Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance
Delivery
1 year full-time, on campus in SydneyFees 2024
$17,220 AUDSemester Dates 2024
Term 1: 5 Feb – 12 AprTerm 2: 29 Apr – 5 Jul
Term 3: 22 Jul – 11 Oct
Applications for 2025 intake
Applications are currently closed. Register your interest below.Contact Admissions
+61 2 9697 7600
vocational@nida.edu.au
About the Course
This year-long intensive and practical course puts you centre stage and in front of the camera, giving you the tools to develop and perform your own stories for stage and screen. During the course you will learn how to collaborate with others to create original works for various media.
Training is practical, with classes in acting techniques for both live and screen work, performance styles and production practices. You will learn about the multiplicity of roles, technologies and methodologies that exist within the theatre, film, TV and the digital industries.
You will be taught by NIDA staff and leading tutors from the entertainment arts industry. At the end of the course, you will present a live and filmed showcase of your work in one of the NIDA theatres attended by entertainment industry practitioners, producers and agents.
2024 dates
Term 1 Monday 5 February – Friday 12 April
Term 2 Monday 29 April – Friday 5 July
Term 3 Monday 22 July – Friday 11 October
2023 dates
The course is delivered at NIDA’s Sydney campus.
Term 1 Monday 30 January – Thursday 6 April
Term 2 Wednesday 26 April – Friday 30 June
Term 3 Monday 17 July – Friday 6 October
Classes are scheduled 4 days per week, 9am–5pm.
The scheduling and delivery of this course each year is subject to minimum enrolment numbers.
The 10914NAT Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance course comprises of the following units of competency:
- CUAIND412 Provide freelance services
- CUAACT411 Use acting techniques in performance
- CUAMPF612 Manage stagecraft aspects of performances
- CUAPPR512 Develop sustainability of own professional practice
- CUAPRF513 Prepare for and perform in competitive environments
- CUAWHS511 Maintain a high level of fitness for performance
- NAT10914001 Apply storytelling conventions
- NAT10914002 Use performance practices to develop a production
- NAT10914003 Devise works for stage
- NAT10914004 Devise works for screen
- NAT10914005 Develop acting techniques for screen
- NAT10914006 Apply design elements for stage
- NAT10914007 Apply design elements for screen
- NAT10914008 Use technology in performance
The 10914NAT Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance course provides students with knowledge and skills to perform the following functions associated with the entertainment arts:
- Performer, able to interpret scripts; build, present and sustain characters; and collaborate with others to create live performance, screen and media productions.
- Deviser, able to originate and develop characters, situations and stories for live performance, screen and media productions.
Admissions Criteria
For more information, read our Admissions Transparency Statement.
Applicants seeking admission must:
- Be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or New Zealand citizen. This course does not accept international students.
- Have reached the age of 18 before the commencement of the course (in some circumstances NIDA may select candidates who turn 18 during their course).
- Have completed their Higher School Certificate or equivalent; ATAR is not required.
- Demonstrate a high level of practical ability, potential and motivation at the interview or audition.
- Complete the interview/audition requirements for the course.
We select applicants who:
- Demonstrate skills in acting
- Exhibit a capacity to collaborate
- Communicate effectively
- Respond to direction and feedback
How to apply
NIDA encourages applications from First Nations students, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse students, and those from under-represented backgrounds, with different levels of experience in the entertainment industry.
All applications must be submitted online via the NIDA website. You will be required to submit a video audition via a YouTube link as part of your application.
There are five steps to applying:
STEP 1
New applicants: Create your application account here. You will be sent an automatic email with your login details to continue your application.
Returning applicants: If you have previously applied (in 2022-2023) and your email address already exists in the application system, you will not be able to create a new account. Please follow the link below to reset your password, using your email address as your User Login ID. Reset your password here.
STEP 2
Log in, select the green ‘New Application’ button and complete the online form.
You will be asked to submit your personal details, examples of previous experience and reasons for interest in this course.
STEP 3
Upload the following documentation to the online form:
- Evidence of your most recent qualification if you have one (e.g. a school report, Higher School Certificate, university transcript, statement of attainment).
- Proof of identification and citizenship (e.g. Australian passport, Australian driver’s licence, birth certificate. The scanned document needs to show your date of birth).
- A recent photograph (head and shoulders, in colour, well lit, plain background).
- One introduction/audition video as a link to an unlisted YouTube video.
STEP 4
Agree to the terms and conditions of application and click submit. You will receive a confirmation email when your submission is completed in full.
STEP 5
You will be contacted in early November regarding the outcome of your application and whether we are able to meet with you at a callback session. You will be provided with an opportunity to notify us of the best available date and time for your interview/callback, either face-to-face or via Zoom. To assist with your planning, we will publish suggested dates and times on the course page.
If we have invited you, please attend your callback session. Not everyone who submits a video will be invited to a callback.
- There are no application fees for 2024 applicants.
- Applications for 2024 intake of Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance and Diploma of Musical Theatre close on 18 September 2023 and Diploma of Screen and Media (Specialist Make-up Services) and Diploma of Live Production and Technical Services close on Monday 30 October 2023. NIDA may not be able to accept applications after this date, and late applicants may be required to pay a late submission fee of $75.00.
- There are a limited number of places available in each of our diploma courses. Selection is based on merit; not all applicants who meet the published entry requirements will receive a study offer.
- All applicants are required to review the course information, including the schedule of tuition fees, published on the course page.
- It is not possible to provide applicants with individual written or oral feedback on their audition.
- Applicants who receive a study offer for 2024 must accept the offer within the time frame indicated. It is not possible to defer a study offer at NIDA.
- NIDA encourages applications from people from diverse backgrounds, with different levels of experience in their chosen area of interest.
As part of your application, you are required to provide a link to a pre-recorded video audition. The following information should act as a guide for how to select your monologues and how to set up and film your auditions.
Your video submission needs to consist of the following:
- A short, one-minute introduction to camera, introducing yourself and explaining your experience.
- Two contrasting monologues of your choice, both one minute in length.
- Present one monologue in mid-shot (where we see you from the waist up), and present the other monologue in long-shot (where we can see you from head-to-toe).
- The audition video should be approximately three minutes in length, longer videos may not be watched in full.
- You are welcome to present one of your monologues in the language of your cultural background if you so choose. However, you must be prepared to present it in English as well.
You will only be able to upload one audition video. Please ensure that all components are in the one video, and under the one link.
Click HERE for instructions on how to upload an unlisted YouTube video.
Selecting your monologue
- Your material can be from stage, screen or self-devised.
- Choose characters who are in circumstances you can identify with and that you will enjoy exploring.
- Pick monologues that will showcase you and your acting choices.
- Choose contrasting material. For example, serious versus comic; or internal versus external.
- Think about who you are talking to and what you want from them – understand the piece and who you are talking to.
- Relax and enjoy yourself – we find that most applicants manage to relax and enjoy the experience and we hope that you will too.
See our how to apply page for more information around shooting your video - including sound, lighting, formatting & uploading.
Callback dates will be announced soon.
- All applicants will be notified regarding the outcome of their application status.
- Successful applicants will be contacted to arrange a suitable call back session.
- Call backs may be conducted face to face or via zoom between October- November.
- More information will be available here when applications close.
At the callback, you will:
- Present your prepared monologue.
- Participate in collaborative tasks, including group improvisation.
- Discuss your previous training and performance experience.
- Wear suitable clothing – any casual clothing that does not limit movement is acceptable
After the callback:
- If we are able to offer you a place on the course, we will contact you in December 2023 via phone and email to advise you of your course offer.
- You will be given a time period in which to accept or reject the course offer for the 2024 intake.
Recognition of Prior Learning is a process that involves assessment of an individual’s relevant prior learning to determine the credit outcomes of an individual application for credit.
NIDA may grant credit for:
- Formal study undertaken in recognised education institutions in Australia, including universities, colleges, TAFE and other post-secondary education institutions, and for study at recognised overseas institutions.
- Credentialed courses provided by recognised professional bodies, employers and other authorities, where appropriate certification is available.
- Prior learning, where such learning can be sufficiently evidenced.
The principles underlying the assessment of credit transfer/Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) applications are that the policy and procedures are:
- Aligned to the Higher Education Standards Framework and the Vocational Standards for RTOs.
- Designed to maintain the integrity and reputation of NIDA’s accredited courses for which credit or RPL is applied and support the collaborative nature of NIDA’s conservatoire training model.
- Consistent, equitable, transparent and accountable.
- Based on processes of comparable standard and integrity to those used to assess the relevant subject.
- That students are not disadvantaged in achieving the expected learning outcomes for the course of study or qualification.
Fees
The 10914NAT Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance is only open to domestic students. Domestic students are Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and New Zealand citizens.
Tuition fees for 2023 for 10914NAT Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance
2024 full course fee: $17,220
DSSP Application Guide, Fee Schedule & Entry Requirements 2024
VET Student Loans
NIDA is an approved VET Student Loans provider. Find out if you’re eligible here.
Centrelink
Eligible students, who are Australian residents, can apply to Centrelink for financial assistance through Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY. Visit Centrelink or call 132 490 for more information.
Open Day Course Information Session
Learn more about the VET Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance program from our Open Day course information session panel hosted by Deputy Director, Learning and Innovation for Vocational Studies Mark Gaal and current students.
Further Information
If you have any further questions about the application process, please contact:
Email: vocational@nida.edu.au
Phone: +61 (02) 9697 7516
Mail:
Vocational applications
NIDA
215 Anzac Parade
Kensington NSW 2033
Further information regarding NIDA's vocational training products can be found at Training.gov.au
NIDA is registered by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) under the National Vocational Education and Regulator Act 2011 to deliver Vocational Education and Training (VET) services. NIDA is a NVR Registered Training Organisation (RTO): ID number 90349.
As a graduate of the 10914NAT Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance you have the performance skills and theory knowledge to be employed in a range of industries, including television, film, theatre and radio.
Potential careers include:
- Performer for stage and screen
- Writer or creator for stage and screen
See NIDA's Alumni.
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for more info about NIDA courses, admissions and facilities? Check our FAQ page for answers to commonly-asked questions from future students.
NIDA is registered by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to deliver Vocational Education and Training (VET) services. RTO (Registered Training Organisation) code: 90349
