Direction - Dramaturgy of Alternative and Puppet Theatre (8203R053)

bachelor's programme qualification

Specific admission requirements:

Completion of an entrance examination consisting of an eliminative pre-round followed by two regular rounds, the first of which is also an eliminative round. Of decisive importance are the candidate`s talent proclivities in the selected field, a sense of metaphorical perception and expression, at least minimal experience with alternative theatrical creation including theatre with puppets or objects.

For the eliminative pre-round, candidates elaborate a work on an assigned topic (including a DVD) - a personal reflection on the assigned topic together with a specific proposal for a possible realisation. In the first round, candidates defend their works, undergo an epistemic test (in the area of philosophy, culture, art and theatre in a wide scope), as well as personal interviews and tests of their abilities in spatial creativity as well as in team collaboration.

In the second round, they undergo a test in a selected foreign world language and an individual survey of mobility, fantasy and spontaneity (or literary abilities); together with other adepts, they will prepare a small collective scenic work on an assigned topic and will subject the result to self-reflection before a commission.

The most important criterion for admission is successful completion of the talent part of the entrance examination.

Specific arrangements for recognition of prior learning:

The programme does not have any specific requirements for the recognition of prior learning.

The procedure for recognition at AMU is governed by Articles 89 and 90 of the Act on Higher Education Institutions No. 111/1998 Coll., as amended, and by the AMU Attendance and Examination Regulations (Articles 8, 14, 18).

Qualification requirements and regulations

A completed secondary or completed secondary vocational education with a matura examination. Exceptionally (in the case of significant talent) it is possible to admit a candidate conditionally (with the requirement to complete the secondary education with a successful matura examination during the Bachelor's programme).

Regulations: The Czech education system is governed by the Act on Higher Education Institutions, as amended (Act No. 111/1998 Coll.), and by the internal regulations of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

Field of study characterization

Directing and Dramaturgy of Alternative and Puppet Theatre is a field focused on preparation for theatrical practice. A graduate of the Bachelor`s programme should be capable of elaborating a dramaturgy and directing conception of a staging or project, of collaborating with a stage designer and of leading rehearsals with actors. A focus on alternative theatrical forms means emphasis on an authorial contribution (the ability to write or compose a script for a staging), experimentation with scenic means and team collaboration. At the same time, emphasis is placed on students` special proclivities and faculties, whether tending towards improvisation, authorial theatre, performative elements, the social aspect of theatre, etc. The programme includes the fundamentals of the theory of theatre, the fundamentals of the history of theatre, and awareness of contemporary theatre - above all of alternative currents from site-specific to new circus. Students who profile themselves in the direction of dramaturgy devote themselves more to authorial writing and the analytical component of dramaturgical work. For students tending more towards directing, the greatest emphasis is placed on preparing projects and on collaboration with students in acting and stage design.

Key learning outcomes:

A graduate of the Bachelor`s programme in Directing and Dramaturgy of Alternative and Puppet Theatre should be capable of formulating a topic suitable for scenic realisation. Further, he/she should know how to elaborate the topic from a dramaturgical standpoint, how to find adequate scenic means for it, and how to formulate his/her ideas and communicate them to the stage designer or to other members of the creative team (the composer of the music, the choreographer). He/she should have the basic proclivities for leading rehearsals with actors, which includes mastering the fundamentals of the craft of directing and dramaturgy (text analysis, dramatic situation, dialogue, stage metaphor). He/she should be sufficiently aware of the history of art and contemporary tendencies of alternative and puppet theatre to forestall the basic risk of crudeness or the anachronistic selection of scenic means. A graduate should be capable of perceiving his/her theatrical practice as a personal creative journey and thus not as an easy activity, but for that an all the more internally enriching one.

Occupational profiles of graduates with examples:

The goal of the programme is to equip graduates with the fundamentals of the craft of directing and dramaturgy so that they are able to realise smaller scenic formations and also to continue to work on their artistic development. A graduate of the Bachelor's programme should be capable of creating or dramaturgically preparing, for example, a puppet production for children or a smaller project on an independent stage. The programme also makes it possible to work in related fields, for example in radio or in drama education (schools, free-time activities).

Access to further studies:

A continuing Master`s programme in the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre, the Department of Authorial Creation and Pedagogy, or in the Department of Dramatic Theatre at DAMU, or at related schools (Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, puppetry programmes abroad, etc.). In special cases, it is possible for a graduate to continue his/her studies at art schools (Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague; Academy of Fine Arts in Prague) or in the field of audio-visual studies at FAMU - based on the specific profile of an individual graduate.

Examination regulations, assessment and grading:

Studies are assessed by credits and examinations stipulated by study plans. The student is informed of these through the information system. The student registers for examinations using the information system, and is entitled to a second and third attempt to pass an examination. If neither of these attempts proves successful, the Dean may in exceptional cases permit a fourth attempt (administered by a commission). It is not permitted to repeat an examination for the main subjects or to repeat written examinations.

The credit is an ungraded form of assessment of studies. It is allocated upon fulfilment of requirements stipulated for individual subjects and is recorded in the information system with the word „Credited“ (Z). An examination is a graded form of assessment of studies, which tests knowledge and level of creativity in the relevant subjects. In the main subjects, examinations are administered by a commission. Examinations are graded on the scale „A, B, C, D, E, F“.

Graduation requirements:

Completion of the Bachelor`s programme in all subjects and accumulation of the relevant number of credits. Completion of the State Bachelor`s Examination.

A condition of advancement to the Bachelor`s examination is the realisation of a dramaturgy or direction of the Bachelor's production with reflection.

The State Bachelor`s Examination is graded on the scale „A, B, C, D, E, F“. The examination committee shall decide the overall assessment for the state final examination by vote in-camera.

The State Bachelor`s Examination consists of the following parts:

the Bachelor`s diploma thesis and its defence;

the history and theory of the field;

the history and theory of alternative and puppet theatre.

Mode of study:

full-time

Qualification director or equivalent:

Jiří ADÁMEK

Field of study is part of study programme:

• Dramatic Arts – (B8203)

Qualification study plans

• Directing and Dramaturgy for Alternative and Puppet Theatre (B.A.)