: Students of theatre in the southern States have a reason to rejoice. Their long-cherished dream of studying at the National School of Drama (NSD) will be realised on August 25, with country’s premier theatre institute commencing a full-fledged one year course in acting at its Bangalore chapter.
This is the first initiative of the kind outside New Delhi. This course would be offered to theatre students of Karnataka, Seemandhra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Union Territories of Puducherry and Lakshadeep.
The course will be offered to 20 students. The minimum qualification is graduation or equivalent degree in any discipline from a recognised university.
However, educational qualification will be relaxed in case of extraordinary talented candidates from the tribal, folk and traditional performing art families. All selected students will get scholarship of Rs. 4,500 a month.
Meanwhile, the NSD has also invited applications from eminent personalities in the field for the post of camp director.
Though the previous chairperson Amal Allana promised to begin a full-fledged three year theatre course by August 2012, there was no progress.
Meanwhile the State government had written a letter asking it to vacate Gurunanak Bhavan, setting a deadline of September 23.
However, the process gained momentum with theatre personalities and elected representatives from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh meeting Minister for Culture Sripad Nayak recently. The Union Culture Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NSD on May 12, 2014, and as a result the much awaited course will commence on August 25.
