The common goal of the ATD's undergraduate programmes is to train students to become passionate and excellent professionals in the disciplines of theatre, dance and arts education (teacher training).
The programmes are not bound to one view of what art or art education is or should be. Art cannot be captured in models, but develops idiosyncratically and unpredictably. Above all, the programmes connect artistry with a certain degree of originality, with the search for the original, the new or the changing, with engagement and imagination. But a theatre or dance professional also has a clear responsibility: it is someone who can and wants to explore the limits of his own ability, of his discipline and of the world around him.
As a student, the programme will appeal to these qualities and encourage you to keep re-examining the boundaries and balance between tradition and innovation, between craftsmanship and artistry.
The school does not create talent, but tries to develop your presupposed talent as a student, both professionally and artistically, to a professional level that matches professional practice. You learn to acquire skills and conditions that enable you to function independently and sustainably in theatre and dance practice and in other practices, in collaboration with others. In the more than 40 years of its existence, the ATD has acquired a unique position in training talented theatre and dance professionals for the national and international professional field.
Starting from its autonomous fields of study, the ATD operates as a collaborative body of programmes that brings together the best in tradition and experimentation to deliver theatre and dance professionals who are aware of a changing world and want to relate to it in an entrepreneurial and committed way. The academy aims to be a trendsetter, combining the strengths of generations and disciplines in which craftsmanship, authenticity and risk-taking are inseparable. The academy is an open institution, interacting with the most important dance and theatre companies and venues in the city of Amsterdam. The programmes reflect the rich diversity of performing arts, relate to the international field and broaden the market for their alumni.
It all sounds great, and it is. We are the only theatre and dance academy in the Netherlands where you will find everything under one roof. All disciplines, from production to classical ballet and from mime to theatre technology. All facilities from a costume workshop to a digital lab. And together we form a common stage for seventeen specialised courses. A learning community where we inspire each other to find new ways and challenge conventions. Where we think, dare and learn together, bringing new ideas to life. Our ambition is to train a generation of theatre makers who learn to work together from day one.