The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is Australia's premier centre for education and training in the performing arts. It is also home to the National Theatre of Australia. NIDA was established in 1958 and operates on the conservatoire model, in which students learn via hands-on experience while working on real-world performances. It provides bachelor's, master's, and vocational degrees in a variety of disciplines such as acting, writing and directing; scenic construction; technical theatre; voice; costume; props; production design and cultural leadership; and cultural leadership.
The National Institute of Design and Technology (NIDA) also offers short courses to thousands of students each year across Australia and abroad. The NIDA Open programme is Australia's biggest non-profit performing arts short course programme and is run by the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
By The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, NIDA was rated as the world's 10th top drama school, and by The Hollywood Reporter in 2019, NIDA was ranked as one of the Top 5 Undergraduate Schools for an Acting Degree.
This campus, situated in the Sydney district of Kensington, next to the University of New South Wales (UNSW), has a variety of rehearsal and performance spaces, as well as administrative offices.
A grant from the Aussie Government's Department of Communications and the Arts supports NIDA's work, and it is a member of the "Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence (Arts8)," a collaboration between national performing arts training organisations and the Australian Government that provides opportunities for emerging artists to develop their skills.