The Academy of Theatre and Dance is the Netherlands’ premier training school for all theatre and dance disciplines. You can study at all levels: there are preliminary courses, associate degree and bachelor and master’s . As a student, you are the star of our show: we’ve built our courses to service your artistic talent, your ambitions and your dreams. Here are nine reasons why you should study with us.
We're one of a kind!
Our academy is the only one of its kind in the Netherlands: we are the only theatre and dance academy in the country with all disciplines and relevant resources under one roof. Students from seventeen specialisms can meet and inspire one another here, break new ground and challenge conventional thinking. They can collaborate and feed each other’s ideas, learn and take courage from one another – and bring new ideas to life in the process
Learn from exceptional, experienced teachers
You’ll learn your craft from the most accomplished teachers and guest instructors, all of whom are practicing professionals themselves. You’ll also get to work with international artists-in-residence. You’ll have passionate professionals nurturing your creativity and craftsmanship, gearing your training to the constantly evolving artistic world. How do you transform your ideas into remarkable productions? By giving yourself a solid foundation upon which to build and keep building for life.
Learn at the heart of Dutch cultural life
The Academy of Theatre and Dance is located in the centre of the vibrant and open-minded city of Amsterdam, so you’ll be studying right at the heart of Dutch cultural life. We maintain close ties with leading theatres and theatre and dance companies. They include Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Frascati Theatre, Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, ICK-Artist Space, Theater Rotterdam, Eastman/Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Club Guy & Roni, enabling you to build a useful network before you even graduate.
Learn in a open atmosphere in an open-minded community
Our vibrant, international academy offers an environment in which everyone is free to dream, think and create, where ideas flow freely and diversity is the norm. We are an open-source academy, an academy where independent minded people can develop as artists. It’s a creative hub where students challenge each other, help each other to flourish, excel and reach their highest potential.
Create together
A creative hub doesn’t just happen by itself. Here at the academy, you’ll be a member of interdisciplinary creative teams working on exciting productions. Working in teams, future professional actors, cabaret artists, directors, dancers, choreographers, set and costume designers, producers, technical producers and lighting and sound designers inspire one another to create the most spectacular work. Your team members during your time here will form a valuable professional network for life.
Access to the very best facilities
The school is purpose-built for theatre and dance training. Students here put on no fewer than 400 dance and theatre productions each year, and you’ll find all the facilities you need to realize your artistic ambitions – in professionally equipped studios, a large theatre, a dance theatre and several rehearsal studios. You’ll have full access to the costume workshop, scenery workshop, the IDlab, the production bureau, the technical department and the library/mediatheque. They are ready and waiting to help you carry out your artistic plans.
Plenty of hands-on experience
You’ll acquire a wealth of practical experience during your time here. Some of it you’ll get working on the many productions you’ll be involved in – often under the supervision of a guest director or choreographer. And then there are the collaborative cross-disciplinary projects in which you will work as an actor, dancer, theatre director, producer, technical producer or designer. And, finally, during your internship, you will get down to the real practical workings of your discipline.
Develop your creative entrepreneurship
Working in the performing arts means working in a constantly evolving field. That’s why the Academy of Theatre and Dance gives you a solid foundation as a cultural entrepreneur. We teach you to recognise opportunities, to understand the importance of collaborating with other specialists as well as how to seek and choose who to work with, and to create and develop your own sphere of work. This foundation will equip you to make lasting contributions to the performing arts after you graduate.
You’ll work with the very latest digital tools
At our IDlab (Interdisciplinary Digital Lab) you’ll be introduced to the latest digital equipment, so you can work with tools such as 360-degree video and virtual and augmented reality. You’ll have plenty of freedom to experiment with new techniques and explore the possibilities they hold for you.
photography: Sjoerd Derine
Read more and visit us
Read more about our study progammes and visit our open days!