Sarah Snook leads NIDA alumni at 2026 ‘Raise the Curtain’ fundraising event

Unbeknown to most, Sarah Snook wouldn’t be the high-profile actor she is without landing a scholarship at Australia’s pre-eminent arts educator the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) many years ago. She certainty wouldn’t have got a look in to play straight-shooter Shiv in American television hit Succession, or given a stirring performance as broken mother Marissa Irvine in All Her Fault, or have just wrapped a Tony award-winning Broadway season of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Snook took to the stage in front of hundreds at NIDA’s annual ‘Raise The Curtain’ fundraising event in Sydney on May 7, a night which raises much-needed funds for Australia’s best young creatives to afford industry-focused, hands-on training at the school. Held at NIDA’s storied Parade Theatre in Kensington, Snook candidly detailed just how tough times were for her as a struggling actor.

“When I came up through NIDA, I didn’t have any support from family,” she told guests, some NIDA alumni, others well-known patrons. “[Back then] I worked at [kids party company] The Fairy Shop in Mosman. They had a rule: you could only do two parties a day and so, I earned $40 a day. It cost me $6 to get [to Mosman] and back, and I knew I had to have $12 to pay my phone bill, and my rent was $90 a week.

“Having a NIDA scholarship was the only reason I was able [to start my acting career],” she continued. “I had a $5000 scholarship once and a $10,000 scholarship another time. I was eating white rice all the time because I was broke-ass!

“We need to support the next cohort of young actors coming through NIDA.”

NIDA’s 2026 Raise The Curtain fundraising event in Sydney on May 7. Credit: Supplied.

Since its founding in 1958, NIDA has been the training ground for an extraordinary roster of talent that has shaped Hollywood. Cate Blanchett AC, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving AO, Essie Davis, Miranda Otto, Murray Bartlett, David Berry; directors Baz Luhrmann AC and Justin Kurzel; designers Catherine Martin AC, Deb Riley, Fiona Crombie and Michael Wilkinson; Olivier Award-winning writer Suzie Miller and rising stars Yerin Ha [ELLE Next Gen 2025 Actor winner], Sophie Wilde [ELLE Next Gen 2025 Idol winner] and Jack Patten [ELLE Man April digital cover star] all honed their craft within NIDA’s walls.

“There has never been a more important moment for innovative storytellers in this country,” says NIDA CEO Liz Hughes. “’Raise The Curtain’ is our opportunity to ensure that financial circumstance is never a barrier to extraordinary talent finding its way to NIDA.”

Credit: Supplied.

With NIDA alumna Marney McQueen as MC—and an incredible Celine Dion impersonator, it turns out—guests were treated to performances by current students while dining out on a delicious menu by Harry John Wilson The Caterer, and sipping on Nepenthe Wines between the live action.

“Nights like this remind us of what NIDA is really about, and the extraordinary things that happen when talent meets opportunity,” said NIDA Chair Catherine West. “The generosity in the room allows us to expand NIDA’s impact and opens doors for young Australians who might never have imagined a place like NIDA was within their reach.”

Credit: Supplied.

Credit: Supplied.

Credit: Supplied.

Credit: Supplied.

Credit: Supplied.