Theatre studies has a long-established tradition in this region and, at the same time, has always been one of the rather peripheral, smaller fields which require a specific approach, organisation and philosophy within the system of higher education. The Department of Theatre Studies continues the tradition of theatre and drama studies at the Faculty of Arts, building mainly on the work of the founding generations of Prague structuralists and drama scholars, such as J. Mukařovský and V. Černý. However, we also offer an approach that respects the contemporary needs of the field, pays close attention to recent developments in theatre, and above all facilitates various possibilities for the professional achievement of the younger generation, which is a vital prerequisite for the future existence of the field.

The Department of Theatre Studies currently offers a three-year full-time bachelor’s programme (single major or double major) and a two-year post-bachelor master’s programme (single major) in theatre studies. The Department is strongly committed to providing positions in the doctoral programme of study: to continue the work of the Department itself and to strengthen the professional and expert interest in the study of theatre, performance, drama, and other related artistic expressions. Teaching and research in our Department focuses primarily on the theory and history of theatre and drama, as well as on the history of modern Czech theatre and the relationships between written plays and their production and staging (and between the metamorphoses of stage language in modern theatre). However, the emphasis on these central issues does not reduce the importance of other spheres within the study of theatre. There are other (mainly methodological) approaches on offer. Teaching is based on active cooperation between the students and teachers, on mutual dialogue, and on the individual work of the students who are expected to develop and improve their skills and thinking. The Department closely cooperates with other units at the Faculty of Arts – especially with institutes and departments of related fields (film studies, musicology, aesthetics, Czech language and literature) and units that teach foreign languages and literatures. The Department also cooperates with other schools and institutions in the country. Cooperation on a regular basis happens with the following establishments:

Seminar on Theatre in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Centre for Classical Studies at the Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences)

Arts Institute – Theatre Institute (Czech Theatre Studies Department)

Theatre Faculty at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (DAMU) (Department of Authorial Creativity and Pedagogy; Department of Theory and Criticism)

Our Department collaborates with departments and universities abroad as well, both in the form of frequent student (and staff) exchanges and by organising one-time lecture series or stand-alone lectures. Contact with foreign departments and their staff is absolutely essential for our students and teachers alike. We are reaching out to other institutes and departments across Europe to expand our cooperation in the field of theatre studies.