Working in the performing arts is, for many people, a vocation rather than a career. But how do you build on the foundations of what you’ve already learned in secondary school in order to actually follow your dreams, or scratch the itch caused by working in an unfulfilling job or the wrong career once you’ve graduated?
One of the best ways to gain genuine insight into working in the arts is by learning directly from industry professionals: experienced theatre-makers and performers who can pass on their skills and nurture your ambitions and dreams with practical advice and grounded, real-world training.
Thankfully, relying on family connections or ambushing your favourite actor at the stage door to plead for their advice and mentorship is no longer necessary, given that studying at NIDA Open is also an option.
“When young people and young adults get to a certain age and they’re looking for something that really is going to stretch them and give them their first real taste of what professional practice looks like, that’s where our courses come in,” says Gillian Meisner-Lemon, Head of NIDA Open.
Describing such courses as “pre-professional training”, Meisner-Lemon says the intensive six- and 12-month part-time courses offered through NIDA Open are ideal for young people who want to commit to a career in the arts, from acting and musical theatre to script writing and direction.
“The whole syllabus is crafted around and reflects the training that is on offer in our tertiary education program at NIDA, whether that be in the VET [vocational education and training] program or in the BFA [Bachelor of Fine Arts] program. We’re really looking at the actors’ process. We’re looking at heart, the embodiment of emotion, the voice, the thoughts – and so these opportunities through the Young Actors Studio give that first real taste of what professional training would look like,” she tells ArtsHub.
Classes are held on Saturdays or Sundays from 11am until 5pm, and are delivered by teaching artists, each an experienced practitioner who has been selected for their teaching ability, knowledge and real-world experience.
“They’re not just teachers, they’re actually trained professionals, often NIDA graduates who also have a passion for teaching. And these people are bringing their lived experience as an artist to the classroom and are able to share their experiences with the students,” Meisner-Lemon explains.
Class sizes are capped, ensuring participants can absorb new lessons, hone existing skills, develop new strengths and ignite their creative passions. Nor do participants need to be exclusively focused upon a professional arts career – NIDA Open Studio courses can also benefit those seeking to enhance their personal and professional creativity.
“With singing and acting particularly, the six-month courses are really focused on acting technique. For example, we may get people applying who have got really great singing voices, but they actually don’t know how to act through song. And so the real focus there is about being able to take the singing skills that people already have and learning how to tell stories through song, after which we focus on working with the members of the ensemble and ensemble storytelling,” says Meisner-Lemon.
“Then with directors’ and writers’ [six-month] Studios, the term one focus is on directing for stage and writing for stage, while the second term is about how that skill set has to pivot or adapt for a different medium. The 12-month programs are for people who want to be really prepared to begin three-year professional training.”
Entry to NIDA Open Studios courses is via audition or interview. Information about how to prepare for an audition or interview is provided after registration.
Meisner-Lemon’s audition advice is first to “be on time”.
She adds, “Be prepared thoroughly. But on the day, be willing to be flexible, to take direction, to be open to accepting offers from other people, because we’re not just looking for someone who can come in and nail a perfect audition piece. Performance is a very collaborative activity, so we’re looking for people who are willing to come and play and learn new skills and apply those to themselves so that they can grow.
“I would also say, and it’s one of the things I say whenever I teach first years, it’s about being prepared to come and try something and, if it doesn’t work, learning from that, because that’s a really important element of training. You’ve got to be open to exploring things in a new way and to see what you can discover.”
Auditions for the NIDA Open 2025 Studios program take place on Saturday 14 December in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with a second round held on Saturday 11 January in Melbourne and Sydney, and Saturday 18 January in Brisbane.
