The Academy of Dramatic Art ( or ADU) is a
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n
drama school
A drama school, stage school, or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or Academic department, department at a college or university, or a free-standing institution (such as the drama section at the Juilliard School) that ...
. Since its inception in 1896, the institution grew in prominence resulting in its successful affiliation with the
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...
in 1979, along with the
Academy of Music and the
Academy of Fine Arts. The Academy serves as the country's premier drama school, providing education for all types of professions related to theatre, television and film production, including actors, directors, cinematographers, playwrights, screenwriters, dramaturgs and editors.
History

The need for an academy of drama in Zagreb was first mentioned in the
Croatian parliament
The Croatian Parliament () or the Sabor is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Croatia. Under the terms of the Constitution of Croatia, Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the nation, people and is vested with legislative power. ...
's 1861 piece of theatre legislation which stipulated that a "school for theatre personnel should be formed in Zagreb".
However, the modern-day academy traces its roots to the Croatian Drama School (') which was established by Stjepan Miletić in 1896, more than 30 years after the 1861 law. The school was housed in a building at
Republic of Croatia Square
Republic of Croatia Square () is one of the biggest squares in Zagreb, Croatia. The square is located in Donji grad (Zagreb), Lower Town, with the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Croatian National Theatre building at its centre. It i ...
, which it occupies today.
During its history the school was renamed and reformed several times. Up until mid-20th century, its primary role was vocational training of theatre actors. Later, departments for film and television were added. In November 1950, the school was legally recognized as a
higher education
Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education.
The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
institution, mainly through the efforts of
Branko Gavella, Drago Ivanišević and
Ranko Marinković, prompting a rename to "academy". In 1979, it officially became part of the University of Zagreb.
During the
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...
, in the
Zagreb rocket attacks
The Zagreb rocket attacks were two rocket attacks conducted by the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina that used multiple rocket launchers to strike the Croatian capital of Zagreb during the Croatian War of Independence. The attack killed ...
on 3 May 1995, the Academy's building was hit by
cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill personnel and destroy vehi ...
s fired on Zagreb's city centre (
Donji grad). The dean's office and the
dramaturgy
Dramaturgy is the study of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. The role of a dramaturg in the field of modern dramaturgy is to help realize the multifaceted world of the play for a production u ...
department offices were badly damaged in the attack and two employees and four students were wounded, including Luka Skračić, a
first-year student of film directing, who later died.
In memory of this event, the Academy officially proclaimed 3 May as Academy Day and a plaque commemorating the attack was unveiled on its 10th anniversary in 2005.
In the period between 1950 and 1994 a total of 574 students have graduated from the Academy's departments.
The Academy is also member of various international associations such as
CILECT (''Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision''), IIRT (''Instituto Internationale per la Ricerca Teatrale''), IFIRT (International Federation for Theatre Research) and
ELIA (European League of Institutes of the Arts).
Organisation
As of 2010 the academy has eight departments:
*Acting department
*Theatre and radio directing department
*Film and television directing department
*
Cinematography
Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...
department
*
Dramaturgy
Dramaturgy is the study of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. The role of a dramaturg in the field of modern dramaturgy is to help realize the multifaceted world of the play for a production u ...
department
*Production department
*Film editing department
*Dance department
Rectors and Deans
Between 1950 and 1979 the head of the Academy was titled "Rector" (''Rektor'') as it had been an independent learning institution. In 1979 it became part of the
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...
and since then its head holds the title of "Dean" (''Dekan'').
* 1950–1954 — Josip Škavić
* 1954–1962 —
Branko Gavella
* 1962–1970 — Kosta Spaić
* 1970–1972 —
Bratoljub Klaić
* 1972–1976 —
Izet Hajdarhodžić
* 1976–1980 — Vladan Švacov
* 1980–1982 — Nikola Batušić
* 1982–1984 —
Tomislav Radić
* 1984–1986 — Joško Juvančić
* 1986–1988 — Nikola Batušić
* 1988–1992 Enes Midžić
* 1992 —
Vlatko Pavletić
* 1992–1996 — Enes Midžić
* 1996–2000 — Maja Rodica-Virag
* 2000–2004 —
Vjeran Zuppa
* 2004–2008 —
Branko Ivanda
* 2008–2012 — Enes Midžić
* 2012–2016 — Borna Baletić
* 2016–2021 — Franka Perković-Gamulin
* 2021–present — Davor Švaić
See also
*
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...
*
Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts
*
Zagreb Academy of Music
*
Sibila Petlevski
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Academy Of Dramatic Art, University Of Zagreb
Universities and colleges established in 1896
Faculties of the University of Zagreb
Art schools in Croatia
Donji grad, Zagreb
1896 establishments in Austria-Hungary