The University of Performing Arts Ernst Busch can look back over more than a century-long history. In 1905, the newly appointed Artistic Director of the ›Deutsches Theater‹, Max Reinhardt, founded the first-ever German Acting Conservatoire. In doing so, he affiliated his theatre with a leading teaching institution for future generations of artists. This relationship continued up until 1951, when the school became an independent and autonomous college. In 1971 the teaching program was extended to include the Faculty of Puppetry. In September 1981, three decades after its conversion from the Berlin Actor's Conservatoire, the school was given university status and named the celebrated actor Ernst Busch (1900–1980).
In 1974 the Institute for Theatre Directing was included in the college program, followed in 1988 by a Choreography Department, which joined with Dance Performance in 2006 to become the Department of Dance.
The University of Performing Arts Ernst Busch today is therefore made up of four departments: Acting, Directing, Puppetry, and Dance, as well as its own Studio Theatre.
Our four-year Acting Programme's tradition is to divide the year into small groups that work on scene studies with as many different teachers as possible. This well-tested method of 'scene studies,' with a final performance and evaluation, derives from the Max Reinhardt period. The acting students work with the school's permanent teaching staff and actors, directors, and dramaturges from the profession. In this way, we ensure that the students are well prepared for the contemporary theatre practice which awaits them.
The Foundation Course is characterized by continuity and systematic the central element of the training is built around a series of projects. The teaching is based on the ideas that have established German Language theatre's best traditions and the most critical impulses from a wide-ranging international theatre scene. Our lessons focus on the insights and conclusions of Constantine Stanislavski and Bertold Brecht, and we use their methodological approaches with subtle differentiation and diversity. Our aim is that in each lesson, the acting student learns about himself, the role, and the work within an ensemble.
The scene studies, projects, and studio productions which are produced during the academic year are performed on the ›Wolfgang Heinz‹ Stage in the Schnellerstrasse and the ›bat-Theatre‹ in the Belforterstrasse. Our public studio performances provide evidence both of our sound training and the creative power of ensemble-acting. Alongside this, our students work on projects at various professional theatres.
Puppetry is an ancient craft, which can only fully prosper through the influence of other art-forms. The different elements, which, in amalgamation, contribute to this art-form are things, raw materials, puppets, and visuals, language, and play. By using puppets, the performer denies himself the vanity of presenting himself, steps into the background, create himself anew, and perceives himself differently.
Other genres: Dance, Acting, Film, Performance, and Digital Media, pervade this form of making theatre in every way. The practice-based course lasts eight semesters, covering various artistic ways to perform on stage and in front of an audience.
