Academy of Theatre Arts
Kraków Artists: Theatre, Cabaret and Film
A state art university founded in 1946, training future actors and directors. It was created by merging three autonomous acting studios: the Acting Studio at the Stary Theatre, the Acting Studio at the Słowacki Theatre and the Iwo Gall Drama Studio. The first director of the State Drama School was Juliusz Osterwa, and since 1 October 2017 the university has borne the name of the Stanisław Wyspiański Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków.
History
Kraków's theatre school began in 1946, when Juliusz Osterwa founded the State Drama School. The new school was created by merging three studios: the acting studio at the Stary Theatre, the acting studio at the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre and Iwo Gall's Drama Studio. In its first years it trained drama actors in a three-year course.
Over time the course was lengthened and the name changed. In 1948 it became the State Higher School of Acting with a four-year programme, in 1954 the State Higher Theatre School, and a year later Ludwik Solski became its patron. The academy has borne its present name, with Stanisław Wyspiański as its patron, since 1 October 2017.
Teachers at the Kraków school have included Tadeusz Kantor, Krystian Lupa and Krzysztof Penderecki, and those who earned their acting diplomas here include Zbigniew Cybulski, Gustaw Holoubek, Jerzy Grotowski, Kalina Jędrusik and Anna Dymna. Directing was first taught in 1955-1962, and the faculty of drama directing was revived in 1973 by rector Jerzy Krasowski. From the start the school has been headed by well-known theatre artists, among them Jerzy Stuhr and Dorota Segda. Today the AST has five faculties, two of them in Kraków: Acting and Drama Directing.
Did you know?
From 1954 to 1964 the school also trained puppeteers in Kraków; graduates of this department included Maja Komorowska, Ryszard Cieślak and Kazimierz Kaczor. Since 1972 the puppeteers have had their own faculty in Wrocław.