The common goal of ATD study programmes is to train students to become passionate and excellent professionals in the disciplines of theatre, dance and art education (teacher training courses).

The study programmes are not bound to one notion of what art is or should be. Art cannot be confined to a model but develops idiosyncratically and unpredictably. The study programmes connect artistry to a certain measure of authenticity or a search for genuineness, innovation, transformation, commitment and imaginative power. But an artist also has a clear responsibility: Somebody who wants to explore the limits of capabilities in a chosen discipline and the surrounding world.    

The study programme will call you to task on these qualities and stimulate you to explore the borders and balance between tradition and innovation, between craftsmanship and artistry.

The school does not manufacture talent but tries to develop your abilities as student in an expert and artistic way to the level of professional practice. Our norm is the peak of national and international professional practice. You learn skills and acquire a mentality that allows you to function independently and sustain a career in theatre practice in collaboration with others.

In the nearly 40 years of its existence, the ATD has gained a unique position in training talented podium artists for the national and international work field.

Based on autonomous artistic professional disciplines, the ATD operates as a collaborative unit of study programmes that combine the best of tradition and experiment to train podium artists who are aware of a changing world that they want to relate to and exploit. The academy strives to be a trendsetter, fusing the strengths of current generations with disciplines in which craftsmanship, authenticity and taking risks are inseparably linked. The academy is an open institute that interacts with the most important dance and theatre ensembles and podia in the city of Amsterdam. The study programmes not only reflect the rich diversity of podium arts, they have international aspirations and help expand the market for their alumni while consolidating their image as excellent training courses.

It all sounds wonderful and that’s because it is. We are the only theatre and dance academy in the Netherlands where you can find everything under one roof. All disciplines, from production to classical ballet and from mime to theatre technique. All facilities from a costume studio to a digital lab. And together we form a common podium for fifteen specialized study programmes. A learning community in which we inspire each other to look for new roads and flout convention. Where we think, dare and learn together to bring new ideas to life. 

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