National Theatre National Theatre

The National Theatre includes National Theatre Ballet School, National Theatre Drama School and the venue is available to hire.

The National Theatre offers a hiring package which incorporates a staffing, staging and lighting component. The National Theatre will assist you in every way to ensure that your season is a great success.

National Theatre Ballet School

Australia's longest established ballet school.

The National Theatre Ballet School offers courses for students of varying levels of interest, ability and age. These range from Dance Play for 3 year olds to Adult Classical Classes; Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, for children through to adults. Classical students older than 15 can also apply for admission to our Full Time Courses: Certificate IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma.

National Theatre Drama School

National Theatre Drama School offers full-time and part-time courses to prepare students for professional performing careers and/or careers as creators and presenters of original live or recorded work.

Advanced Diploma of Acting | Certificate III in Theatre and Screen Performance

Recreational Courses for Adults

Intro to Acting
Intro to Acting gives participants a chance to find out what acting is all about in a supportive and fun environment. The emphasis is on working collaboratively and unlocking the sources of your creativity. Don't worry if this is your first go at acting - jump in and see what happens.

Acting 1
If you've completed the Intro course or done some acting basics elsewhere you'll probably be ready to move to the next level. Acting 1 starts with improvisation and self-devised work before moving on to basic text analysis and rehearsal techniques. The focus here is on developing greater confidence in performance and discovering further techniques to allow fuller, uninhibited imaginative responses.

Acting 2
Acting 2 is primarily a scene-study workshop. It assumes that you have some performance experience and are interested in developing your ability to interpret and utilise text and to finesse your acting skills. Participants may decide to work towards a workshop performance for an invited audience in the last week or so of the course.

Intro to Acting for Camera
Guided by an experienced screen actor this course explains the basics of acting for film and television. While useful for those with little acting experience, it will be of greatest benefit to students who have an understanding and some experience of stage acting.

Contact David Harford on 03 9534 0223 or drama@nationaltheatre.org.au for more information.

National Theatre Founding

The National Theatre was founded on December 5th 1935 by the late Gertrude E. Johnson OBE after her return from a successful career as a soprano in England.

Her idea of a National Theatre grew out of conversations she had whilst in England with Lillian Bayliss, the founder of the Old Vic and Sadlers Wells. The principle was based upon a continuing tuition of young singers, dancers and actors to professional level and this has been implemented and continued to the present day with the Ballet and Drama Schools, although the Opera School founded by Miss Johnson in 1935 was transferred to the Victorian College of the Arts in 1978-80 (and closed in 2006).

The Theatre was originally built in 1920 as the 3000 seat Victory Theatre for the presentation of films. Following the opening of the Palais Theatre in the mid 1920's the theatre was closed for extensive renovations and the seating capacity reduced to 2550. It was re-opened in 1928 and the current foyers, grand staircase, barrel vaulting and auditorium date from that renovation.

❊ Address ❊

 ℅ Youruk
 ⊜  20 Carlisle Street St Kilda 3182 View Map
 ✆ Telephone: +61 (0)3 9534 0224

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❊ Web Links ❊

➼ National Theatre 

➼ www.nationaltheatre.org.au






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