National Institute of Dramatic Art

There’s still time to apply for NIDA’s First Nations Technical Production Pathways five-day intensive, with applications extended until Monday 29 June. Completely free and delivered in partnership with Brown’s Mart during NAIDOC Week (Monday 6 July - Friday 10 July), First Nations peoples aged 18 – 25 will have the chance to gain hands-on experience in stage management, lighting, sound and festival operations.

This is an excellent first step towards a career in the performing arts, providing practical training, industry connections and real pathways into employment. If you’re from Darwin or anywhere across the Northern Territory, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now by emailing [email protected] and tell us about your mob, where you’re from, and why you’d like to be part of the program.

Photo 1: NIDA's 2024 Production of 'Spring Awakening. Photo by Julia Firak.
Photo 2: NIDA's 2026 'Rockstars' show. Photo by Rob Miniter.

If you couldn't make it to Open Day or want to relive some of the magic, check out the coverage by Entertainment Reporter, Justin Hill:

From 'Street Fighter' to Nicole Kidman's Iconic Chanel Commercial: My Day at NIDA Come and be my plus one as I spend the day at NIDA as an honorary s...

Four voices find harmony in a world that's still learning to listen. Dramatic Writing student Sheanna Russon takes us inside her new musical work, 'Afterglow', exploring gender identity, belonging and connection through the rigid tradition of barbershop harmony. Get to know Sheanna and ahead of the premiere: https://www.nida.edu.au/news/how-writer-sheanna-russon-found-harmony-in-afterglow/

Can't get 'In Pieces' out of your head? Joey Contreras' song cycle was part of NIDA's Winter Production season, directed by Miranda Middleton and performed and staged by our brilliant third-year students.

Swipe for some of our favourite moments and let us know which song was your favourite 🎶.

Photos by Robert Miniter.

A story that lingers long after the final bow.
Written by Angus Cerini and directed by Dino Dimitriadis, NIDA's production of 'The Bleeding Tree' was a brutal thriller driven by extraordinary performance and striking stagecraft. Swipe for highlights from this production and tell us which theme resonated strongest with you🪾.

Photos by Jacquie Manning.

Dark secrets, restless spirits and practical effects that looked like straight up witchcraft. 'Possessions', directed by Anthea Williams and written by Keziah Warner, challenged NIDA's third year students to combine compelling performance with inventive theatrical illusions and technical ingenuity to tell a ghost story that had audiences doing double takes.

Swipe through this gallery to revisit the magic and let us know how many times 'Possessions' made you jump ⏾.

Photos by Julia Firak.

Moonlit mischief, magic and misunderstandings, NIDA's production of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' was enchanting to behold. Directed by the great Simon Phillips and brought to life by the extraordinary artistry of our third year students, we're pleased to share photos of some of the most breathtaking moments.

If you saw this production share your favourite scene in the comments 🧚.

Photos by Jacquie Manning.

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Saturday for Open Day and brought such fantastic energy to the event! We loved meeting you and showing a little of what a future at NIDA could look like. We hope you left us feeling inspired.

It takes a village (or in our case NIDA Community) to host such a spectacular event, so thank you to our alumni, guests, course leaders, students and staff for sharing your stories, time and energy to make our attendees feel welcome.

2027 NIDA applications are open: https://www.nida.edu.au/study/students/how-to-apply/

Photos by Julia Firak

We're thrilled to welcome so many NIDA alumni for our Open Day this year. Joining the BFA Acting alumni panel is recent graduate Zahara Jithoo (Acting, 2025), screen actor and star of 'All Her Fault' and 'The Gilded Age', Thomas Cocquerel (Acting, 2012), actor/writer Matthew Whittet (Acting, 1997) best known for 'Moulin Rouge' and 'Australia', and more recently ABC Kids’ 'Caper Crew', and moderated by actor/director Jules Billington (Acting, 2008). Our other special alumni panellists include:

🎨 Designers & Makers
Imahn Pholi (Costume, 2025)
Zoe Howard (Set Construction Technologies, 2025)
Isabel Hudson (Design, 2015)
Grace McCann (Properties & Objects, 2024)
Moderated by Gypsy Taylor (Design, 2003)

💡 Technical Production
Alex Berlage (Technical Production, 2013 & MFA Directing, 2017)
Pip Morey (Live Production and Technical Services, 2019 & Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2022)
Moderated by Nicole Robinson (Head of Technical Production)

🎭 Stage and Screen Performance & Musical Theatre
Brittanie Shipway (Musical Theatre, 2016)
Aileen Lee (Stage & Screen Performance, 2023)
Moderated by Grace Stamnas (Musical Theatre, 2017 & Acting, 2022)

There's still time to register: https://nida.mobi/3QTTSwi