The ”Ernst Busch” is one of the leading institutions of performing-arts education in the German-speaking world, and enjoys an outstanding international reputation. Students and their excellent education are the focus of the six theatre arts degree programmes offered: acting, directing, dramaturgy, contemporary puppetry, experimental and intermedia theatre (Spiel und Objekt), and choreography.
The Ernst Busch University of Theatre Arts Berlin – HfS Ernst Busch for short – gives students the training and the space to become well-rounded artists and human beings. The curriculum centres around imparting practical, artistic, research, and analytical skills at the highest level. Foundation courses provide a solid basis in theatrical craft, followed by diploma courses that offer room for more in-depth development. The HfS Ernst Busch maintains strong practical connections with established theatres and in the independent scene, cooperates closely with other institutions of arts education, and allows space for the continuous exchange of ideas. Admission to most diploma programmes at the HfS Ernst Busch is possible without a high-school diploma, and some of the Master’s programmes accept students on the basis of professional experience.
The Ernst Busch University of Theatre Arts is continuously striving for equal opportunity, diversity, and pluralism, and endeavours to ensure the flourishing of all students and staff – be it in their artistic practice and research, in the classroom, or in collaborating on academic self-management. At the same time, students and staff at the HfS Ernst Busch actively pursue the intercultural sharing of artistic knowledge and expertise – including through collaborations with theatrical institutions and artists from around the world, participation in festivals, and facilitating student mobility. The HfS Ernst Busch is committed to supporting a diverse, multifarious, and translocal artistic community. The university fosters a holistic understanding of inclusion and sustainability, and actively contributes to transforming the landscapes of theatre, dance, and film in this direction.
The university’s history stretches back to 1905, when Deutsches Theater artistic director Max Reinhardt set up the first German acting school. Renamed in 1981, the Ernst Busch brand has been standing for leading performing artists in the German-speaking world. Graduates go on to apply the skills and knowledge they learned at the HfS Ernst Busch in their professional lives, actively shaping the aesthetic, social, and political contexts of their artistic work. They constitute a significant, influential presence in society.
Today, the HfS Ernst Busch “performs” at three locations: the main campus in Berlin-Mitte; the bat-Studiotheater in Prenzlauer Berg; and at Uferstudios. The main campus and the bat-Studiotheater have recently been modernized and are fully wheelchair accessible. The Inter-University Centre for Dance Berlin (HZT) is located at Uferstudios on a reclaimed industrial site in Berlin-Wedding. Parallel to its educational programme, the HfS Ernst Busch hosts a large number of public events that open up spaces for discourse and generate momentum for artistic practice. We invite you to come and experience our lively venues at the heart of Berlin for yourself.
