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The Sydney-based Technical Direction Company (TDC) has introduced a new training and support initiative that aims to back students and graduates across live production and theatre courses.

Students and graduates of the VET (Diploma of Live Production and Technical Services) and BFA (Technical Theatre and Stage Management) courses at Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) will receive support from TDC, in the form of practical experience with a variety of contemporary video technologies and entertainment industry best practice.

With the events industry - which was once worth $36 billion a year - returning after the pandemic, the support is based on TDC’s commitment to training and development to generate new talent and business opportunities across the live production sector.

Acknowledging the backing, Graham Henstock, Director - Centre for Technology, Production and Management at NIDA, stated “TDC is one of NIDA’s major partners.

“TDC regularly provide us with teaching assistance, technical expertise, and access to video equipment for live performance. TDC supports an annual scholarship for a student. TDC’s valued support has allowed all our students to learn and experience technology and new ways of working that wouldn’t otherwise be accessible.”

Industry-led training and development
NIDA’s BFA (Technical Theatre and Stage Management) is a 15 month course places emphasis on practical experience with a module lasting three months that focuses on the theory and art of video design, basic video design principals in display technology and systems as well as planning, pre visualisation and programming.

TDC carries out further training sessions, master classes and collaboration with loans equipment for the final module of the course, where students carry out their individual creative projects, designs and work experience.

TDC Technical Manager, Drew Ferors explained “we’ve seen some wonderful, refreshing and creative applications of technology from some genius minds who are so eager to learn – some methods even we haven’t discovered or experimented with yet.”

Ferors noted that even after NIDA graduation “TDC delivers technical training to graduates and new recruits using a classroom-based environment with support and assessments developed in-house by TDC giving further access to the best entertainment technology and expertise to develop skills long after graduation.”

TDC also sponsors a NIDA VET student each year to help with their studies.

Images: NIDA's 2022 production of Seagull (top) and its 2017 production of Love and Money (below). Credit: NIDA.

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