individual and group research for collaborative in-house performance outcomes.

SEMESTER ONE 

COM7101A Performance and Ideas (10 credit points)

Subject Purpose
In Semester One of the first year ‘Performance and Ideas’ gives students a theoretical, critical and experiential understanding of key contexts, forms and conventions based on a chronological framework that supports an understanding of the Western theatrical canon. The subject supports student’s abilities to actively relate various historic practices of the Western theatrical canon to their own performance-based disciplines as 21st century artists.

Content
Throughout this subject students will:
Examine a range of historical movements and practitioners in the Western theatrical canon, identifying specific forms, conventions and practices
Develop an understanding of industry practices across a range of performance disciplines relating to various conventions and forms within the canon
Interpret and engage with artistic ideas in both practical and conceptual realisation from the perspective of their specific performance discipline
Explore and reflect on how aspects of a theatrical form and context inform practices in related disciplines.

SEMESTER TWO

COM7101B PERFORMANCE AND IDEAS (10 credit points)

COM7101B Performance and Ideas investigates different performance texts to create an understanding of the development of modernity from the 19th to the 20th century. The course looks at different art forms and looks at movements and ideas that structure contemporary performance practice. We also will make the “now” present through postmodern and contemporary readings and recent productions, specifically focusing on students’ own practice.

COM7101B Performance and Ideas asks three main questions:
* What is modernity?
* What is the drive towards truth or realistic illusion?
* In what ways does this tradition influence our meaning making and our
practice today?

SEMESTER ONE

COM7102A Introduction to Collaboration (5 credit points)

Subject Purpose
The subject introduces the students to the principles of collaboration, which includes defining collaboration and creativity and examining how ethics, values and behaviours of collaboration are generated. Students investigate notions of ownership, agreement, creative conflict and how to generate ideas and create innovative practice. These investigations provide a foundation for creative collaborative projects undertaken in second year and beyond.

Content
Throughout this learning period students will
* Investigate various theories and practices for creative collaboration in the cultural sector
* Apply collaborative practices to the development of new and interdisciplinary work
* Work empathetically, to a shared vision
* Apply discipline expertise to a collaborative project
* Evaluate and reflect on process and performance

SEMESTER TWO

COM7102B Introduction to Collaboration (5 credit points)

COM7102B Introduction to Collaboration builds upon the principles of collaboration, skills and conceptual tasks featured in COM7102A Introduction to Collaboration. In this subject those preparatory tasks are now realised through practice in a Group Collaborative Project.

SEMESTER ONE

ACT7201A ACTING STUDIO (30 credit points)

Acting Studio has a particular focus on the application and integration of technical facility and creative expression to reveal character. It is linked specifically to the exploration of complex text and language (classical dramatic, heightened verse and prose), physicality, voice and speech (such as accents and dialects) as well as the engagement with three Studio Electives - Music Theatre, Applied Theatre, and Physical Theatre. In the elected Studio Electives students investigate a distinctive creative modality in order to concentrate on and cultivate a broad range of skills as professional actors and/or artists. In Applied Theatre the emphasis is on creating performance through engagement with people and places from a broad social, political and ideological spectrum. This major gives students the tools to create performance that is based on a process of dialogue between contemporary theatre practice and diverse communities. Music Theatre engages students with a range of specialist skills necessary to the music theatre repertoire. Through progressive and developmental engagement with technical demands placed on the music theatre professional, students will investigate traditional music theatre forms, studying a variety of texts and scores focusing on the transition from scene to song, music as subtext, the function of underscore and song structure. In Physical Theatre students will be exposed to a variety of physical theatre techniques with a view to question and challenge traditional theatre forms. These will include forms such as Biomechanics, Contemporary Dance, Advanced Acrobatics, Suzuki, Butoh and Wire Work.

SEMESTER TWO

ACT7201B ACTING STUDIO (30 credit points)

The subject places particular emphasis on the actualization and transformation of character through the exploration of highly complex text and language (dramatic, comedy, heightened verse and prose), voice, physicality and continued creative engagement with specialist Studio Electives (Music Theatre, Applied Theatre, and Physical Theatre). Students will be encouraged to develop processes of investigation and personal methodologies that challenge the traditional rehearsa and performance process. The subject aims to develop technically creative and imaginative artists that are able to appreciate and express various styles and forms (American comedy and American theatre) inherent in theatre, screen and societal contexts for the actualization and expression of text, character and meaning. ACT7201B Acting Studio develops self-reliant and creative artists through the exploration of performance styles and production contexts by undertaking a series of projects that will develop skills in cultural interface, observation imagination and actualization of character. Classes examine particular theatrical and screen forms, individual and group research, vocal, physical and music training.

SEMESTER ONE

ACT7202A ACTING INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION (15 credit points)

Acting Interdisciplinary Collaboration encourages actors to engage responsibly with other disciplines across NIDA and clearly define their role and responsibilities within a professional production. It is designed to inter-digitate with the Acting Studio subject, supporting and transferring technical proficiency discovered in Acting Studio to investigate character development within the collaborative rehearsal process for a public theatrical production. Students engage and participate in professional rehearsal room expectations, interfacing with stage managers, costume designers, prop makers, lighting designers, voice coaches, etc. and with internal and professional directors. The rehearsal process aims to replicate as fully as possible current professional practice, the director and acting tutors placing emphasis on the actors’ craft. The focus is on marrying technique and expression for interesting, imaginative and involved behaviour in creative collaborative situations. Classes examine particular theatrical constructs, as well as individual and group research for collaborative performance outcomes.

SEMESTER TWO

ACT7202B ACTING INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION (15 credit points)

The subject demands that the actor engage with initiative in the creative process of theatre and screen making. Students use emerging leadership skills and technical proficiency discovered in Acting Studio to actualize and realise character through the collaborative rehearsal process, public production and practice from stage to screen. Students will engage and participate in professional rehearsal room expectations, interfacing with stage managers, costume designers, prop makers, lighting designers, voice coaches, as well as internal and professional external directors. The rehearsal process of Acting Interdisciplinary Collaboration aims to replicate as fully as possible current professional practice, with the director and acting tutors placing emphasis on the actors’ technical prowess and marriage to expression. The focus is on the seamless integration of acting technique and creative expression for interesting, imaginative and involved behaviour in production/public performance. Classes examine particular theatrical and screen forms, individual and group research within a collaborative context.

SEMESTER ONE

COM7201A Performance and Ideas (10 credit points)

Subject Purpose
Semester One of the second year of ‘Performance and Ideas’ builds on students’ theoretical, critical and experiential understandings of key contexts, forms and conventions of the Western theatrical canon and the various social, intercultural and political influences that shaped it in the mid to late 20th and early 21st century.
Building on COM7101A & COM7101B, it supports students’ ability to actively relate these various historic practices to their own performance-based disciplines as 21st century artists.

Content
Throughout this subject students will:
Synthesise their understanding of the relationship, correspondence and variance of different forms of theatrical and screen storytelling
Develop an understanding of industry practices across a range of performance disciplines relating to various conventions and forms of the 20th and 21st centuries
Interpret and engage with artistic ideas in both practical and conceptual realisation from the perspective of their specific performance discipline
Examine a range of ideological, theoretical and practical frameworks through which contemporary performance can be understood.

SEMESTER TWO

COM7201B Performance and Ideas (10 credit points)

COM7101B Contemporary Issues in Performing Arts asks four main questions:
What is the contemporary? What is the “now” and how do we theorise the present?
What is the response of the theatre to pressing issues of the day?
What is performance practice’s role in contemporary society?
What are alternative modes of contemporary performing arts?

Equally this subject investigates broader questions:
What is the role of performance practice in social and political questions?
We will look at a range of contemporary debates of the theatre that are pressing to the art form now.
How do we address futures thinking and predictive scenario development for imagined constructs?

SEMESTER ONE

COM7203A Student-Led Projects (5 credit points)

Subject Purpose
Student-led Projects is a common subject across all disciplines involving second-year students in which each team shapes an artistic vision for presentation drawing on the individual strengths, knowledge and ability of each member to problem-solve in the development and realization of the collaborative endeavour.

Content
Throughout this learning period students will:
Apply collaborative practices to the development of new and interdisciplinary work
Work empathetically, to a shared vision
Apply discipline expertise to a collective project 
Evaluate and reflect on process and performance

SEMESTER TWO

COM7203B Student-Led Projects (5 credit points)

COM7203A Student-led Projects and COM7203B Student-led Projects derive from the theoretical and methodological frameworks explored in COM7102 Introduction to Collaboration. Student-led Projects is a common subject across all disciplines involving second-year students from every discipline. Students self-select their collaborative teams and are encouraged to achieve cross cohort representation. Together each team shapes an idea for presentation drawing on the individual strengths, knowledge and ability of each member to problem-solve in the development and realization of the collaborative endeavour. Collaborative groups request input from staff or external mentors as or when it is required. Co- ordination of this subject and trouble shooting is provided by the subject coordinator with assistance from a designated point of contact from each discipline within NIDA. In COM7203B Student-led Projects students build on the collaborative practice project established in COM7203A Student-led Projects by bringing the project to realization. Students present their work in this semester and finalise their peer review through group evaluation.

SEMESTER ONE

ACT7301A ACTING STUDIO (15 credit points)

The subject is designed to consolidate the theoretical, technical and practical applications of acting, voice, movement and music within contemporary professional industry contexts. The subject is designed to provide students with a broad range of industry specific skills (such as voice overs, ADR/looping recording, commercials etc.) and a detailed rigorous focus on the elected studio electives to realise students’ potential as interesting, imaginative and engaged artists. In the Applied Theatre Studio Elective students are asked to work in collaborative teams to make a work for performance. The major builds on the previous semesters work asking to make a participatory or non-participatory and/or site-specific work. Students will develop the confidence to call themselves community arts activists and are encouraged to see themselves as independent theatre makers and self-generating artists, who can, through their work, create spaces, collaborations and projects that have the possibility within them to create change. In Music Theatre Studio Elective students explore specific musical styles, such as European cabaret, its composers and performers and the political and social conditions that encourage growth and allow the creation of style and form. In the Physical Theatre Studio Electives students will begin to devise their final presentation for Semester 6 utilising skills gain in Semesters 3 & 4. All aspects of the work will be selfdirected by the student. The work may or may not be narratively driven. The unit also aims to prepare the students for industry by building networks through the course both internally and externally. Classes are designed to accompany and complement productions in Acting Interdisciplinary Collaboration, as well as examine particular theatrical, screen forms, individual and group research, vocal, physical and music training.

SEMESTER TWO

ACT7301B ACTING STUDIO (15 credit points)

Acting Studio aims to produce students who are the creative and artistic leaders of the future, capable of contributing to the professional industry (both nationally and internationally) to a high standard. ACT7301B Acting Studio is designed to establish the individual student actor in an industry context by consolidating three years of conservatoire education and training in an industry Showcase. Classes are designed to complement Showcase, Showreel and final productions, as well as examine particular societal contexts, theatrical and screen forms, individual and group research, vocal, physical and music training. With a continued and rigorous focus on application of technical, imaginative and expressive skills in the Acting Studio subject, students also take part in presentations that enable them to demonstrate skilled and industry ready leadership and transformation of emotional, physical, and vocal range to creating a variety of roles.

SEMESTER ONE

ACT7302A ACTING INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION (30 credit points)

The subject encourages actors to engage with the principles and practices of the professional actor in collaborative, devised and contemporary performance, the entertainment industry and its organisations. The subject is designed to provide students with a broad range of industry specific skills supporting and transferring technical proficiency discovered in Acting Studio to develop and actualize character in the devising and rehearsal process, as well as in a public theatrical production with a focus on professional competency in the role. Classes examine particular theatrical constructs, individual and group research within a collaborative context.

SEMESTER TWO

ACT7302B ACTING INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION (30 credit points)

The subject encourages actors to engage with the principles and practices of the professional actor in performance, the entertainment industry and its organisations. The subject is designed to enable students by providing them with a broad range of industry specific opportunities and a final public performance/production. The productions are designed to support and highlight technical proficiency of the student-actor to the contemporary professional industry. Students participate in professional rehearsal room expectations, interfacing with stage managers, costume designers, prop makers, lighting designers, as well as internal and professional external directors. The rehearsal process aims to replicate as fully as possible current professional practice. The focus is on the advanced application and amalgamation of technique and expression for interesting, imaginative and involved behaviour in production/public performance. Classes examine particular theatrical, television and filmic forms, individual and group research within an advanced collaborative context.

SEMESTER ONE

ACT7303A ACTING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE (15 credit points)

The subject formalizes the transition from personal development to a career-orientated model and aims to foster an in-depth understanding and knowledge of industry and industrial relationships, such as working with industry professionals on a performative outcome, auditioning skills, maintaining employment contracts, clarifying the role of casting agents, casting directors, funding bodies, etc. In ACT7303A Acting Professional Practice students perform unplugged (i.e. without theatrical conventions) for agents and industry professionals from across Australia. Students will also undertake a series of twelve fundamental seminars over the two semesters of Acting Professional Practice that will include training in arts company structures, fundamentals of workplace health and safety, basic financial and business skills, arts law, funding sources, industrial relations, artistic representation, basic online skills, audition preparation, introduction to agents, artistic directors, directors, and playwrights, casting directors, producers, screen tests, self-directed career planning and profiling, and mentoring arrangements with working artists.

SEMESTER TWO

ACT7303B ACTING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE (15 credit points)

Acting Professional Practice is designed to aid the career-ready actor by continuing to provide the opportunity for attaining a responsible and consistent attitude towards leadership and self-management that enables an independent career in the performing arts. The subject aims to be the stepping-stone into the professional industry and assists in building business skills (websites, self-testing and marketing) and industrial relationships with directors, agents and casting directors. Acting Professional Practice students perform a fully supported Showcase and Show reel for the industry, completing their professional portfolio. Students undertake a series of twelve fundamental seminars over the two semesters of Acting Professional Practice that include arts company structures, fundamentals of workplace health and safety, basic financial and business skills, arts law, funding sources, industrial relations, artistic representation, basic online skills, audition preparation, introduction to agents, artistic directors, directors, and playwrights, casting directors, producers, screen tests, self-directed career planning and profiling, and mentoring arrangements with working artists.

Due to COVID-19, all first-round auditions for BFA (Acting) will be online. You will submit a video audition via a YouTube link as part of your application. Read the recording and submission instructions carefully. As the COVID-19 situation in Australia evolves, further clarification of the recall process will be announced based on the best governmental and medical advice.

The application process for the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) consists of two rounds:

• Round One – Online Application and Audition Video
• Round Two –  Recall Audition

Only applicants who are successful in Round One will be invited to audition in Round Two.

PREPARE FOR YOUR AUDITION

You should prepare to perform the following in your audition video. Your audition video should include two monologues. One monologue should be filmed as a long shot (i.e. from your feet to your head; your full body). The other monologue should be filmed as a medium shot (i.e. from your waist up). It is up to you which monologue is filmed in either shot.

1. ONE HEIGHTENED TEXT AND LANGUAGE PIECE
This should be a short monologue in verse. You must choose a piece from the list of Heightened Text and Language Monologues (see Appendix A of this 2022 Application Guide).

2. ONE MODERN/CONTEMPORARY PIECE
This should be a short monologue from a published play (Australian or international). 'Contemporary' in this context means a play spanning the period of Anton Chekov (early 1900s) to the present day. You must choose a piece from the list of Contemporary Monologues (see Appendix B of this guide). You are welcome to present your modern/contemporary piece in the language of your cultural background if you so choose. However, you must be prepared to present it in English as well.

YOUR VIDEO AUDITION (first round auditions)

Your video audition should include the two monologues as explained above. It should be submitted as an unlisted YouTube video link, in the appropriate field of your application. For information on how to upload an unlisted video, or change your video’s privacy settings, click HERE.

Please make sure you understand the following guidance and instructions, and prepare what is required before you start to record anything.

1. Recording format

You do not have to record your audition with a professional camera. It can be recorded on your mobile phone. The important thing is that you are heard and seen clearly.
IMPORTANT: If you are using your phone to record, please ensure that the camera is not in ‘High Efficiency’ mode. You should be able to check this in your phone’s camera settings. For iPhone you will need to switch on ‘Most Compatible’ mode.

2. Set up

You can use a stand or surface, or have someone hold the phone/camera for you.

Do not look directly into the camera, but just to one side; to the left or right (if it helps, you can place a chair or mark to be your focal point). If someone is holding the phone/camera for you, you can speak your monologue to them, or a third person to visualize whom you are addressing as either another character or the audience.

If using your mobile phone, shoot in landscape, NOT portrait.

Background – you must be seen clearly.

Try to record against a plain, light background, with no harsh shadows behind you. Avoid busy, distracting images, and ‘hard’ colours like green and red. Ideally, the background should be plain. Grey can work well for a wide range of skin tones on screen.

Lighting – You must be seen clearly. Do not sit directly in front of a window. A window in front of your face and behind the camera will work better. You can also use additional lighting, like the torch light from your phone, stand lamps, or bedside lamps. Avoid hard or awkward shadows

Sound – you must be heard clearly. Check the space you have chosen to record in for sound disturbances. This could involve closing any windows, turning off any devices playing music in the background, air-conditioning, noise/talking/cooking sounds from a nearby room.

3. Audition pieces

You should record both your pieces as a continuous shot – first one, and then the other. Please read the instructions below carefully.

In mid shot (waist up – leave a little head room) start by saying your name, Applicant number (e.g. A12345), and tell us which pieces you will be performing (character, title, and author).

Then present your first piece in mid shot frame.

Adjust your position so you are now in long shot (entire body in frame) and perform your second piece. This is an opportunity embody the expressive range of the character

4. Finishing and submitting your self-tape

• Review your recordings. This will help you pinpoint areas to improve on, including sound/vision quality. Have a break and then repeat the process. Don’t overthink it! As a general rule, try not to film more than three takes.
• You will not be timed, but the length of each monologue should aim to be close to 2 minutes. Your video should aim to be close to 4 minutes long in full.
• When you are happy, upload your video to YouTube, making sure it is ‘Unlisted’. This means only people with the link can view your audition.
• Your video description should include your name and NIDA Applicant number (e.g. A12345).
• Only upload one submission.
• If you have any problems with the upload, contact applications@nida.edu.au

Click HERE for instructions of how to upload your video audition to YouTube.

ON THE RECALL DAY

If the panel would like to see more from you, they will invite you to a recall audition, which will take place on a separate date.

We hope to be able to recall most applicants in person at your nearest Australian capital city. However, we may have to recall some applicants remotely via Zoom. Recall auditions, both in-person and remotely, will take place in November.

• If you applied for the Actor stream, you will asked to present a third piece of your choice.
• If you applied for the Singing Actor stream, you will be asked to present song chosen from a list that will be provided closer to the recall date.
• If you selected ‘Both’ in your application, you must choose whether to present EITHER a third piece OR a song, as above.

If you perform a third monologue for your recall audition, you will only be considered for the Actor stream.

If you perform a song for your recall audition, you will be considered primarily for the Singing Actor stream, but may also be considered for the Actor steam.

You might be asked to perform your Round One monologues again for the panel. You might also be asked to work with a partner (e.g. another applicant) on a duologue.)

If at the end of the recall audition the panel would like to shortlist you, they will record one of your pieces for review on selection day (mid-December).

Please note if you are not invited to attend a recall audition, or you do not make it to the recording section of the recall audition, you should consider your application unsuccessful this year.

TIPS AND ADVICE

NIDA recognises that auditions can be stressful, but every effort will be made to ensure your experience will be as relaxing and enjoyable as possible. Remember, the more time and effort you put into your monologues, the better prepared you will be and the more you will benefit from the audition.

DO:

• Only select monologues from published texts. Excerpts from unpublished TV shows or films are not appropriate.
• Read the whole play your monologue comes from where possible – research is important!
• Choose characters close to your current age range.
• Choose characters that are in circumstances you can identify with and that you will enjoy exploring.
• Select pieces that are new and fresh to you.
• Pick monologues that will showcase you and your choices.
• Feel free to use contrasting material when choosing your monologues (e.g. serious and comedic; internal and external).
• Think about who you are talking to in the monologue and what you want from them – know what you mean, and what you want to say.
• Relax and be yourself!

DON'T:

• Don’t use a book of monologues, except as a reference – if you find a piece in an audition book that you like you must still read the whole play.
• Don’t choose material for shock value. There are no real rules around this, but we suggest you avoid material with strong sexual references or excessive use of explicit language.

REMEMBER:

• that this is your audition – while it is useful to test out your monologue on a friend, do not worry about acting coaches and don't let anybody tell you how to act it
• to wear suitable clothing – any casual clothing that does not limit your movement is acceptable
• that you will be asked to work in bare feet, so do not wear closed-toe tights
• to wear little or no make-up.

NIDA does not require students to have studied any particular subjects at school. However, it is beneficial during their period of study at NIDA for students to have a high level of literacy and to have read widely. A strong working knowledge of subjects such as English and History is helpful to provide an understanding of historical context and literary references in theatre and literature. It is helpful to have an understanding of drama and, if possible, to have attended a range of theatre and films. Applicants for some courses often study Design and Technology, Textiles and Design, or similar subjects such as Art. Knowledge of a language other than English and understanding of other cultures is also beneficial. 

For courses such as Properties and Objects, Staging, Design for Performance, and Technical Theatre and Stage Management there is a need to have some numeracy and basic computing skills. For the Staging and Properties and Objects courses there is a need to be comfortable with basic applied algebra, geometry and physical concepts but memorisation is not required and use of these concepts is very practically focused. 

The minimum age for entry into NIDA’s full-time courses is 18 years. Students are expected to be at least 18 years of age at the commencement of their first year, or within a few months of commencement. In exceptional circumstances this condition may be waived. Applicants must be at least 17 years of age at the time of their audition or interview.

Applications from those 16 years and younger will not be accepted.

There is no maximum age restriction. As a guide to the age distribution at NIDA, the ages of students in undergraduate courses at the start of 2016 ranged from 17 years to early 30s, with the average age being 21.

The average age in the Master of Fine Arts courses is 32, with an age range from early 20s to mid-40s.

Application to NIDA is by direct entry. Applicants apply online via the NIDA website.

NIDA will accept applications for the 2022 intake from 1 June to 29 October 2021.

You must then prepare for your audition or interview, the details of which can be found on the course pages.

Students are at NIDA from 9am to 6pm from Monday to Friday. During production terms students may also be required for rehearsals after hours and on weekends.

Additional time also needs to be allocated to library work, research, preparation for classes and private study. For this reason it is difficult for NIDA students to maintain regular part-time jobs. Studying at NIDA is a big commitment so students need to manage their time and resources carefully.

NIDA offers a conservatoire based method of education and training based around intensive practice-based learning.

There is formal class work, practical instruction, lectures and, for some courses, periods of placements in the arts industry. Each course has dedicated time to discipline-specific immersion, as well as common subjects undertaken by students of all disciplines.

NIDA Play Productions and screen work provides practical learning experiences, giving students the opportunity to apply learnt technical skills. Play productions are an important part of NIDA’s higher education courses with usually five productions being produced each semester.

More detailed information about course structure can be found on the individual course pages. 

NIDA’s award winning campus includes a range of facilities available to students:

• the Parade Theatre, seating over 700 people, is equipped with advanced technology in sound, lighting and scenery
• performance spaces of varying sizes. The Parade Studio, Parade Playhouse, Parade Space and Atrium are also utilised for productions
• the state-of-the-art Reg Grundy Studio is used for film and television recording
• the Rodney Seaborn Library, specialising in the performing arts
• computer-aided design (CAD) and multimedia studios
• rehearsal rooms, teaching spaces and music practice rooms
• and workshops for the manufacture of scenery, properties and costumes.

Due to the highly competitive nature of NIDA’s admissions process, you must enrol for the year for which you have been offered a place. You cannot defer acceptance of a place. If you want to enrol in a subsequent year, you will need to apply again the following year and go through the audition/interview process again. There is no guarantee that you will be offered a place next time.

A first year student who discontinues a course of study during the year and wishes to return the following year, must re-apply for admission to NIDA in the normal manner. There is no guarantee of re-admission.

Application for leave of absence by continuing students must be made in writing with reasons to the Head of Course for consideration and recommendation to the Director. Approval for leave of absence can only be granted by the Director/CEO. It should be noted that approval for leave of absence will only be granted under exceptional circumstances.

See NIDA Student Policies for more information. 

There is an optional annual fee of $40 to join the Student Council of NIDA (SCON).While students are provided with the script of any plays they are involved in as part of the NIDA Production Program, students are encouraged to purchase other scripts and textbooks for subjects such as Performance and Ideas.

Acting students must wear “blacks” to class everyday i.e. leotards, jogging pants, sweat pants, simple black tops or T-shirts, so students need to make sure they have at least a couple of sets of blacks to get themselves through the week. Acting students must also supply their own make-up and soft black shoes.

Scenic Construction and Technologies, Design for Performance, Costume, Properties and Objects, Technical Theatre and Stage Management students are required to purchase specific tools and equipment, which should be considered as lifelong investments. Students using workshop spaces are also required to have closed-toe protective footwear. Technical Theatre and Stage Management students should also have a few sets of “blacks” for working on productions.

Design for Performance students are also expected to purchase their own art equipment, drawing paper, cardboard and other material for models and should allow around $1000 for this each year.

To access NIDA wireless (iWIRE) network, students are required to have access to a Laptop (Windows 7 and later), Macbook (Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or later) or a Tablet (less than three years old with wireless facility). All the devices should comply with 802.11a/b/g/n WPA-Enterprise security.

For file transfers and data backup, a 500GB hard drive or higher and an 8GB USB stick are also recommended, as is a DVD burner, for optimum visual graphics on your computer(Laptop/MacBook/Desktop etc..) a 1GB dedicated graphics card is recommended but not compulsory.

For a full list of additional costs by course please refer to the NIDA Domestic Undergraduate Student Fees Schedule 2022.