Directing of Dramatic Theatre (8203T055)

master's programme qualification

Specific admission requirements:

Successful completion of the entrance examination, in which the student presents and provides a rationale for the topic and content of the two-year Master`s programme. If the student is coming from another arts school, he/she must undergo a two-phase admissions process consisting of a written elaboration of the directing and dramaturgy conception of a one-act play and a feature-length play with a specific idea of their stage realisation. In a subsequent interview with the candidate, the commission will examine his/her aptitudes of talent and education, the type of practical professional training which he/she has undergone, and his/her psychological disposition and communication skills. Tests are administered as needed to examine the candidate`s fantasy and empathy, as are specific tasks of a directing solution for a dramatic situation in space. A presentation and scholarly defence of the candidate`s own artistic work is desirable: a theatrical production, a scenic realisation, a television or radio production, a compelling directing or authorial contribution to a scenic work, a realised directing and stage design conception, etc.

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

Required qualifications: a successfully completed Bachelor`s examination in the field of directing and dramaturgy or a related field for which it is necessary to pass a talent examination. 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

The two-year programme in directing is focused on developing individual students` personal talent aptitudes and on independent artistic creation with the goal of proceeding from staging shorter dramatic productions to directing a feature-length play in the Disk Theatre or other theatrical space which makes it possible to develop the collaboration of all production components in circumstances commensurate with the demands of a professional theatre. Graduates should be well-equipped technically for their professions and should have mastered a wide spectrum of skills and knowledge in the theory and history of their field in connection with the development of world art and history generally. They should be oriented in the broad domestic and foreign context, and be able to interpret contemporary theatre and their own experience with it in a creative manner.

Key learning outcomes:

The goal of the instruction is to cultivate and support strong and original personalities with a unique view of the world, a great degree of self-reflection and the capability of further independent personal maturation and artistic development. Furthermore, a student in the Master`s programme in directing will develop his/her ability independently to create and rehearse with actors; he/she will learn how to create a composition of the staging by synthesising all the components of stage expression, and how to give it the appropriate rhythm. He/she must master working in a team with a dramaturge, stage designer and musician, and must know how to recruit a whole group of actors for his/her directing project and how to help them find and fix a coherent form of the dramatic character in an interplay with partners. The strategic goal and evaluative output is the independent creation of a production as an artistic artefact with demonstrable personal interpretive input. This goal is realised in the school`s theatre, Disk, or in a professional theatre.

Occupational profiles of graduates with examples:

A graduate of the Master`s programme in directing must be capable of independent creation and is able to develop an integrated stage form on an appropriate artistic and professional level. His/her skills must include the ability to reflect on specific issues of directing in the written Master`s work on an appropriate theoretical level. He/she must have mastered the professional fundamentals of directing not only in theatre but also in other media, radio, television, and should be able to orient himself/herself in production, as well as in the organisation and management of a theatre. He/she can find future professional employment in all of these areas.

Access to further studies:

After successful completion of the Master`s examination, the student can continue his/her education in the doctoral programme in the field of Theory and Practice of Theatrical Creation and in the field of Scenic Creation and Theory of Scenic Creation at DAMU, and also in doctoral programmes at universities with a similar focus in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Examination regulations, assessment and grading:

In practice, the evaluation process takes place throughout the programme in dialogues between the pedagogue and students. At the end of each semester, the overall work of every student is evaluated by the instructor of the given subject on the basis of continuous activity, assigned written work and progress in artistic disciplines. In the case of the main subjects - scenic creation, staging creation - assessment takes place on the basis of an evaluation commission composed of instructors and the departmental leadership. At the end of each semester, students' knowledge and skills are assessed with credits and examinations stipulated by study plans, and the student is informed of these through the information system (KOS). The organisation and form of credits and examinations is precisely stipulated by the AMU Attendance and Examination Regulations (Article 15). A quantitative metric is ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), which enables the transfer of credits within the ERASMUS exchange programme of European theatre schools.

Graduation requirements:

A condition of advancement to the Master`s examination is the fulfilment of all the requirements of the study plans. The State Master`s Examination consists of an artistic performance (directing the graduate production), its written reflection (expanded with an analysis of related issues in theatre) and an examination on questions provided in advance on the history and theory of theatre and on the theory of directing. The examination commission is composed of internal pedagogues as well as external experts in the given area.

Mode of study:

full-time

Qualification director or equivalent:

Jakub KORČÁK

Field of study is part of study programme:

Dramatic Arts – (N8203)

Qualification study plans