About
To provide world-class training in the dramatic arts and to nurture Indian theatre.
The National School of Drama (NSD) is India's premier theatre-training institution, established in 1959 and autonomous under the Ministry of Culture since 1975. From its New Delhi campus it runs a three-year Course in Dramatic Arts, the professional NSD Repertory Company, a Theatre-in-Education company for children, and Bharat Rang Mahotsav - now the largest theatre festival in Asia. Its alumni have shaped Indian theatre, film and television for over six decades.
Built into greatness by Ebrahim Alkazi, NSD became the training ground for India's modern stage and screen - its alumni include many of the most celebrated names in Indian theatre and cinema. Its professional Repertory Company, founded in 1964, has staged over 120 plays by some 70 playwrights, and its Theatre-in-Education company, Sanskaar Rang Toli, has carried theatre to hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren.
Since 1999 it has hosted Bharat Rang Mahotsav, the National Theatre Festival, which has grown from a national showcase into the largest theatre festival in Asia, and it has extended its reach through centres in Sikkim, Bengaluru, Tripura, Varanasi and the North East.
Visit & Access
Runs public productions and the annual Bharat Rang Mahotsav at and around its Mandi House campus.
Founding & Leadership
The National School of Drama was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi as one of its constituent units, and became an autonomous independent institution in 1975 under the Ministry of Culture. Its foundational figure was Ebrahim Alkazi (Director 1962-77), who overhauled the curriculum, designed its theatres, and built it into India's pre-eminent theatre school. It is regarded as one of the foremost theatre-training institutions in the world and the only one of its kind in India.
An autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, governed by a Society and Chairperson, with a Director as administrative and academic head.
Leadership & Trustees
Initiatives & Portfolio
A rigorous three-year postgraduate diploma - India's flagship theatre-training programme.
The professional performing wing (est. 1964), having staged 120+ plays by ~70 playwrights.
Children's theatre company (since 1989) for ages 8-16; hundreds of thousands of young participants.
The National Theatre Festival (since 1999) - now the largest theatre festival in Asia.
Regional centres and programmes in Sikkim, Bengaluru, Tripura, Varanasi and the North East.
Impact & Metrics
Partnerships & Network
Government partners
Funders & patrons
Credentials & Compliance
CSR-eligible · Not applicable (government body)
A fully government-funded autonomous institution; not a CSR recipient.
Recognition
India's premier and one of the world's foremost theatre-training institutions; host of Asia's largest theatre festival.
[Atlas Assessment] NSD is the single most important institution in modern Indian theatre, and one of the most consequential in Indian cinema. Generations of the country's finest actors, directors and playwrights passed through it; its Repertory and festival set national standards, and its alumni network effectively defines the professional Indian stage. Through Alkazi and his successors it shaped what Indian theatre training means.
NSD scores at the top on ecosystem influence and high on impact and longevity - few institutions have seeded an entire field of practitioners so thoroughly. As a government school its caveats are institutional: periodic debates over leadership, curriculum and the balance between theatre and the lure of cinema. But its centrality to Indian theatre and screen is unmatched, which is why it anchors the theatre node of this atlas.