Each candidate to the Production Design and Technical Arts program is contacted for an interview. Following the interview, all candidates are required to write a production concept for the mounting of a specific play chosen by the School. Candidates have one month after the interview to prepare this project for evalution and selection for the program.

Candidates to the Set and Costume Design program have one month to complete an artistic project, for which they will receive instructions after January 31. Following this step, selected candidates are invited to an interview, during which they will be asked to present a portfolio of recent art or theatrical work.

Applicants to the Acting program must audition.

For the first audition, candidates are asked to prepare two short monologues, not exceeding two minutes each. One monologue must come from a list of classical repertory provided by the school. The other must be a modern theatre monologue of the candidate’s choice.

After the initial round of auditions, a number of candidates are then selected for a multi-day callback workshop at NTS in May.  Attendance in person at the callback workshop is obligatory.  The final selection of the Acting cohort will follow this workshop.

Initial auditions happen across Canada in late February and early March.  On the Initial Application for Admisssions form, Acting candidates will be asked to select the city in which they plan to audition.

Consult our list of monologues

The Directing Program accepts applications every two years.

In your initial application, you must attach your resume and a letter of intent that answers the following questions:

Why do you want to study directing at the National Theater School of Canada?
What experience or training do you have in theater and the art of directing?

Once your complete application has been received, the Registrar will send you information about the next steps in the selection process for Directing.

Every Playwriting application must be accompanied by two plays of at least 20 pages each, a letter of intent, and a resume.

All of these documents should be attached to the Initial Admissions Application, due January 31.

Several candidates will be invited to an interview before the final selection is made.

Yes. Candidates must be at least 18 years old as of December 31 of the year of entry at NTS (i.e. you turn 18 before December 31st, 2025). 

Yes, absolutely. Candidates must then: 

• Fill in a different online form for each program 
• You can have a discount on the $97.85 application fee if you apply to more than one program.

No. All courses are obligatory; students must complete their entire program of study regardless of their chosen discipline or previous studies. The School does not grant course equivalencies, exemptions or substitutions. Only one status is recognized, that of full-time student. 

No. There are no academic prerequisites for any of NTS’s programs. Regardless of your level of experience, if you’re passionate about theatre and motivated to take on an intense three-year training program, it’s worth applying!

The selection process for all programs runs from February to May. At each stage of the process, candidates are notified in advance of the date and location of their interview or audition, and of the status of their application. 

The final results will be officially announced in May.