Practical skill-based learning in the performing arts led by industry experts with a focus on personal and creative development.
Learning Frame Work
Each term we focus on a specific area of performance practice to ensure students have a varied experience and learn a range of essential creative skills. Students are able to join us at the start of any term during the year. NIDA Open Drama courses are designed across a four term structure within the following learning framework:
Term 1 Improvisation and Performance Craft
Term 2 Voice and Movement
Term 3 Devising and Contemporary Performance
Term 4 Script Work and Staging
Term 1: You’re not serious?
Discover how saying ‘YES’ to others can help you extend your own ideas while working in a fun collaborative environment. Explore improvisation technique to create unique characters and learn fundamental physical comedy and clowning skills. Develop your confidence to respond in ‘off the cuff’ scene work with your ensemble as you explore the joy of improvisation in our lively and inclusive rehearsal rooms. Share your unique stories with friends and family in an exciting end-of-term presentation.
Components
- Craft: Apply the fundamentals of improvisation to create your own comic characters and scenarios.
- Skills: Learn the core techniques of physical comedy.
- Ensemble: Work as part of a team to achieve a shared goal through improvised performance.
Term 2: And now a word from our sponsors
EVERYTHING MUST GO! Welcome to the fast paced world of television commercials where everything is big big BIG! Pitch your most inventive idea for a new ‘must-have’ product and star in the commercial to sell it to the world. Develop your vocal and physcial skills and learn how to captivate your on screen audience and convince them to buy buy BUY! Engage your creative expression aa you unleash your imagination and ‘sell’ your great ideas to friends and family in an end of term presentation.
Components
- Vocal Expression: Expand your vocal range by exploring a range of commercial voice reads.
- Physicality: Practice and apply movement technique for on screen performance.
- Performance Craft: Develop your understanding of different styles of scripts.
Term 3: PhotoShop
They say a picture tells a thousand words. Exchange images and stories from special moments in your life and work with your NIDA Open friends as you reimagine the given circumstances to devise new and exciting narratives that need to be seen to be believed. Work as part of an ensemble with your experienced teaching artists to explore creative storytelling techniques and develop your original ideas for the stage.
Components
- Collaboration: Work in a group to incorporate new, shared ideas into a live performance.
- Characters: Experiment with vocal and physical expression to create an original character.
- Creative Voice: Assume a variety of roles in a creative development process to generate new ideas for a live presentation.
Term 4: On with the show!
The director waits script in hand, the stage is set, and the audience awaits but the actors are nowhere to be found! It’s all up to you, our motley crew of stage-hands to step into the shoes of the missing actors and bring the show to life. Rehearse short, contemporary scenes and explore the creative and technical elements of performance to discover what goes on backstage to bring it all together. Experience the excitement of collaboration as you work as an ensemble to create live performance for an audience.
Components
- Text Analysis: Interpret and bring to life a short written text for live performance.
- Performance: Apply acting, voice and movement practice to a short scripted, live presentation.
- Stage Craft: Consider the elements that contribute to the physical realization of a performance.
For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions.
