Professional Training Programs at the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS)

The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) is one of the world’s leading centres for theatre training, recognized for its artistic excellence, rigor, and innovation. Founded in 1960, NTS offers professional training programs in both English and French, preparing students for careers across the performing arts. What sets NTS apart is its belief that each artist’s path is unique. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all curriculum, NTS provides deeply personalized, mentorship-based training that nurtures the individuality, voice, and creative potential of every student.

NTS offers seven core professional programs: Acting, Playwriting, Directing, Production Design and Technical Arts (PDTA), Set and Costume Design, and much more in French.These programs are immersive and full-time. Students learn directly from industry-leading faculty who are active professionals—directors, playwrights, designers, producers, and performers working at the highest levels nationally and internationally. This constant connection to the professional world ensures that students are not only gaining theoretical knowledge but also current industry practices, creative tools, and collaborative habits that reflect the reality of today’s theatre landscape.

A defining feature of NTS is its commitment to learning by doing. Each year, students participate in multiple fully produced shows, workshops, laboratories, new play development processes, and cross-program collaborations. These hands-on projects allow students to take artistic risks in a safe environment where experimentation and failure are seen as essential to growth. With access to state-of-the-art facilities such as rehearsal halls, design studios, theatres, and the renowned Monument-National performance complex, students experience every stage of the creative process from page to stage.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is built into the DNA of NTS. Directors work with designers, playwrights with actors, and production students with every discipline. This teamwork mirrors the collaborative nature of professional theatre, building strong communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills. Students graduate with a deep understanding of not only their own craft, but also how their role fits within the larger ecosystem of theatrical creation.

NTS also prioritizes equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The school actively seeks to train artists from a wide range of backgrounds and encourages them to tell stories that reflect the complexity of the world. Students are supported in developing their own artistic identity, cultural perspectives, and values, ensuring that the future of theatre is both artistically bold and socially relevant.

Beyond artistic development, NTS prepares students for sustainable careers. Workshops in entrepreneurship, grant writing, touring, producing, and self-generated work empower graduates to build their own opportunities in a rapidly shifting industry. Alumni of NTS go on to become actors, directors, designers, writers, producers, educators, and artistic leaders across Canada and around the globe.

Intensive, inspiring, and transformative, the professional training programs at the National Theatre School of Canada offer more than an education—they offer the foundation for a lifelong artistic journey.