This is a four-year diploma programme in dramatic directing. Students become part of a vibrant environment, informed by a tradition of lively exchange, and a strong sense of solidarity. They participate actively in further developing the role of directing in theater, which has been subject to significant changes in recent years. While the programme mainly conceptualizes a director as an author or interpreter, students will also learn about other artistic methods. For example, they work within a group of artists or partake in an equitable collective process as producers.

The department places high value on community, cooperation and exchange. Community means learning from one another. Students from one year are divided into groups, both in theoretical seminars as well as in the workshops that are focussed on various sister arts, like music, voice, sound, etc. Together with faculty, they create a shared space of learning and teaching which fosters an environment of exchange and mutual support.

The cooperation with the other departments and programmes at HfS Ernst Busch, such as puppetry, acting, choreography, dramaturgy, and Spiel und Objekt, is important for future directors, as are the cooperations with other schools both in Germany and abroad. The department also cooperates with theaters in Germany and abroad, where students can work on production at various levels. We understand ‘exchange‘ to be a mutual learning experience that derives from interaction between faculty and students, as well as amongst students themselves. The programme includes attending nationwide and international workshops, as well as visiting international theater festivals. The department of direction considers a semester abroad to be of great value. They are organized by The Alexandria Nova Network—a network of North European directing programmes.