Workshops

Alongside specific courses relative to each discipline, the pedagogical ambition of the School is to offer a wide range of classes that strengthen the student’s general knowledge of the theatre and the art of stage productions. Central  also  are  workshops in which students that specialize in the different disciplines work together on a common artistic  project. Over three years, the students take part in ten artistic projects of this  kind, each one uniquely conceived and directed by a renowned professional. They may hence find ample opportunities to experience what their future role will be in the production of a show.
 
Each workshop lasts between six to eight weeks and is performed free of cost in front of the TNS staff. In the third year, performances are open to the theatre’s season-ticket holders. The three or four workshops that take place in their third year of training are an opportunity for the students to test the technical knowledge they have received and to apply it in a « professional situation. » They have access to the venues of the TNS theatre and to the TNS staff and technical crew, and their production is eventually performed in front of a real live audience. Every production is granted a specific and limited budget for the scenography, costume design and light, sound and video equipment, a budget that is directly managed by the students that major in stage managing and scenography.

Courses common to all sections

The core modules of the curriculum are mandatory for all students regardless of their chosen section. It includes courses preparing them to the professions of the performing arts, such as History of Theatre, Playwriting  and Dramatic arts, Economics of the Performing Arts, and spectacle production...

Specific training

Acting

The training for the students in the Acting section is based on four majors: interpretation (improvisation, preparation for the stage, masked performance…), body and movement work (archery, dance, tai-chi, energy work...), voice (voice training, individual and choral singing, reading courses...), music (initiation courses and practice of instruments). In the second and third year the courses are given alongside the workshops.

Scenography and costume design
The training  in scenography and costume design adds specific technical modules to the core training, with a view to developing in the students the skills necessary for the conception, drawing, and realisation of small- size models and blueprints for scenographic work, the manipulation of stage machinery, the conception and construction of stage sets, the design of costumes and props. Phases  of   personal   research   alternate with   practical   exercises   with   students from  the other  sections. The staff  in  the costume department of the TNS and of the construction department take an active part in the training, particularly during the third year,  getting  the  students accustomed to working in the best professional conditions possible.

Techniques of the theatre and stage management
The  training  offered  to  the  students  in this section allows them to acquire a solid knowledge of stage management, machinery operation,  construction  work  as  well  as light, sound and video design. The technical contributions of the students to the director- led workshops or student-group projects, allow them to get accustomed to the real conditions of a production on tour. The courses also enable the students to train in the different technical areas of stage performances,  as  each  trainee  is  asked to rotate between the positions of stage manager, sound or light manager and video designer...

Directing and dramatic arts
Students in the directing and writing sections share the courses and modules of the three other sections. In their third year, the students in the Directing and Dramatic arts  section create a production with  the rest of the group and present the results in front of the TNS audience as a graduation project.