If you aspire to make a career in acting but cannot afford the high fee charged by private acting schools, here is some good news for you.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will now offer the course from this academic year onwards. It has selected centres which will impart training in acting as a career and other allied areas.

Students who have cleared their SSC examination are eligible to apply for this certificate course. During the year long certificate programme, students will be provided training in acting, literature, Indian heritage, mime, music and body language.

As part of the admission process, students will need to clear an audition test. One of the centres selected by IGNOU is Theatre and Media Centre.

Hasmukh Baradi of the centre said that private acting schools are exorbitantly priced and hence many students cannot afford it. "With IGNOU coming up with the course, many more will be able to afford it," he said. Officials in IGNOU said the other two centres which may be shortlisted are Darpana Academy and Sparsh Theatre Centre. 

Baradi said students will also be selected on the basis of their interest and inclination towards theatre and their knowledge about the subject. He said that the admission process has already begun and several students have already taken admission for the course.

Officials in IGNOU said that the university has been running such courses in other cities but in Ahmedabad it had become difficult to identify supportive resource centres which had the infrastructure to run the course as per the varsity' requirements.

Officials said the centres will begin their courses either from July 15 or a little later depending on the number of enrollment. Baradi said that at his centre, 11 students have already enrolled for the course.