Vocational Education and Training

The Vocational Studies unit at NIDA delivers Vocational Education and Training (VET) services which are regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). In 2021 this included delivery of the following qualifications: → CUA50213 Diploma of Musical Theatre → 10196NAT Diploma of Stage and

Screen Performance → CUA50415 Diploma of LiveProduction and Technical Services → CUA51015 Diploma of Screen and

Media (Specialist Makeup Services) → CUA30415 Certificate III in Live

Production and Services

Year-long study NIDA’s diploma-level courses provide fulltime, intensive training and allowed NIDA to address specific skills gaps in the arts and entertainment industries. They also support NIDA’s commitment to providing greater educational opportunities and attracting students from a variety of demographics. Blended experiences: face-to-face and online Aspects of the diplomas of Musical Theatre and Stage and Screen Performance were delivered online, due to the suspension of face-to-face classes brought about by COVID–19 lockdown measures. The commencement of delivery of the Diplomas of Live Production and Technical Services and Specialist Makeup Services was delayed for the same reason. As in 2020, audition and interview sessions were undertaken online.

Internal collaborations Despite the pandemic, students in each of the diploma courses collaborated with other NIDA students and with NIDA staff members on events and productions, all within COVID–19 safety conditions. Highlights included: → the Stage and Screen Performance and Musical Theatre Showcases: combining the skills of the Diplomas of Stage and Screen Performance,

Musical Theatre, Specialist Makeup

Services and Live Production and Technical Services with BFA Technical

Theatre and Stage Management → the Makeup Showcase: combining the skills of the Diplomas of Stage and

Screen Performance and Specialist

Makeup Services → the triple j Unearthed video shoot and the Festival of Emerging Artists season of productions: combining the skills of the Diplomas of Specialist

Makeup Services and Live Production and Technical Services with MFA

Directors and BFA Designers. These opportunities allowed students to be led by NIDA staff members and to work alongside guests from the arts and entertainment industries in productions and events that mirrored industry practice. High School teacher training Via the Certificate III in Live Production and Services, teachers from across NSW undertook skills development at NIDA. 22 teachers took part in Semester 1 and 34 in Semester 2. Face-to-face engagement was limited by COVID–19 restrictions, so the courses included a combination of face-to-face and online coursework. Teachers came from the NSW Department of Education, the Association of Independent Schools and the Catholic Education Commission.

Industry context, connection, and support In 2021, the arts and entertainment industries continued to evolve to reflect changes in the ways in which stories are created and told, and to better reflect Australia’s cultural diversity. To remain abreast of practices, NIDA VET nurtured relationships with individuals and organisations from a range of cultural and industry contexts. Components of the planning and delivery of diploma courses were undertaken with support and input from Foundation Theatres, Pinchgut Opera, Opera Australia, Sydney Opera House, Carriageworks, JPJ Audio, Sydney Festival, Belvoir Street Festival, Easy Tiger Productions, ABC TV, AFTRS, Sean Michael Management, CBM Management, Mollison Keightley Management, the Colosseum, Sydney Theatre Company, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Michael Cassel Group, and Crossroads Live. Learning outcomes and currency of training As well as seeking to understand industry practices through meetings and discussion, freelance industry practitioners and representatives from organisations were invited to see students work, to provide NIDA with feedback on learning outcomes, to discuss curriculum options, and to provide staff and students with a context for their work and the industry, as it shifts and evolves. Industry guests In 2021 engagement with casual tutors, and guest artists, included: Daniel Dolling (Sydney Dance Company), Mark Chamberlain (Musical Director), Holly Austin (performer), Cynthia Simango (Hair specialist), Anne-Maree McDonald (Musical Director), Cathie Goss (Sydney Dance Company), Philip Quast (performer), Garth Holcombe (performer), Brittanie Shipway (performer), Les Chantery (screen specialist), Sandra Wograndl (Makeup artist), Colin Wilson (prosthetist), Helen Thatcher (hair and wig specialist), David Storie (technical theatre specialist), Mary Benn (stage manager), Tanya Leach (stage manager), Troy Honeysett (performer), Laura Farrell (voice specialist), Monica Sayers (performer), Laura Nagy (producer), Kate Champion (director and choreographer), Sam Worthington (performer) and Guy Simon (performer). Future focus From both course applicants and industry bodies, the interest in NIDA’s VET courses remained high. Despite the considerable uncertainty in relation to aspects of the creation of live and recorded forms of the arts and entertainment industries, application numbers for NIDA’s diploma courses continued to grow. In 2022 we will liaise with organisations and practitioners to determine changes to the needs of the arts and entertainment industries and build on our strengths to produce graduates who can contribute to, and develop, a rapidly changing entertainment landscape.