NIDA Open Day (1 Viewer)

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

Did anyone go to this??? I wanted to so much and couldn't go...but if anyone else happened to go, how was it?

 

[greenapple^0^]

oooo poor thing~~ i went tho
it was heaps of fun but those are the workshops where its typical normal ones like you know walking and running being a old person etc...but the best thing was the make up ~~ooo i got myself a two scars one on my neck like a vampire mark and other in my face like a cat scratch itz so real~~mann its really cool~ mostly every1 got the scars coz they look mad..and there were like screen acting which was cool well yeah stuff like dat it was fun overall~~
what did you guys think of it??

 

[AlleyCat]

NIDA will eat your soul...


...and no i'm not bitter

 

[Skillo]

I'm at VCA...
NIDA is rich, too rich for it's own good. Little over-rated.
VCA is poor, like too poor but we make do...we're the best training institution because Melbourne Theatre Company is being built right next door to our School of Drama...and I mean come on, everyone wants Australia's oldest theatre company next door to where they study.
WAAPA is good, but too isolated and their arts scene in Perth sucks.

So come to VCA, and next year, we become a faculty of the University of Melbourne, which makes our degrees look HELLLA good overseas...(number 1 ranked uni in oz...)

I'm not bias, ask me about the bad things of VCA and i'll tell you.

Oh and our open day is the 20th of August.
(and NIDA will eat your soul and change everything you know about theatre... forget creative independence)

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

yeah i haven't heard many good things about NIDA...that's why i wanted to go, to see if these rumours are true...i've been thinking about having a crack at VCA or perhaps ACA - the former depends on whether i can get to victoria or not. and if i don't get in anywhere, i'm off to UNSW for a year or two and i'll try again after i get more experience.
perseverance is everything, lol

 

[SuNrIsE_oVa_sEa]

yea i wanna go to uni first and do courses on the side and then after uni join a theatre company or try to get into NIDA or ACTT -they told me anyway at NIDA they like hardely eva let sum1 in who has just gotten out of highschool as they want people with life experience-the problem with acting schools like NIDA is that say uve done 3 years there and after it doesnt mean u will get a job straight away, like acting as a job is so unstable that it sumtimes doesnt matter wat experience uve had or how good ur acting is but its who u know and how much u have $$$$$


stupid:mad1:

 

[AlleyCat]

I'm at VCA...
NIDA is rich, too rich for it's own good. Little over-rated.
VCA is poor, like too poor but we make do...we're the best training institution because Melbourne Theatre Company is being built right next door to our School of Drama...and I mean come on, everyone wants Australia's oldest theatre company next door to where they study.
WAAPA is good, but too isolated and their arts scene in Perth sucks.

So come to VCA, and next year, we become a faculty of the University of Melbourne, which makes our degrees look HELLLA good overseas...(number 1 ranked uni in oz...)

I'm not bias, ask me about the bad things of VCA and i'll tell you.

Oh and our open day is the 20th of August.
(and NIDA will eat your soul and change everything you know about theatre... forget creative independence)

word.

hey skillo, tell me when you're in something and i'll come watch, and cheer.

conversely, i may be in the RMIT production of sexual perversity in chicago in august, so if you're free...

 

[greenapple^0^]

lol i agree with the whole NIDA, it's too expensive i just think nida isn't dat good for it's price....well form the experience from the open day..it was fun but...there was somthing about it dat didn't really felt...."the thing" so i don't know no y some people are crazy about goin there thinking it's the best...as there is so many better drama skool to go too..

 

[jazzmuzik]

Yeah i went to the open day... there was an indimidating factor there when you talk to the tutors etc. which although a little unnerving to a student, seemed to create a certain respect fot the place. I had a chat to some of the 1st and 2nd year students there who were really friendly, honest and down to earth...

I'm not really interested in the acting side but i went to check out the design course. i y thought the open day was worthwhile for that, I'm glad i wasnt interested in the acting cause there lots of ppl all looking at the same thing... Yeah I'm still seriously considering the design course (Bachelor of dramatic art in design) It came across as really really great. I was really impressed with the standard of facilities at NIDA and thats a strong reason it appealed to me. I'm only in year 11 atm so i'm willing to look at the other places that offer the course... can anyone let me know where else they do this one or an equivalent?

 

[Skillo]

word.

hey skillo, tell me when you're in something and i'll come watch, and cheer.

conversely, i may be in the RMIT production of sexual perversity in chicago in august, so if you're free...

I've converted to the other side AlleyCat...I don't do performance, I do Production...i light and stage manage and various other things....

 

[hazaar]

Hi, I didnt go to the open day....but i dont see why people are dissing nida so much.
I have done courses there for years now, finished the Young Acotrs Studio last year, and having met all the people who work there and the students who attend the classes it's definately somewhere i would love to go.

Im sure VCA is also great....but we dont all have to go there.

Plus Nida has only just recently finished major renovations and it looks great. The new facilites are awesome. The STC's just a hop skip and a jump away

Plus if i moved to melbourne id be away from my premiers...the swans.

CARN THE SWANS!!!

(thats was completely unrelated...but oh well )

 

[AlleyCat]

If you really want to be an actor you have to be willing to move states for jobs. The industry here is tenfold that of Sydney.

I'm not saying that NIDA is bad necessarily, and perhaps I'm a little bitter (but only a little ) but they aren't very supportive and encouraging, and I get the idea that they want to break the spirit of their students, which, whilst I'm sure creates good actors, doesn't leave much scope for individuality and flair.

I've looked at many acting schools (although my ambitions have changed from acting to journalist/documentarian) and found VCA to be unique in that they encourage difference.

 

[hazaar]

I understand.
Maybe i'm a little naive, but I can't judge what i haven't experienced.
Maybe I'll check out a few other Drama Uni's.

 

[AlleyCat]

I suggest you try out for as many as you possibly can, and work your little tush off to get into all of them, at which point you can make an informed decision about which to go to.

You got nominated for onstage (if I remember correctly in both sections) so you obviously have talent, but that is not enough.

In hindsight, my downfall in trying out for NIDA was in being too arrogant and refusing to change my acting style according to the comments of the auditioners.

Be well prepared, listen to what they have to say, and for god's sake DON'T LET ANY SNIDE COMMENT THEY MAKE GET TO YOU!

I immediately put one marker offside when I became visibly offended when she said I had "dead eyes".

Good luck honey.

 

[Jeza]

I suggest you try out for as many as you possibly can, and work your little tush off to get into all of them, at which point you can make an informed decision about which to go to.

You got nominated for onstage (if I remember correctly in both sections) so you obviously have talent, but that is not enough.

In hindsight, my downfall in trying out for NIDA was in being too arrogant and refusing to change my acting style according to the comments of the auditioners.

Be well prepared, listen to what they have to say, and for god's sake DON'T LET ANY SNIDE COMMENT THEY MAKE GET TO YOU!

I immediately put one marker offside when I became visibly offended when she said I had "dead eyes".

Good luck honey.

Shit the whole audition process sounds daunting. Man since I was little NIDA has been like the only place I could ever imagine myself. Whats the audition process like, the auditioners sound evil. Oh well screw em I'm just gunna go 4 it. I sent in my application today YEW!

 

[AlleyCat]

The initial audition is fine, you just have to memorise three short pieces, and know them well. Know your Shakespeare especially well, and please, DON'T DO IT WITH A PHONEY ENGLISH ACCENT! I was the only one who spoke in my natural accent, and I was the only one to get a call back.

Once you have been called back in the afternoon, it gets tough.

They'll choose a piece for you out of the three you did earlier, and then they'll interrupt you like mad, telling you how to change your performance, speak differently, move differently. LISTEN TO THESE INSTRUCTIONS...They are extremely fussy.

If you get another call back, they'll give you a scene and a part to take home and memorise. MEMORISE IT PERFECTLY. There is no room for error.

Work well with your group on the day, don't try and outshine them in any way. Instead just perform your part as well as you can. THEY WILL NOTICE YOU, even if you have a small part.

The afternoon is improv stuff, and EVERYONE will be extremely good at it... so try and get some practice in beforehand if it's not your forte. Be both funny AND serious, don't do cheap jokes like female impersonation etc (they are PC snobs.)

And for heaven's sake, don't fake cry during any of your performances or you'll be out on your ass. The girl next to me learnt this the hard way, and she was probably the most talented of the lot.

One last thing. NIDA are very superficial. THEY REALLY LIKE PRETTY PEOPLE... i.e. Do your hair, wear nice/trendy/slightly alternative clothes but not too much makeup.

I think you'll get through if you follow my instrustions...

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

The initial audition is fine, you just have to memorise three short pieces, and know them well. Know your Shakespeare especially well, and please, DON'T DO IT WITH A PHONEY ENGLISH ACCENT! I was the only one who spoke in my natural accent, and I was the only one to get a call back.

Once you have been called back in the afternoon, it gets tough.

They'll choose a piece for you out of the three you did earlier, and then they'll interrupt you like mad, telling you how to change your performance, speak differently, move differently. LISTEN TO THESE INSTRUCTIONS...They are extremely fussy.

If you get another call back, they'll give you a scene and a part to take home and memorise. MEMORISE IT PERFECTLY. There is no room for error.

Work well with your group on the day, don't try and outshine them in any way. Instead just perform your part as well as you can. THEY WILL NOTICE YOU, even if you have a small part.

The afternoon is improv stuff, and EVERYONE will be extremely good at it... so try and get some practice in beforehand if it's not your forte. Be both funny AND serious, don't do cheap jokes like female impersonation etc (they are PC snobs.)

And for heaven's sake, don't fake cry during any of your performances or you'll be out on your ass. The girl next to me learnt this the hard way, and she was probably the most talented of the lot.

One last thing. NIDA are very superficial. THEY REALLY LIKE PRETTY PEOPLE... i.e. Do your hair, wear nice/trendy/slightly alternative clothes but not too much makeup.

I think you'll get through if you follow my instrustions...

oh dear god.

i was tentatively thinking about auditioning. but im not quite so sure now. the initial audition sounds okay, but at the other stuff.

although, despite my misgivings i think i am still going to have a crack at it (whether or not they take me the experience will be valuable, i guess)... alley, can you elaborate a little more on this improv business? like how its done? do they give you a topic, or you pick one, or what... this is the part that is the most daunting... im good at improv at school but i dunno how i'll go with these fabulously talented people - plus i have never done a 'serious' improv in my life.

 

[AlleyCat]

They basically play theatresports games, and the temptation to play up and crack penis jokes is almost overwhelming... but DON'T DO IT!

Just think about it as if it were a no-joke workshopping excercise, funny if it needs to be, serious if it doesn't.

...And save the toilet jokes for the pub afterwards, because even if you don't get in, you make friends quick smart cos everyone is so stressed out.

 

[Jeza]

Shit! I knew NIDA hated fugly people but not to that extent. Luky Im not phat but. Shit that was seriously good advice. Did yu get to the third stage? Yea the penis and toilet jokes seems like a common trap to fall into but Fingers crossed I can always try next year Im only seventeen!

 

[AlleyCat]

Shit! I knew NIDA hated fugly people but not to that extent. Luky Im not phat but. Shit that was seriously good advice. Did yu get to the third stage? Yea the penis and toilet jokes seems like a common trap to fall into but Fingers crossed I can always try next year Im only seventeen!

In my opinion you should save yourself the money and the heartache and get some life experience first.

They told me that, and I have been in professional theatre all through my childhood... what more life experience do they want?

Yes, I got into the third stage. But it gets more and more nit-picky.

All that said, if it's what you really want to do, go for it. But don't be upset if they tell you you're unqualified.