Arts, Culture and Media - Theatre

Are you fascinated by films, music or theater? Do you love to discuss what art is, or how to interpret a particular movie, popular song or performance? Are you interested in studying the effects of arts and media on society?

The programme will train you to study artworks, from novels and music videos to films and computer games, in a scholarly way – examining how they are produced, distributed, used, perceived, appreciated and socially embedded. It thereby paves the way for a variety of professional avenues into the field of arts and media.

The Arts Culture and Media programme is unique because it offers:

• An interdisciplinary study with various modules examining the mutual interdependence of the arts
• The possibility to study one art form (film, music, theatre) in-depth
• Socially relevant perspectives examining the social, ethical, and ideological dimensions of contemporary arts worlds in order to build bridges between academic institutions and living artists, communities, and arts organisations for their mutual and healthy

Every student who chooses Theatre and Performance Studies in the Arts, Culture and Media Department opts for an interdisciplinary program. Here, students focus upon the role that theatre and the performing arts play within culture and society. The main aim of the programme is to create qualified and motivated theatre professionals with well-rounded knowledge of all forms of theatre (from antiquity to today) as well as of the contemporary theatre market and its increasing interdisciplinarity.

The core modules within Theatre and Performance Studies offer students an introduction to the theory and history of theatre, by covering a wide range of genres and forms, such as ancient drama, dramatic and post-dramatic theatre, experimental theatre and dance, and multidisciplinary performance. In order to highlight the richness of theatre traditions, Theatre and Performance Studies offer insights into a number of perspectives and research methods. We analyze key drama and dramaturgical texts through close-readings and hermeneutic analyses. We visit a number of local and international productions. We have pre- and post-show discussions with theatre makers related to their creative process and to subjects taken from relevant frameworks, including those of semiotics, gender studies, sociology, and performance studies. In individual research and in group projects, students focus upon the creation and perception of theatre; the goals and intentions of theatre makers; and the public’s actual experiences and interpretations. Additionally, students are asked to conduct high quality fieldwork in different phases of their studies. In this way students also have the opportunity to come into contact with the practical side of the artistic process.