Admission to the Drama School of Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre

All schoolwork in Drama School takes place in Estonian.

Curricula

Bachelor Studies

The graduates obtain the BA after a 4-year study period. Admission to the acting, directing and dramaturgy studies take place after every 2 years.

Most of the school work takes place at the centre of Tallinn, in Toom-Kooli 4 (in Toompea). The school holds a specialized library on the field of drama and multi-functional lecture and performance halls. The students from outside the capital have the opportunity to live in the dormitories of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Kivimäe (20 minutes from the city centre). Our teaching staff is comprised of various renown actors, theatre theorists and representatives of other specialities.

During the 4-year study period, the students majoring in acting study various subjects, such as acting skilss, stage speech, solo and ensemble singing, stage movement and dance (ballet, character dance, ballroom, estrade, musical, historical and tap dance), radio and television work, the Alexander technique, stage acrobatics, fencing etc. The students also master the following theoretical courses - history of theatre, history of literature, history of music, history of art, psychology and philosophy. The school does not own its own theatre, so the study performances and the BA performances take place in different theatres in Tallinn and other bigger theatres in Estonia.

The specifics of the study process require collective rehearsals, lessons and lectures, thus the quantity of elective subjects for the acting students is quite minimal. The school work takes place on 5-6 days a week, from 9 AM to 6-7 PM, sometimes longer. Due to the busy schedule, the student most probably can not hold a part-time job during the study period.

Public performances outside the school during the first 2 years of study are not recommended.

Next admission to the acting studies takes place in 2012.

The students majoring in directing have most subjects (both practical and theoretical) in common with the acting students during their first 2 years. Additionally, the students majoring in directing master the following courses: directing studies (Ingo Normet), drama theory (Luule Epner from the University of Tartu), stage design (Kustav-Agu Püüman, Aime Unt and Lilja Blumenfeldt from the Estonian Academy of Art), light directing (Theatre Academy of Finland), radio work (Hannes Valdma), cinema and television studies (Jüri Sillart and Ain Prosa), theatre management (Indrek Saar) etc. Directing students direct scenes and full-length plays with the acting students. Later also with professional actors. On their final year, they direct their BA direction in a professional theatre.

Nex admissions to the directing studies take place in 2012.

Admissions to the dramaturgy studies took place in 2004 for the first time. During the first 2 years, the dramaturgy students have common lessons with the students majoring in acting and directing. They write and direct scenes. Later they produce full-length plays which can be directed independently or together with the directing students. The students of dramaturgy take various field-specific courses in drama theory, theory of translation and language. Their education prepares them for working as dramaturgs in theatres, as translators, script writers or directors and naturally, the writers of original plays.

Next admission to the dramaturgy studies takes place in 2012.

Master Studies

The Drama School holds a two-year long MA degree programme. Admission takes place after every 2 years (the next admission in 2012). During past years, the MA programme has been centered around a specific study field in order to provide the students with the possibility to deepen their knowledge in some important field in the Estonian theatre. In 2002, the admissions took place to the puppet theatre programme, in 2004 to the stage speech, in 2006 to the directing and in 2008 to the stage speech programme. Despite of the specifics of the MA studies, the students wanting to continue their education on their specific field, have a chance to do that as well. Although the curricula is closely linked to the study programme, common lectures are held on theatre anthropology, modern theatre and on the methodology of writing the research paper.

The MA studies is a creative programme. Out of the 80 compulsory credit points, 24 are given for various creative projects, 8 for the theoretical research and 48 credit points for lecture attendances.