Theaterakademie August Everding

Training for the theatre takes place in the context of social change, which is characterised above all by the economisation of all living conditions and by the digital revolution. Training for the stage not only has to take into account the demands of classical ensemble and repertory theatre, but also has to deal with a transformed concept of theatre, changed structures and ways of organising it as well as with new forms of presentation. On the one hand, there have been significant changes in the way theatre is produced and artistic work is organised and provided with social protection; on the other hand, theatre has allied itself with other arts and opened up to performative, non-text-based aesthetics. Training, or to put it in an apter, less utilitarian way: an education at the Theaterakademie August Everding takes these social and cultural transformations into account without merely affirmatively adapting them. An education at the Theaterakademie not only has to prepare students for the broad spectrum of theatrical forms already in existence, but also has to anticipate how the theatre scene and employment opportunities in the performing arts are going to develop, and has to train young talent for the theatre of tomorrow. Any discourse about artistic training for the stage always includes the discourse about the future of performance and about performative practices, not only in theatre, but also in film, television and the digital media.

The Theaterakademie August Everding sets itself the task of devising and practising the best forms of artistic education and promoting students’ development to become self-confident artistic personalities. It has the ideal prerequisites to do so, in that it combines theory and practice in a unique way. On the one hand, the Academy cooperates with the University of Music and Theatre, the Ludwig Maximilian University, the University for Television and Film and the Academy of Fine Arts, facilitating and promoting cooperation between the disciplines; on the other hand, it is integrated in a playhouse which, with its Prinzregententheater, Akademietheater and Akademiestudio, provides every possible performance opportunity.

Professor Hans-Jürgen Drescher

Organisation

In 1993, the Free State of Bavaria set up the Bavarian Theatre Academy on the initiative of August Everding with the intention of enabling the artistic training for a wide range of theatrical professions to take place under one roof. This Academy was based at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. Since the 2014/2015 season, the Academy has been directed by Professor Hans-Jürgen Drescher. With eight courses of study currently on offer and three professionally equipped theatres (Prinzregententheater, Akademietheater, Akademiestudio), the Theaterakademie August Everding is the largest training centre for stage professions in Germany. In this teaching and learning theatre, theory and practice permeate one another in courses in Acting, Music Theatre Performance/Opera Singing, Musical Performance, Stage Directing, Dramaturgy, Scenography and Costume Design, Wigs, Make-up and Special Make-up Effects for Stage and Screen, and Theatre, and Film and Television Criticism. Depending on the course, students conclude their studies with a diploma, a Bachelor of Arts or a Master of Arts degree. The Academy’s cooperation partners are the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, the Ludwig Maximilians-Universität München, the Akademie der bildenden Künste München and the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München, at one of which students are enrolled, depending on their course of studies. In addition, there are production partnerships with the Bavarian State Opera, the Residenztheater, the Gärtnerplatztheater and the Munich Radio Orchestra as well as with other Bavarian, supraregional and international theatres and festivals.

An average of approx. 40 productions are made with the students each year. Admission tickets for performances are available through the central ticket office of the Bavarian State Theatres.

When the Prinzregententheater is not being used for the Academy’s own productions, it rents out the building to concert organisers. Some 20% of the Academy’s total budget is financed from the proceeds of these rentals. The Theaterakademie August Everding is funded by the Free State of Bavaria, represented by the Bavarian State Ministry of Education, Science and the Arts.

Honorary Members

The Theaterakademie August Everding has the following honorary members:

  • Prof. Dr. Hellmuth Matiasek
  • Prof. Klaus Zehelein