The Department of Dramatic Theatre (DAMU) is one of three departments at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (alongside the Film and TV school and the Department of Music). The academy was opened in 1945 immediately after the Second World War as a part of the newly created academy for the arts. The department's teachers have included prominent personalities in modern Czech theatre, such as

Otomar Krejča Otomar Krejča (23 November 1921 – 6 November 2009) was a Czech theatre director and dissident. Krejča was born in Skrýšov (now part of Pelhřimov), Czechoslovakia, on 23 November 1921. In 1956, he became a member of the Prague National Th ...

, set designer ,

Ivan Vyskočil Ivan Vyskočil (born 21 May 1946 in Prague) is a Czech actor. He starred in the film '' Poslední propadne peklu'' under director Ludvík Ráža in 1982. Selected filmography * ''The Tailor from Ulm'' (1978) * ''The Young Man and Moby Dick ''T ...

, director , and . DAMU is a member of the

European League of Institutes of the Arts ELIA (formerly known as The European League of Institutes of the Arts) represents some 300.000 students in all art disciplines. History ELIA emerged from a conference organized in Amsterdam in 1990, ''Imagination and Diversity'', aimed to pro ...

(ELIA) and the

European network on cultural management and policy European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe a ...

(ENCATC).

Departments

The two main departments of the school are: * Department of Dramatic Theatre, which prepares students for the repertory theatre system and educates them in interpreting classic and contemporary texts * Department of Alternative Theatre and Puppetry, including a sub-department devoted to scenography and a division for alternative stage design Other departments include: * Department of Stage Design * Department of Authorial Creation and Pedagogy, educating in performance, including an improvisational acting discipline developed by Professor

, called "Acting with the Inner Partner". * Department of Drama in Education, educating in the role of theatre in education * Department of Theory and Criticism, educating in theatre criticism and theoretical subjects * Department of Arts Management, educating in theatre management The Department of Dramatic Theatre has recently introduced doctoral studies in four areas: * Stage Creation and the Theory of Stage Creation * Theory and Practice of Theatre Creation * Alternative Theatre, Puppetry and its Theory * Authorial Acting and Theory of Authorial Creation and Pedagogy

Notable alumni

Anda-Louise Bogza Anda-Louise Bogza (born February 21, 1965) is a celebrated Romanian opera soprano. In 1994, she won both the First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Vienna International Singing Competition. In 2007, she was honored with the Thalia Award. Bi ...

, Romanian singer. *

Ivana Chýlková Ivana Chýlková (born 27 September 1963) is a Czech actress. She appeared in more than eighty films since 1983. In 1985, she graduated from Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, DAMU. At the moment she can be found at Th ...

(born 1963), Czech actress, graduated from DAMU in 1985. * Štěpánka Haničincová, TV presenter.Actor Peter Haničinec († 77) - The life of a fight from the beginning
11 November 2007, AhaOnline.com, retrieved 26 April 2014 * Petr Haničinec, actor *

Juraj Herz Juraj Herz (4 September 1934 – 8 April 2018) was a Czechoslovak film director, actor, and scene designer, associated with the Czechoslovak New Wave movement of the 1960s. He is best known for his 1969 horror/black comedy ''The Cremator'', ofte ...

, Slovak film director (''

The Cremator ''The Cremator'' ( cs, Spalovač mrtvol) is a 1969 Czechoslovak dark comedy horror film directed by Juraj Herz, based on a novel by Ladislav Fuks. The screenplay was written by Herz and Fuks. The film was selected as the Czechoslovakian entry for ...

''), studied at DAMU's Department of Puppetry in 1954–1958. *

Tomáš Klus Tomáš Klus (born 15 May 1986) is a Czech musician and songwriter from the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Life and career Klus was born in the industrial town of Třinec, where he spent most of his childhood. His parents were ...

(born 1986), Czech singer-songwriter, graduated from DAMU in drama in 2012. *

Jan Kubíček Jan Kubíček (30 December 1927 – 14 October 2013) was a Czech painter and printmaker, and one of the most radical Central European exponents of constructivist and concrete art. He also spent more than a decade illustrating children's books for ...

(1927–2013), Czech constructivist painter and graphic designer, studied at DAMU in 1954–1957. *

Karel Roden Karel Roden (born 18 May 1962) is a Czech actor, popularly known for his roles in ''Hellboy'' and ''The Bourne Supremacy'', and his voice work in '' Grand Theft Auto IV''. Life and career Roden followed his father and grandfather into acting. ...

(born 1962), Czech actor, graduated from DAMU in 1985. *

Martin Stropnický Martin Stropnický (born 19 December 1956) is a Czech politician and diplomat who served as the minister of Foreign Affairs from December 2017 to June 2018, and was previously minister of Defence from 2014 to 2017. From 2 January 1998 to 22 July 19 ...

(born 1956), Czech politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017–), graduated from DAMU in 1980. *

Jan Švankmajer Jan Švankmajer (; born 4 September 1934) is a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled surrealist known for his stop-motion animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as Terr ...

(born 1934), Czech film-maker and animator, studied at DAMU's Department of Puppetry in 1954-1958. *

Alena Vostrá Alena Vostrá (May 17, 1938, Prague – April 15, 1992, Prague) was a Czech novelist. One of her most popular works was ''A Matter of Days''. She was born as Rozená Obdržálková in Prague and in 1956, after graduating from the high sc ...

(1938–1992), Czech novelist, graduated from DAMU in 1966 in

dramaturgy Dramaturgy is the study of dramatic composition and the Representation (arts), representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. The term first appears in the eponymous work ''Hamburg Dramaturgy'' (1767–69) by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing ...

Deans of DAMU

* 1946–1948

Jiří Frejka Jiří (; ''YI-RZHEE''), the Czech is a masculine given name, equivalent to English George, may refer to: Given name B *Jiří Antonín Benda *Jiří Baborovský *Jiří Barta *Jiří Bartoška * Jiří Bicek * Jiří Bobok *Jiří Bubla *Jiří ...

* 1948–1949 Klementina Rektorisová * 1949–1950

František Götz František () is a masculine given name of Czech origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, François, and Franz. People with the name include: *Frank Daniel (František Daniel) (1926–1996), Czech film director, producer, and screenwriter *F ...

* 1950–1952 Jan Kopecký * 1952–1953 František Götz * 1953–1954 Vladimír Adámek * 1954–1955

František Salzer František Salzer (30 August 1902, Sušice – 23 December 1974, Prague) was a Czechoslovak Theatre Director, Theatre Actor, Film Actor, University Professor and Translator. Biography He studied at Prague Conservatory (1920–1924). In the s ...

* 1955–1958 Josef Bezdíček * 1958–1961 František Salzer * 1961–1963 Antonín Dvořák * 1963–1970 František Salzer * 1970–1972 Jan Císař * 1972–1985 Eva Šmeralová * 1985–1989 Jana Makovská * 1990–1991 Jan Dušek * 1991–1994 Miloslav Klíma * 1994–1997 Miloš Horanský * 1997–2000 Vladimír Mikeš * 2000–2006 Markéta Kočvarová-Schartová * 2006–2013 Jan Hančil * 2013–present Doubravka Svobodová File:Muzske zalezitosti.jpg, ''Muzske zalesitosti'' File:Titus andronicus.jpg,

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen ...

, Photo: Martin Vosáhlo

References

External links

Faculty of Theatre - official web

The Prague Summer Theatre School at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU)
{{authority control Academy of Performing Arts in Prague Art schools in the Czech Republic Drama schools in the Czech Republic