The Athanor Academy of Performing Arts Passau (''Athanor Akademie für Darstellende Kunst Passau'') is a Bavarian higher education academy. It is a federally approved
Fachakademie in private ownership training actors and directors in theatre and film.
History
Originally founded in
Burghausen in 1995 by Romanian director
David Esrig, the Athanor Academy was located in the
Burg zu Burghausen in
Oberbayern
Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven Regierungsbezirk, administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany.
Geography
Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state ...
. In 2014, the academy was relocated to a former primary school in Passau.
The Athanor Academy is a member of several institutions, including the
International Theatre Institute ITI.
Education
The degree is a state approved diploma as actor or director and is equivalent to a higher education (BA) as actor or director.
The formation lasts 4 years and is held 5 days per week. The monthly fee is 180€,
the education is entitled to be supported by the
BAföG. Around 50 students study and 25 teachers work there. So far, around 120 alumni have studied at the Athanor Academy since its foundation in 1995.
The courses are structured according to nine basic dramatic categories:
* performance
* dramatic space (stage, screen)
* language
* body
* rhythm and sound
* acting
* directing (mise-en-scene)
* theatre and film aesthetics
* market structures
The Academy is based on a teaching method developed by David Esrig, which is described in the book ''The Road to the Performance by the David Esrig Method'' by Florin Vidamski.,
also a teacher at the Academy. Since its foundation, there have been strong ties with the Romanian theatre
Etymology
The academy's name is derived from
Athanor
In alchemy, an athanor ( ar, التنور, ''at-tannūr'') is a furnace used to provide a uniform and constant heat for alchemical digestion. Etymologically, it descends from a number of Arabic texts of the period of the Califate which use the ...
, a furnace that was used for alchemical digestion.
Further reading
* ''The Road to the Performance by the David Esrig Method'' by Florin Vidamski, 201
(Romanian) (online)
* ''Die Vorstellung kann beginnen'', Passauer Neue Presse, 201
(German) (online)
* ''Am Dienstag beginnt die Athanor Akademie ihren Betrieb''
Wochenblatt, 2014 (German) (online)
* ''About David Esrig and the Romanian Theatre'
by Sorina Bălănescu, 2011 (English and Romanian) (online)
* ''Talent-Schmiede, Die Athanor-Schauspielschule in Burghausen'', InFranken, 201
(German) (online)
* ''Das Leben ist ein großer Schmelztiegel'', Passauer Neue Presse 201
(German) (online)
References
{{coord missing, Germany
Educational institutions established in 1995
Drama schools in Germany
Passau
1995 establishments in Germany