The orientation of the department is guided by the desire to help form students into versatile, practice-ready personalities, capable of applying themselves not only in various types of theatre but also in the broader field of artistic creation (creating projects at the intersection of theatre, music, visual arts, street theatre, happenings, performances, etc.).
In the first part, in addition to the intensive study of the history and theory of theatre, there is also a study of philosophy, visual arts, music, languages, etc. All of this is aimed at acquiring the theoretical skills and knowledge necessary for the analysis of dramatic and literary texts with a view to their further practical implementation or theatrical transcription. Gradually, students should acquire the ability to interpret a play or other literary text in a detailed and distinctly contemporary way on stage. In the first two years, they will also receive acting training, which is the starting point for their own directing and dramaturgical work with the actor, creating initially small projects with acting students (dialogues, possibly parts of a play), gradually increasing in difficulty towards the creation of independent smaller and larger productions. At the bachelor’s level, everything is subordinated to learning the method of working with an actor, while at the master’s level the main emphasis is placed on the ability of conceptual staging and the independent work of the student in creating stylistically contrasting productions and creations of the author’s type.
Contemporary theatre is based on teamwork, and in this sense, the teaching of dramaturgy and directing is intertwined in the department (in the 1st and 2nd year, the two disciplines are differentiated only in practical projects). From the very beginning, students of directing and dramaturgy form work teams together, while students of stage design and theatre management also collaborate on more demanding projects. Gradually, they should also be encouraged to collaborate with young composers and performers of music and with young creators of other artistic disciplines, so that the results of their work have the character of a generational statement about today’s world.