National School of Drama (NSD)

Established in 1959, the National School of Drama is an educational institution in New Delhi which offers theatre education to its students. The school is considered to be one of the best drama schools all over the world and thus attracts students in large numbers. It is a stepping stone for visual art courses. The National School of Drama is administered by the Ministry of Culture. Read this blog further to know more about the National School of Drama in detail.

Name of the Institute	National School of Drama, NSD
Location	New Delhi
Type of Institute	Public/Government, Autonomous
Year of Establishment	1959
Affiliation	Sangeet Natak Akademi
Courses Offered	Diploma Course in Dramatics Arts
Official Website	https://nsd.gov.in/delhi/
Admission Mode	Online, Offline both
Scholarship	Yes

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About the National School of Drama (NSD)

The National School of Drama is famous for offering the best quality education in dramatics and offers a diploma degree in Acting and Theatre Techniques and Design. The school offers a diploma in-

1. Acting
2. Dramatic Arts
3. Theatre Techniques and Design

Their two performance wings include the Repertory Company and Sanakaar Rang Toli. The school follows an efficient approach towards teaching their students dramatic arts as well as they work on building the overall personality of the individual. Due to their strong alumni network, they organize various types of workshops for both adults and children. 

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Why Choose National School of Drama?

The National School of Drama (NSD) is one of the best theatre schools in the world. It provides students with extensive knowledge of performing arts as well as provides them with the basic theoretical knowledge required. The school focuses on the overall development of the students and helps them gain complete knowledge and practice of theatre. It even teaches you the basics of filmmaking.  Many students who are perturbed by the question of how to become a filmmaker also enrol here.

The school has a strong network of alumni spread all over the world which acts as an advantage to the students. Students actively learn about the practicalities of theatre and how to implement all this theoretical knowledge into something meaningful from someone who is actually doing all this. It helps you form a basic understanding of acting courses. One key advantage of NSD is its affordability. The school costs about INR 25,000 for three years which is much cheaper as compared to other theatre and drama institutes especially with the quality of education they deliver.

Courses Offered

The National School of Drama is famous for offering the best quality education in dramatics and offers a diploma degree in Acting and Theatre Techniques and Design. The school offers diploma programs in the following specialisations:

1. Acting– A diploma in acting is a three-year course which teaches all the different aspects of acting to students. It focuses on all the minor details as well such as emotions, and body language and helps in improving them.
2. Dramatic Arts– A diploma in dramatic arts is a three-year course which provides students with the basic knowledge of drama and theatre acting. It is suitable for people who wish to pursue theatre, drama or acting.
3. Theatre Techniques and Design- This course deals with the backend of drama and theatre. It teaches students about how to design a perfect space for shooting or a drama and teaches different techniques so as to successfully portray an emotion to the audience.

Curriculum

Tabulated below is the complete curriculum taught at the National School of Drama. Have a look:

Year of Study	Subjects
1st Year	Introduction to Theatre Techniques and Design, Theatre History, Introduction to Acting, Literature and Aesthetics
2nd Year	Specialisation in Acting OR Theatre Techniques and design, Literature & Aesthetics, Theatre History
3rd Year	Specialisation in Acting OR Theatre Techniques & design

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to study in the National School of Drama it is essential to have a few qualities. They are listed below: 

• Knowledge of both English and Hindi language.
• Letter of Recommendation from a theatre expert.
• Applicants must have a graduation certificate.
• The applicant needs to have a minimum experience of at least 6 theatre productions.
• The applicant must submit a certificate of medical fitness.

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Admission Process

Candidates need to visit the official website of the National School of Drama and fill out the online application form which costs about Rs 50. Alternatively, candidates can also fill out this application form in offline mode by writing to the Dean of the National School of Drama containing a demand draft of Rs 250 in favour of “Director, National School of Drama, New Delhi”.

The selection decision is made on the basis of the preliminary examinations which are conducted by the school itself and measures the candidates on different aspects of their theatrical knowledge. The exams are conducted in 12 exam centres which are spread all over the country.

Admission to this school is a two-step process-

1. The preliminary exam.
2. Candidates who pass the exam appear for the second phase of the test which consists of a 5-day theatre examination workshop inside the campus itself.

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Notable Alumni

• Anupam Kher
• Naseeruddin Shah
• Om Puri
• Irfan Khan
• Piyush Mishra
• Ratna Pathak Shah
• Nawazuddin Siddiqui
• Pankaj Tripathi
• Satish Kaushik
• Neena Gupta
• Rajpal Yadav
• Sanjay Mishra
• Atul Kulkarni

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Career after National School of Drama

As the National School of Drama provides professional courses and focuses more on the skill development of the students, there aren’t any direct placement opportunities available. However, this does not mean that graduating from NSD doesn’t provide you with plenty of opportunities. It helps you have a career in art and drama. The National School of Drama in itself has become a big name today which stands for skill-based education in the field of drama and theatre. Students get the opportunity to work in big theatre and drama companies after their graduation. Also, the school recommends to the students which directors or organizations they should approach in order to get selected and help them go through the entire process. There are a lot of NSD graduates who have become big names in the Bollywood industry such as Anupam Kher, Pankaj Tripathi etc. thus increasing the credibility of the institution.

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FAQs

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