Residency Courses
Develop and extend your creative skills as you collaborate with NIDA teaching artists within a challenging and rigorous environment.
NIDA Residencies are designed for people with a commitment and curiosity to undergo intensive, artistic development over an extended period of time. International and national applications are accepted to create a vibrant cultural hub. Residencies are held in January and July each year.
Adult Residency
- Actors Residency
- Designers Residency
- Properties and Objects Residency
- Staging and Technical Production Residency
Youth Residency (15-18 years)
Entry requirements
Entry into a NIDA Residency is by selection. Participants need to have a demonstrated proficiency in the English language. A basic fitness level is required for perfromance based Residencies as some course components will be physical.
Select the course you are interested in above and complete an online application form detailing your relevant performance or production experience and/or training and what you hope to gain by attending this course. We will select participants based on this information. Group size will be restricted to maximise individual attention.
What people are saying
'Our tutor was truly present, had a wealth of wisdom to share, and really brought out the best work in us. He was honest and has a gift for teaching.'
Student, Advanced Actors Residency
'I had the best two weeks ever!'
Student, Young Musical Theatre Residency
Tutors
NIDA Residencies are taught by leading practitioners, benefiting from current industry knowledge and experience.
Former Residency tutors have included:
Shane Anthony (director, Griffin Theatre and Sydney Festival); Pip Edwards (actor, Home and Away, Anzac Girls, June Again and Melbourne Theatre Company), Garth Holcombe (actor, Sydney Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare), Anna Houston (actor, playwright and director), Ben Mathews (award winning director, actor and AWGIE nominated writer), Brendon McDonall (actor, director, filmmaker, Iris Prize winner, Spoilers and Janet King), Jeneffa Soldatic (director, writer and acting coach), Nigel Turner-Carroll (actor and director nominated for two Green Room Awards and an Australian Dance Award for Best Musical); and Clara Voda (actor, L.S. Bulandra Theatre Co, Romania, If I Want to Whistle I Whistle (Winner of Berlin’s Silver Bear and Nominated for a European Academy Award) and The Death of Mister Lazarescu.)Fees
You will be asked to pay your fees upon acceptance into the Residency Program.
Hours of work
The standard hours of work will be 10am–5pm Monday to Friday. Attendance at all classes is compulsory. You will be expected to spend additional hours outside of these course times for research and scene preparation.
A certificate of attendance will be awarded at the end of the course.
Course recognition
For university or college students who are seeking credit at their current institution you will need to apply to that institution directly to recognise the NIDA Residency courses as credit.
Information for international participants
You will need to apply for an appropriate visa for your visit to Australia, such as a Visitor or Working Holiday Maker Visa. As a short non-award course, NIDA Residencies do not require a student visa. For information on applying for a visa to visit Australia go to the website of the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
For general information on studying in Australia, you can also visit Study in Australia.