Drama And Performing Arts

Career Prospects in Drama and Performing Arts:

The career prospects in Drama and various other Performing Arts are huge and continuously increasing day by day. But the amount of success in these areas cannot be predicted as in other courses as no particular degree or knowledge can guarantee success in these fields.

The chances of success only depend on the opportunities that one gets in their field and the recognition after those opportunities. One may note that in these professions candidates with almost or no formal education in these courses may also get better opportunities.

Still, one must keep working hard and improve their skills through practice as a suitable opportunity may appear anytime that may take someone to great heights.

Here we are covering the various career opportunities that can be availed by graduates of the various Performing Arts including drama and one must note that some of these courses can also be pursued by graduates of other fields.

Some of the various career opportunities in these fields are as follows:

Higher Education in Drama or Acting etc:  This is one of the choices that may fulfill the dream of becoming an Actor or get into the entertainment industry in direction production etc. To become an Actor in movies etc in India is a dream for all Indians and is considered one of the biggest dreams similar to becoming a cricketer and playing for the country at an international level.

The various career options in this field may provide the candidates with extreme wealth, fame, money, reputation and recognition in the country.

Few of the best institutes in India that provide courses in Drama, Acting and other fields of the Film and Entertainment Industry are as follows:

• NSD: The National School of Drama or NSD in New Delhi is the most prestigious institute for Drama and Dramatic Arts in India and has a legendary alumni base.

It offers a 3-year Diploma course in Dramatic Arts whose central aim is to prepare students for the practice of theatre.

The Institute gives admissions into this course every year and offers just 26 seats.

The Procedure and Eligibility for admissions into this course in NSD, New Delhi is as follows:

ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION:

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS :

1) Graduation in any subject from a recognized University in India or Abroad.

2) Participation in at least 6 different theatre productions with attached document proof of the theatre experience i.e. certificate of participation, brochure, leaflet, newspaper clips etc .

3) Working knowledge of Hindi / English.

4) Recommendation letter from at-least one Theatre Expert, AGE LIMIT: Minimum 18 years Maximum 30 years.

The upper age limit is relaxable for reserved category candidates as per GOI rules (5 years for SC / ST).

RESERVATION FOR SC/ST/OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)/ PwD: Out of 26 seats, 4 seats are reserved for candidates belonging to the scheduled castes; 2 seats are reserved for scheduled tribes; 7 seats are reserved for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer as notified by the Government) and reservation for PwD and others as per Govt. of India rules.

SELECTION: The selection is a two-phase process. The candidate should appear for a preliminary examination and if selected then has to appear for a final examination workshop.

CENTRES FOR PRELIMINARY TEST/AUDITION AND FINAL WORKSHOP:

A preliminary test/audition will be conducted during May/June in twelve centers i.e. Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Patna, Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata. The candidates will be intimated about the date of the preliminary interview through email and it will be also available on NSD website during March/April . Study Material and guidelines for preliminary test/ audition will be available on the website during March/April. The candidates qualifying in this test will have to attend a workshop of 5 days in the School premises, New Delhi in June or July, for their final selection for which they will be paid D.A. and sleeper class train / bus fare from the place of their residence to Delhi & back by the shortest route, on submission of ticket / cash receipt and will also be provided accommodation on modest sharing basis.

An Expert Committee constituted by the School will assess the aptitude and talent of the candidates & its decision will be final.

Any CANVASSING in this regard will be treated as a disqualification. The School reserves the right to shortlist a number of candidates for audition/preliminary interview on the basis of its own evaluation of the candidates in theatre and allied arts.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: All selected students will be given a monthly scholarship of Rs. 8000/- p.m. to meet their academic and related expenses.

PHYSICAL FITNESS: The students selected for admission will be required to undergo a medical test for physical fitness at NSD Delhi. Their final selection is subject to clearance of the fitness test.

• FTII:  The Film and Television Institute of India or FTII, Pune is also among the most prestigious institutes that offers various courses in the field of entertainment for the TV and Film industry.

The admissions to these courses are given on the basis of a national level entrance test called JET or Joint Entrance Test. After the JET or Joint Entrance Test the next stages include subsequent rounds of Orientation / Interview. The students are selected on the basis of their JET scores, and performance in the orientation & interviews.

The various courses offered in these fields are as follows:

Post Graduate Diploma Course in Film Division :

• Direction & Screenplay Writing
• Cinematography
• Editing
• Sound Recording & Sound Design
• Art Direction & Production Design
• Screen Acting
• Screenwriting (Film, TV & Web Series)

Eligibility and Selection Criteria for PG Diploma courses in Film:

Selection criteria for all the above courses (except Screen Acting):

Stage 1: Candidates who wish to take admission in FTII, must appear for the Joint Entrance Test (JET) 2020.

Stage 2: Candidates qualifying in the Joint Entrance Test (JET) are called for further process of Orientation, Interview and Medical Test.

The final merit list is prepared on the basis of written examination(JET), orientation and interview with each stage carrying 20%, 50% (20% practical +30% written) and 30% weightage respectively subject to qualifying in the Medical test.

Selection criteria for PG Diploma course in Screen Acting:

Stage 1: Candidates who wish to take admission in ‘Screen Acting’ in FTII, must appear for the Joint Entrance Test (JET) 2020.

Stage 2: Candidates qualifying in the Joint Entrance Test (JET) will be called for ‘Audition’.

Stage 3: Based on the performance of the written test (stage 1) and audition (stage 2), ‘Result 1’ is prepared with each stage carrying 50% weightage. Qualified candidates (as per Result 1) are called for orientation & interview and Medical test.

‘Result-2’ is prepared on the basis of orientation & interview.

* Final merit list is prepared on the basis of ‘Result-1’ and ‘Result-2’, each carrying 50% weightage subject to qualifying in the Medical test.

Postgraduate Certificate courses in Television Wing:

• Direction
• Electronic Cinematography
• Video Editing
• Sound Recording & Television Engineering

Eligibility criteria for P.G. Certificate Course in Television :

Selection criteria for PG Certificate Course in Television:

Stage 1: Candidates who wish to take admission for PG Certificate Course in Television in FTII, must appear for the

             Joint Entrance Test (JET) 2020.

Stage 2: Candidates qualifying in the Joint Entrance Test (JET) are called for Orientation, Interview and Medical test.

*For PG Certificate Course in Television, the Joint Entrance Test (JET) is only qualifying in nature and does not carry any weightage in the further admission process.

* Final merit list will be prepared on the basis of orientation and interview, with each stage carrying 50% weightage, subject to qualifying in the Medical test.

There are several other Acting and Drama related schools that provide such courses and admissions in most of them is directly after a screening test or via an entrance examination.

Higher Education in other Performing Arts: After graduation in performing arts like dance music singing etc. or after completing the B.P.A or Bachelor of Performing Arts in various art forms this is one of the most obvious choices of study to complete masters in the same subject in which B.P.A or Bachelor of Performing Arts was completed.

The main course of study in post-graduation which is offered in the performing arts is the M.P.A or Master of Performing Arts, although some colleges also provide the M.A courses.

The various specializations in the M.P.A courses offered are as follows:

• MPA Vocal
• MPA Instrumental (Sitar)
• MPA Instrumental (Violin)
• MPA Instrumental (Flute)
• MPA Instrumental (Tabla)
• MPA Dance (Kathak)
• MPA Dance (Bharat Natyam)
• MPA Musicology

Apart from the above-mentioned courses there are several other courses specializations also that are offered in the Master of Performing Arts by various colleges and universities in India.

Major examinations for the M.P.A courses are as follows:

• BHU PET:  The Banaras Hindu University Postgraduate Entrance Test or BHU PET is conducted for admissions into the various postgraduate courses including the various MPA courses offered by different departments and faculties of the Banaras Hindu University.

This is one of the best universities in India, therefore this is one of the most important entrance examinations for MPA and related courses.

            Read more about the examination here:  BHU PET

Apart from the above-mentioned entrance examinations there are several other entrance examinations that are conducted for admissions in the MPA and other postgraduate courses in different performing arts at Institute/University level and at State/National level.

Most of the admissions granted by the Universities are directly on the basis of merit in graduation and/or based upon screening tests in front of a committee.

The various career options available in Drama and other performing Arts are as follows:

• Dancer – Dancers narrate a story, play a character, portray an abstract situation through their body movements, language,and gestures. Candidates having the confidence to perform on stage and ability to promote their skill, can succeed as a dancer. Dancers can choose from a wide range of genres including classical, modern, contemporary, street dance, ballet, folk and can also perform on television or movies. Some of them also take up the job role of a choreographer and train people or combine performance with teaching and become dance teachers in universities and dance academies.

One can become a Dancer of the dance form learned in the graduation and can also develop skills for other dance forms.

• Actor – If someone is interested in performing on stage and entertaining people, determined to succeed and can handle criticism, a career in acting can offer endless opportunities. The work of an actor varies from delivering live performances in community theatres, soap operas, television anchors, radio work, advertising, and films.

This is one of the biggest dreams of every person and family to be on the big screen and become someone to be talked about. It is one of the most flamboyant careers still but yes a very few make it that far.

• Director (Theatre, TV and Films) –The role of a theatre director requires reputation, experience, and a passion for theatre. Theatre directors have the responsibility to carry out the whole process of the creative interpretation of a script, right from the pre-production stages to the final performance. Some of the theatre directors who are also designers, writers, and performers, take up the work of designing, writing, and performing in their own work.

One can also become an Assistant Director in Movies or a Director after some experience one can also get into direction of TV or Web serials or series and have a lot of role to play in the development and execution of the project.

• Musician– Depending on the music you are interested in, you will require talent and dedication for a promising career in music. The role primarily involves creating or performing music in a wide range of genres, including jazz, classical, indie, folk, pop, rock, or Carnatic music. As a singer, one can perform live for concerts, in the studio, or as a playback singer in movies. One can also become an instrumentalist or a music composer. Some work as a freelance artist while some become a part of a choir, band, opera company, theatrical ensemble, or an orchestra.

The Possibilities in the Performing Arts are endless and one can achieve great heights in it with their talent. The beauty of this field is that even someone with no formal education in these fields can also do exceptionally well if they have extreme talent in the field like Acting, Dancing, Singing etc.

The Performing Arts as a career option is chosen by a very few but they are definitely courses of high potential and opportunities in today’s world and also needed more than ever due to the lack of originality in the various performing art forms in the entertainment industry.

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** Disclaimer: The above information is based upon our own research done through official websites and other sources. There can be mistakes in the information provided above as the procedures for college admissions and entrance examinations keep changing, although we try our best to keep this page regularly updated as much as possible.

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