Academy of Theatre
Since its founding in 1953, the Academy of Theatre has been Norway’s leading educational institution for the acting professions. The Academy offers a three-year Bachelor’s course for actors and directors and a two-year Master’s course in theatre, specialising in acting, direction, stage writing and stage design. The department also offers a practice-oriented teacher training course (PPU) for drama teachers.
The Academy embraces both traditional and experimental techniques. Our primary goal is to help our students develop all the skills they need for a career in theatre, uniting the traditional craft that has long underpinned our great theatrical institutions with the best of the more experimental and creative techniques coming from the independent field.
The Academy offers not only a valuable vocational education, but also a first-class arts education. We aim to encourage and develop our students’ artistic abilities, giving the theatrical world not only the supply of new talent it craves, but perhaps also some fresh perspectives it doesn’t yet know that it needs.
Bachelor’s in acting
Students taking a Bachelor’s degree in acting learn to be independent creative artists of a high calibre, gaining experience in a rich array of methods to develop their own expressive abilities. The programme gives the student a solid foundation in acting technique, ready for professional work in stage productions, film, TV and radio. Theatre is a collaborative medium, so students also learn to work both as part of an ensemble and in partnership with professionals from other artistic and theatrical fields.
The course is grounded in the principles established by the Russian theatre director and educator Stanislavski. The core subject is the theory of acting, beginning in the first year with an introduction to foundational acting techniques. The course progresses steadily towards professional-level presentations in the third year of study, with additional opportunities to work on and perform in independent stage projects.
Acting technique comprises roughly half the course. The other half consists of supplementary modules such as movement and improvisation, dance, elocution and vocal training, singing and music, text and poetry, in addition to art theory and methodology. There are also modules in film and radio theatre, in collaboration with NRK, Norway’s broadcasting company.
Apply for admission
Søknadsweb (the application portal) and information about the admission process will be available two months before the application deadline.
Bachelor’s in theatre directing
Students learn to work as independent creative artists of a high calibre, gaining experience with a rich array of methods to develop their own expressive abilities. Theatre is a collaborative medium, so students also learn to work both as part of an ensemble and in partnership with professionals from other artistic and theatrical fields. The course is grounded in the principles established by the Russian theatre director and educator Stanislavski, although students are also introduced to other approaches and methods in the field of directing.
In course work, students work together as both actors and directors. They also collaborate with other students at KHiO, and with people from other academic and non-academic fields, on directorial exercises and productions of increasing scope and complexity.
In addition to the primary focus on directing, the Bachelor’s course also teaches acting techniques, theatre and art theory, dramaturgy, dramatisation, production and the technical aspects of theatre.
Master’s in theatre
The Master’s degree programme in theatre is a two-year, full-time study. The aim of the programme is to develop theatrical practitioners who may help re think the various disciplines, introduce fresh perspectives and create their own artistic expression within a broad definition of what the theatrical arts are and can be.
The programme focuses on artistic practice, and a major part consists of collective creative processes where a mix of disciplines and specialisations meet and interact.
The programme is a unique opportunity for theatrical practitioners to develop professionally both in the practice and theory of their discipline. This requires a willingness to work independently, to mature and to reflect.
The Master’s programme gives students the opportunity to reflect on and refine their artistic practice, immerse themselves in artistic exploration, participate in new forms of collaboration and present their works in a professional setting at one of Europe’s premier art academies. The artistic work takes place both individually and in collaboration with a highly diverse student body and staff.
The teaching at the programme is varied, and students will also engage in a wide range of workshop processes. A key element is the production work that leads to various forms of performances and stagings, as closely followed up by teachers and supervisors at a high Norwegian and international level. The programme concludes with an artistic Master’s degree project, which will also include a written submission with the student’s reflections.
The programme also qualifies the students for research and for applying to the PhD programme in Artistic Research and other relevant doctoral programmes.
Both individuals and groups are welcome to apply to the Master’s programme.
Apply for admission
Søknadsweb (the application portal) and information about the admission process will be available two months before the application deadline.
Master's in Comparative Dramaturgy and Performance Research
Duration |
Full-time? |
Tuition language |
Application deadline |
| Two years | Yes | English | 1. February |
Delve into diverse performance cultures and dramaturgical practices in this international double-degree programme.
“There has been a change in the work and identity of dramaturgs” – The new international master’s programme in comparative dramaturgy and performance research responds to today’s needs.
Our goal is to educate internationally active professionals with the ability and determination to cross a wide range of boundaries – artistic, cultural, linguistic and disciplinary – in order to create inventive performances.
The CDPR programme trains students to become research-oriented artists with the necessary knowledge and skills to analyse issues of their choice through the performing arts.
The curriculum prepares students for important challenges that have shaped the field of performing arts in recent decades. These include the expansion of the concepts of performance and dramaturgy; changes in what constitutes the work of the dramaturge; changes in the relationship between art and research; and increased international and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Studying at two different universities will allow you to delve into diverse performance and research practices and gain a detailed understanding of different local performing arts scenes. You will develop the ability to compare and connect different artistic practices, cultural systems, languages and fields of research and act as an active intermediator between them.
You enter the programme with an existing performance practice and a preliminary master’s research plan. This will give direction to your studies from the outset. The plan is revised and expanded during the studies.
The comprehensive and demanding CDPR programme comprises four semesters and requires full-time attendance.
The programme is tailored for dramaturges and theatre artists who wish to work in international and multidisciplinary productions. It prepares students for important challenges that have shaped the field of performing arts in recent decades, such as the expansion of the concepts of performance and dramaturgy; changes in the relationship between art and research; and increased international and multidisciplinary collaboration.
The programme is the first double-degree programme at Oslo National Academy of the Arts. You will study two semesters at two European universities and graduate from both.
In practice, the programme works so that the students study the first semester at their own university, and the next two semesters at one of the four partner universities. The students return to their own university for the final semester to complete their thesis.
We have tailored this programme for process-oriented students who wish to work in international and multidisciplinary contexts. The contexts include collaborative productions, research-oriented artistic projects and institutions that combine artistic activities and research.
All of the five universities involved in the network, that is, Uniarts Helsinki, Goethe University Frankfurt, Paris Nanterre University, Université Libre in Brussels and Oslo National Academy of the Arts, independently plan their own curricula and select their own students.
Applications are accepted from anywhere in the world. The language of instruction is English.
Apply for admission
Søknadsweb (the application portal) and information about the admission process will be available two months before the application deadline.
Postgraduate Certificate in Education
Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PPU) Theatre is for actors and directors who wish to work as drama teachers.
Interview with a student on the PPU for drama teachers, Line Verndal.
The programme qualifies the student to teach in primary and secondary schools, adult education, folk high schools, cultural schools and private theatre schools.
PPU is a one-year course that earns 60 ECTS credits, covering basic and subject-related teaching theory and practice. The course includes 12-14 weeks of integrated and supervised practical training.
Education theory deals with the science of upbringing, teaching, learning and development, providing knowledge about and increased capacity for reflection on the role of the teacher in preparation for practice.
The curriculum covers:
- Psychology: developmental psychology, relationships, communication, learning and motivation.
- Philosophy: various justifications for and focal concerns of upbringing and education, ethics and value consciousness.
- Sociology: society, culture, group processes and interaction.
- Theory of education/teaching: the what, why and how of teaching – curricula and assessment work.
Subject-related teaching theory deals with different approaches to and perspectives on the teaching of various target groups in a range of learning contexts. Primary goals include gaining experience and feedback and collecting suitable material relevant to the planning, implementation and evaluation of lessons. Students work with a wide variety of teachers. The course is divided into the following areas:
- Play, creativity and imaginative work with children.
- Interaction, improvisation and composition.
- Basic dramatic techniques (role and character development).
- Drama teaching in depth: concept and directing.
In practice training students gain experience of different aspects of the teaching profession. Working together with practice supervisors, students receive instruction in how to plan, organise, implement and assess lessons in accordance with pedagogical and educational principles. The practice training is conducted with trial classes of different ages and is primarily/normally geared toward cultural schools/private theatre schools and secondary schools.
Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PPU) in both theatre and dance is led professionally and administratively by the department of dance.
Apply for admission
Søknadsweb (the application portal) and information about the admission process will be available two months before the application deadline.
Student exchange
If you are interested in becoming an exchange student at Oslo National Academy of the Arts, read more at the Student Exchange page.
