The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

is based in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including

Cate Blanchett Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received nu ...

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...

Judy Davis Judith Davis (born 23 April 1955) is an Australian actress in film, television, and on stage. With a career spanning over 40 years, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Frequen ...

and

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

. NIDA's main campus is based in the Sydney suburb of

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, located adjacent to the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

(UNSW), and is made up of a range of rehearsal and performance venues. Its performance venues include the Parade Theatre (also the name of an earlier venue in NIDA's history); the Space; the Studio Theatre; and the Playhouse, while the Rodney Seaborn Library forms part of its library and the Reg Grundy Studio is a training and production facility for film and television. NIDA offers bachelor's, master's and vocational degrees in subjects including acting, writing, directing, scenic construction, technical theatre, voice, costume, props, production design and cultural leadership.

History

NIDA was founded in 1958 as the first professional theatre training school in Australia. The idea of a national theatre training school was initiated by the

Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust is a theatre and performing arts company that was founded in September 1954, with the aim of establishing drama, opera and ballet companies nationally. Founding In 1954 the Australian Elizabethan Theatre T ...

(AETT) in 1954. With the support of the Vice-Chancellor (later Sir) Philip Baxter, NIDA was established in the grounds of the University of New South Wales. Robert Quentin, later Professor of Drama at UNSW, was appointed the inaugural Director. Teaching began in 1959 and in 1960, the first 23 students graduated with a Diploma in Acting. After 1961 it offered both acting and production streams, and in the early 1970s design, technical production and directing streams were introduced. NIDA ran the

Old Tote Theatre Company The Old Tote Theatre Company (1963–1978) was a New South Wales theatre company that began as the standing acting and theatre company of Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). It was the predecessor to the Sydney Theatre Company ...

until 1969, whose productions were initially funded by the AETT and subsequently by the

Australia Council for the Arts The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

and the

New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governme ...

. In 1967 the Old Tote moved its administration to separate premises, to a building which still exists on the UNSW campus, then known as the Parade Theatre, and on 7 May 1969 gave its first performance at that venue, a production of

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

's ''

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' is an absurdist, existential tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's ''Ham ...

''. The present campus was first opened in 1987. In 1991 NIDA expanded into the study of theatrical crafts – costume, properties, scenery and staging – and over the 2000s developed post-graduate courses in voice, movement studies, production management and playwriting. Additional buildings opened in 2001, which were awarded the 2002

Sir John Sulman Medal The Sir John Sulman Medal is an architectural prize presented by the New South Wales chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects since 1932. The medal is sometimes referred to as the Sulman Award and now recognises excellence in public a ...

for public architecture.

Governance and funding

NIDA receives funding from the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

through the Department of Communications and the Arts, and is a member of the "

Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence Performing arts education in Australia refers to the teaching of different styles of creative activity that are performed publicly. The performing arts in Australia encompasses many disciplines including music, dance, theatre, musical theatre, ci ...

" (ARTS8), an initiative between the national performing arts training organisations and the federal government that provides training for emerging artists.

Admission

Entry to NIDA's Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts and Vocational courses is highly competitive with an admission rate of around 12% and even lower for some courses; with more than 1,500 applicants from around the country competing for an annual offering of approximately 185 places across the six undergraduate, five post-graduate and four vocational diploma disciplines. NIDA's Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting is particularly competitive, with approximately 1,000 applicants per year attempting to secure one of 24 spots in the program.

Campus

NIDA is located on Anzac Parade in the Sydney suburb of

, across the road from the

Theatres

NIDA campus has six professional performance venues, in addition to studios and rehearsal rooms. The largest of these, the Parade Theatre, has three-tiered seating which accommodates up to 707 people. Other venues include the Playhouse, the Space, and the Studio Theatre.

Library and archives

The Rodney Seaborn Library, named in honour of arts philanthropist

Rodney Seaborn The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including ...

, is a specialist library for NIDA students, graduates and staff and is also open to the general public by appointment. It was created in 1980. The NIDA Archives collects, organises and preserves archival records created by or relating to NIDA.

Other facilities

The NIDA campus includes rehearsal rooms, multi-media and computer-aided design (CAD) studios, a sound stage, a lighting studio, production workshops, audio-visual facilities, and the Reg Grundy Studio film and television training and production facility.

Ranking

In 2018, NIDA was ranked as the 10th best drama school in the world by ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' It is consistently ranked as the top school in Australia, or in the top five, by many sources. In 2021, it was reported as the 16th best drama school in the world by the same source, making it the only Australian drama school to make the list.

Alumni

The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is Australia's leading centre for education and training in the performing arts. A complete list of NIDA alumni can be found on th
NIDA website
Many of NIDA's prominent alumni were featured in a photo essay in ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' in celebration of the school's 60th anniversary in 2019. Graduates from the National Institute of Dramatic Art include:

Acting

AC *

Grant Bowler Grant Bowler (born 18 July 1968) is a New Zealand-Australian actor and television presenter who has worked in American, Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian film, television, and theatre. He is known for playing the role of Constable Wayne ...

Tom Burlinson Tom Burlinson (born 14 February 1956) is a Canadian actor and singer. Career Tom Burlinson was born in Toronto, Canada, the son of Antony T. Burlinson (born 1923, in Greenwich, Middlesex) and Angela Schofield (born 1926, in Bury St Edmunds, ...

* Nathin Butler * Rob Collins *

Timothy Conigrave Tim Conigrave (19 November 1959 – 18 October 1994) was an Australian actor, activist and author of the internationally acclaimed memoir, '' Holding the Man.'' Education and career Conigrave was born in Melbourne, and attended the Jesuit-run X ...

* Ryan Corr *

Essie Davis Esther Davis (born 19 January 1970) is an Australian actress and singer, best known for her roles as Phryne Fisher in ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' and its film adaptation, '' Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears'', and as Amelia Vanek in '' T ...

Andrea Demetriades Andrea Demetriades (born 1987) is an Australian actress known for her television, theatre and film roles. Personal life Demetriades was born in Perth, the youngest of four sisters. Her father, Costas, emigrated from Cyprus in 1969 and met her ...

* Eamon Farren *

Lewis Fitz-Gerald Lewis Fitz-Gerald (born 15 November 1958) is an Australian actor, screenwriter and television director, who lectures in Screen and Media Studies at Australia's University of New England. Filmography As actor * '' Breaker Morant'' (1980) ...

Colin Friels Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is a Scottish-born Australian actor of theatre, TV and film and presenter Early life Friels was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland.Interview with Colin Friels, ''George Negus Tonight'' (ABC Television) ...

Harry Greenwood Lieutenant Colonel Harry Greenwood, (25 November 1881 – 5 May 1948) was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwe ...

Remy Hii Remy Hii (born 24 July 1986) is a Malaysian-Australian actor. Hii attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art for three years, and appeared in various theatre productions, before being cast in his first television role. Hii starred as Van Tuo ...

* Matthew Le Nevez * Glenda Linscott *

Jessica Marais Jessica Dominique Marais (born 29 January 1985) is a South African-born Australian actress best known for her roles on Australian television in '' Packed to the Rafters'' and '' Love Child''. She also co-starred on the American drama series '' ...

Catherine McClements Catherine McClements is an Australian stage, film and television actress and television presenter. She is known for her TV roles in '' Water Rats'' and '' Tangle'', for which she won Logie Awards, and has performed in stage productions for thea ...

Garry McDonald Garry George McDonald AO (born 30 October 1948) is an Australian actor, satirist and comedian. In a career spanning five decades he has had many theatre, television and film roles, and has been listed as a National Living Treasure. He is bes ...

AO *

Jacqueline McKenzie Jacqueline Susan McKenzie (born 24 October 1967) is an Australian film and stage actress. Early life Born in Sydney, New South Wales, McKenzie attended Wenona School in North Sydney until 1983 then moved to Pymble Ladies' College, where she ...

Heather Mitchell Heather Lee Mitchell (born 1958) is an Australian actress, appearing in Australian productions of stage, television and film. She is a graduate of NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art). She is best known for her leading role in the 1990s t ...

Michelle Vergara Moore Michelle Vergara Moore is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Ella/Lily in the NBC TV series '' La Brea'', Roxanne Waters in the Special Broadcasting Service television series '' The Unusual Suspects'', Chai Li Tivoli in '' The Time ...

Toby Leonard Moore Toby Leonard Moore (born 28 April 1981) is an Australian actor, best known for his roles as Victor in ''John Wick'' (2014), as James Wesley in the Netflix series '' Daredevil'' (2015), and Bryan Connerty in the Showtime series '' Billions'' (2 ...

Robyn Nevin Robyn Anne Nevin (25 September 1942) is an Australian actress, director, and stage producer, recognised with the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards and the JC Williamson Award at the Helpmann Awards for her outstanding contributions to Austra ...

AM *

Matthew Newton Matthew Joseph Newton (born January 22, 1977) is an Australian actor, writer, and director, and son of TV personalities Bert Newton, Bert and Patti Newton. His acting career was interrupted by treatment in a psychiatric unit for bipolar disor ...

Bojana Novakovic Bojana Novakovic (, sr-Latn, Bojana Novaković) is a Serbian-Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Det. Lizzie Needham on the drama television series '' Instinct'' (2017–2018). Novakovic's film roles include '' Drag Me to He ...

* Zindzi Okenyo *

Miranda Otto Miranda Otto (born 16 December 1967) is an Australian actress. She is the daughter of actors Barry and Lindsay Otto and the paternal half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. Otto began her acting career in 1986 at age 18 and appeared in a variety of ...

* Susie Porter *

Philip Quast Philip Mark Quast (born 30 July 1957) is an Australian actor and singer. He has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical three times, making him the first actor to have three wins in that category. He is perhaps best known ...

Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor, writer, producer, and director. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including three AACTA Awards (including AFI), three Logie Awards, ...

* Alex Russell *

Toby Schmitz Toby Schmitz (born 4 May 1977) is an Australian actor and playwright. He was born in Perth, Western Australia, attended Perth's Scotch College and briefly studied law at the University of Western Australia. He graduated from the acting course ...

Shari Sebbens Shari Sebbens is an Aboriginal Australian actress and stage director, known for her debut film role in '' The Sapphires'' (2012), as well as many stage and television performances. After a two-year stint as resident director of the Sydney Thea ...

Hugh Sheridan Hugh Sheridan (born 30 June 1985) is an Australian actor, singer, television presenter who is known for their role as Ben Rafter in the television series '' Packed to the Rafters''. Sheridan is a four-time Logie Award winner, in the Logie Awar ...

Sarah Snook Sarah Snook (born 1 December 1987) is an Australian actress. She is known for her starring role as Shiv Roy in the television series ''Succession'' (2018–present), for which she earned critical acclaim in international media. She has won sev ...

Yael Stone Jael or Yael ( he, יָעֵל ''Yāʿēl'') is the name of the heroine who delivered Israel from the army of King Jabin of Canaan in the Book of Judges of the Hebrew Bible. After Barak demurred at the behest of the prophetess Deborah, God turn ...

Miranda Tapsell Miranda Tapsell (born 11 December 1987) is an Aboriginal Australian actress of both stage and screen, best known for her role as Cynthia in the Wayne Blair film '' The Sapphires'' and her 2015 performance as Martha Tennant in the Nine Network d ...

Anna Torv Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox science-fiction series ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award ...

Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six AACTA Awards, Australian Academy of Cinema and Tel ...

* John Wood *

Sam Worthington Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in ''Avatar'' and its sequel, ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; Marcus Wright in ''Terminator Salvation'', and Perseus in '' Clash o ...

Meyne Wyatt Meyne Wyatt (born 14 August 1989) is an Australian actor. Wyatt graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2010 and appeared in several theatre productions around the country. For his performance in ''Silent Disco'', Wyatt was name ...

Gareth Yuen Gareth Yuen is an Australian actor who portrays the character Dax Lo, the Blue Ranger on the 2007 television series '' Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive''. He appeared at the Power Morphicon in June 2007. He is a graduate of Sydney's National ...

Design

*Alice Babidge *

Kym Barrett Kym Barrett (born 11 August 1965) is an Australian costume designer of Hollywood films. She is a regular collaborator with The Wachowskis and was the costume designer of their films '' The Matrix trilogy'', ''Speed Racer'', ''Cloud Atlas'' and ' ...

*Theodore Benton * Adrian Britnell * Fiona Crombie, 2019

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominee for ''

The Favourite ''The Favourite'' is a 2018 Historical drama, period black comedy film co-produced and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, from a screenplay by Deborah Davis (screenwriter), Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (writer), Tony McNamara. Set in early 18th ...

'' *Peter England * Dale Ferguson *

Dane Laffrey Dane Laffrey is an American scenic designer best known for Broadway shows ''Once on This Island'' (2017), '' Spring Awakening'' (2015), and '' Fool for Love'' (2015), and Off-Broadway shows ''The Christians'' (2015), ''Cloud Nine'' (2015), and ...

* Catherine Martin *

Ralph Myers Ralph Myers is an Australian theatre designer and director, and the former artistic director of Sydney's Belvoir. In 2005 and 2006 Myers was the resident designer at the Sydney Theatre Company; he was later an associate artist at Belvoir. His a ...

, Former Artistic Director

Belvoir St Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat ...

*Jacob Nash, Head of Design for

Bangarra Dance Theatre Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born ...

*Deborah Riley,

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning production designer of ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...

'' *Gypsy Taylor * Gabriela Tylesova * Michael Wilkinson, 2014 Academy Award Nominee for '' American Hustle''

Directing

*Jessica Arthur * Paul Curran *

Gale Edwards Gale Edwards (born 14 November 1954) is an Australian theatre director, who has worked extensively throughout Australia and internationally. She has also directed for television and film. Professional career Edwards began her career at Adelaid ...

*Sarah Giles *

Jennifer Kent Jennifer Kent (born 5 March 1969) is an Australian actress, writer and director, best known for her directorial debut, the horror film ''The Babadook'' (2014). Her second film, '' The Nightingale'' (2018), premiered at the 75th Venice Internati ...

Lee Lewis Lee Lewis is an Australian theatre director. Early life and education Lewis trained as an actor at Columbia University in New York. Returning to Australia, she completed a Masters of Directing at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) ...

* Greg McLean *

Jonathan Messer Jonathan Messer (born 17 March 1976 in Melbourne) is an Australians, Australian Theatre director, director of theatre, television and film. Early years Jonathan Messer grew up in Beaumaris, Victoria, Beaumaris, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, ...

* Tommy Murphy * Moffatt Oxenbould * Marion Potts *

Kip Williams Kip Williams is an Australian theatre and opera director. Williams is the current Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company. His appointment at age 30 made him the youngest artistic director in the company's history. Biography Williams has b ...

, artistic director of

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in The Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Thea ...

Production

* Kuo Pao Kun * Garry McQuinn, co-founder of RGM Productions * Sally Riley, Head of Scripted Production for the

Australian Broadcasting Company The Australian Broadcasting Company Pty. Ltd. was a company founded in Melbourne in 1924 with a capital of £A 100,000 by a consortium of entertainment interests, notably Farmer & Company, J. C. Williamson Limited and J. & N. Tait to fou ...

Jim Sharman James David Sharman (born 12 March 1945) is an Australian director and writer for film and stage with more than 70 productions to his credit. He is renowned in Australia for his work as a theatre director from the 1960s to the present, and is b ...

, Director of

The Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O'Brien, who is also ...

Scenic construction

* Boaz Shemesh, Head of Set Construction for

Writing

Jackie McKimmie Jackie McKimmie (b 1950) is an Australian writer and director of films and television.Jackie McKimmie
at Bonza Database

* Alana Valentine

Awards

NIDA alumni have won close to 1,000 awards including 8 Academy Awards, 8 Golden Globes, 9 Emmys, 48 Logies, 18 BAFTAs, 5 Oliviers, 3 Tonys and more. ;Academy Awards *Catherine Martin (Design, 1988): 2014 Winner Best Achievement in Costume Design ''The Great Gatsby''; 2014 Winner Best Production Design, ''The Great Gatsby''; 2002 Winner Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, ''Moulin Rouge!''; 2002 winner Best Costume Design, ''Moulin Rouge!'' *Cate Blanchett (Acting, 1992): 2014 Winner Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, ''Blue Jasmine''; 2005 Winner Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, ''The Aviator'' *Mel Gibson (Acting, 1977): 1996 Winner Best Picture, ''Braveheart''; 1996 Winner Best Director, ''Braveheart'' ;BAFTA Awards *Catherine Martin (Design, 1988): 2014 Winner Best Costume Design, ''The Great Gatsby''; 2014 Best Production Design, ''The Great Gatsby''; 1998 Winner Best Production Design, ''Romeo + Juliet''; 1993 Winner Best Costume Design, ''Strictly Ballroom''; 1993 Winner Best Production Design, ''Strictly Ballroom'' *Cate Blanchett (Acting, 1992): 2018 Winner, Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film; 2014 Winner, Best Leading Actress, ''Blue Jasmine''; 2005 Winner, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, ''The Aviator''; 1999 Winner, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, ''Elizabeth'' *Baz Luhrmann (Acting, 1985): 1998 Winner Best Direction, ''Romeo + Juliet''; 1998 Winner Best Adapted Screenplay, ''Romeo + Juliet'' *Judy Davis (Acting, 1977): 1981 Winner Best Actress, ''My Brilliant Career''; 1981 Winner Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles, ''My Brilliant Career'' *Deborah Riley (Design, 1996): 2018 Winner Production Design, ''Game of Thrones'' *Fiona Crombie (Design, 1998): 2019 Winner Best Production Design, ''The Favourite'' *Craig Pearce (Acting, 1984): 1998 Winner Best Adapted Screenplay for ''Romeo + Juliet'' *Angus Strathie (Design, 1988): 1993 Winner Best Costume Design, ''Strictly Ballroom'' ;Golden Globe Awards *Cate Blanchett (Acting, 1992): 2014 Winner Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, ''Blue Jasmine'; 2008 Winner Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, ''I’m Not There''; 1999 Winner Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, ''Elizabeth'' *Judy Davis (Acting, 1977): 2002 Winner Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television, ''Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows''; 1992 Winner Best Performance by an Actress in A Mini-series or Motion Picture for TV, ''One Against the Wind'' *Mel Gibson (Acting, 1977): 1996 Winner Best Director – Motion Picture, ''Braveheart'' ;Primetime Emmy Awards *Deborah Riley (Design, 1996): 2018 Winner Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More), ''Game of Thrones'' for episode ‘''Dragonstone''’; 2016 Winner Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More), ''Game of Thrones'' for episodes ''‘Blood of My Blood''’, ‘''The Broken Man''’ and ‘''No One''’; 2015 Winner Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More), ''Game of Thrones'' For episodes: ‘''High Sparrow''’, ‘''Unbowed''’, ‘''Unbent''’, ‘''Unbroken''’ and ‘''Hardhome''’; 2014 Winner Outstanding Art Direction for a Contemporary or Fantasy Series (Single-Camera), ''Game of Thrones'' for episodes ‘''The Laws of God and Men''’ and ‘''The Mountain and the Viper''’ *Judy Davis (Acting, 1977): 2007 Winner Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, ''The Starter Wife''; 2001 Winner Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, ''Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows''; 2001 Winner Outstanding Makeup – Miniseries, Movie, Special, ''Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows''; 1995 Winner Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special, ''Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story''

Learning by doing

Industry engagement and collaborative student learning are core part of NIDA courses. NIDA utilises a conservatoire model, where students learn by practical application through in-house productions and working with professional companies on short-term placements. In addition to classwork, students will work on multiple practical projects during their time at NIDA, ranging from full theatrical productions to short films. Depending on the program, students may also undertake interstate and international trips as part of the learning process.

Short courses

NIDA delivers hundreds of short courses every year across Australia and internationally through NIDA Open and NIDA Corporate.

NIDA Open

NIDA Open is Australia's largest non-profit, performing arts short course program. In 2018, more than 15,000 students attended NIDA Open courses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Darwin and other locations. NIDA Open offers courses for children and young people from preschool through Grade 12, as well as adult courses, in acting, comedy, costumes, props, make-up, design, directing, filmmaking, musical theatre, physical theatre and movement, presenting, technical theatre, stage management, voice and writing.

NIDA Corporate

NIDA Corporate offers training in professional communication, presentation and leadership for individuals and businesses in the public and private sectors. Tutors include voice specialists, movement and body language practitioners, film and theatre directors, actors and television presenters. In 2018, more than 9,000 participants attended NIDA Corporate training.

Controversy

In 2012, former NIDA board member and Liberal senator

Chris Puplick Christopher John Guelph Puplick ( ; born 13 May 1948) is a British-Australian politician, public servant and public intellectual. Career From 1975–78, Puplick was the federal president of the Young Liberals. He was appointed to a casual va ...

, who had served on the board for three years, wrote an essay titled "Changing Times at NIDA" which was published in the October issue of the publication ''Platform Papers''. In the essay, Puplick criticized the teaching standards of the school and its director and chief executive, Lynne Williams, stating that she has had no significant experience in theatre to head the school and that her style was "Thatcherite". Soon after Puplick's statements were reported, chairman of NIDA's board, Malcolm Long, and Lynne Williams replied back to the comments, with Long stating that Williams had the complete support of the board and described Puplick as "an apparently disaffected former board member." Williams had defended herself stating her management style was not "Thatcherite". Long also mentioned that amongst Williams' supporters were

and

. Supporting Puplick were actor, director and a graduate of the school

Jeremy Sims Jeremy Hartley Sims (born 10 January 1966) is an Australian actor and director. Career Jeremy Sims was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1966, and was educated at Wesley College 1977–83. His first appearance on the big screen was as 'boy on ...

, who had launched the essay, and Kevin Jackson, who had taught acting at the school for 27 years. In June 2020, a letter from over 100 alumni, students and former staff was signed and sent to NIDA's chief executive Liz Hughes accusing the school for failing to support Indigenous, Black and other students of colors. The letter which was sent to Hughes via email accused the school of "systemic and institutionalised racism" and where students had felt that they were there simply to fulfill diversity quotas.

References

External links

* {{authority control Australian tertiary institutions Drama schools in Australia Education in Sydney Educational institutions established in 1958 Film schools in Australia Theatres in Sydney 1958 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures awarded the Sir John Sulman Medal Kensington, New South Wales