Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
| Akademie múzických umění v Praze | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 1945 |
| Rector | Jan Hancil |
|
Administrative staff
|
575 |
| Students | 1,541 |
| 147 | |
| Location | Prague, Czech Republic |
| Website | www |
 |
|
The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (Czech: Akademie múzických umění v Praze, AMU) is a university level school of music, dance, drama, film, TV and multi-media studies.
It is the Czech Republic’s largest arts school. With more than 350 pedagogues and researchers as well as 1500 students, AMU has extensive scholarly potential in numerous disciplines of theatre, film and music, some of which are not offered by any other school in Europe. The instruction is provided by top artistic professionals active in the most prestigious theatres, in film and television, musical virtuosos and other prominent members of the Czech cultural and intellectual scene. The school’s added value is that all faculties are located in the very heart of Prague – a cultural metropolis with a one-thousand-year tradition and a unique offering of live art, to which AMU contributes through its artistic activities.
Often an acronym "AMU" is used referring to the Czech name of the school "Akademie múzických umění".
AMU is a highly selective school with a multi-round admissions process; on average, every tenth applicant is admitted. Instruction takes place in small study groups which guarantee an individual approach and a relationship of partnership between students and teachers. In addition to Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, AMU also offers several doctoral programmes. The focus of AMU’s scientific activity is the area of artistic research, although specialized departments also pursue classic research in art history and theory. AMU students have access to high-quality faculty libraries with more than 180 000 volumes of scholarly literature, sound recordings and audio-visual works, and their creative activities are supported by specialised professional-level facilities (theatres, film and television studios, concert halls). AMU’s two cross-faculty pedagogical facilities are its Languages Centre and its Sports, Rehabilitation and Movement Centre. All three faculties are served by AMU Press (NAMU), which publishes literature focusing on all of AMU’s artistic disciplines, ranging from lecture notes and e-books to graphically demanding publications. The final projects of students studying disciplines with a significant graphic component are presented in the AMU Gallery (GAMU), where one-off thematic exhibitions are also held. AMU has its own accommodation centre in the very centre of Prague near Prague Castle. It also has a student dormitory in Old Town with special amenities for students studying music disciplines. Concentrated multi-day creative work is possible at two dedicated facilities outside Prague.
The Academy of Performing Arts was founded by the Presidential Decree of October 27, 1945. A year later, in the winter semester of 1946, it was opened for students. Several prominent artists and writers, namely Jindřich Honzl, Jiří Frejka, František Troster and others initiated the establishment of the school during World War II. Professors of the older Prague Conservatory also supported the idea of transforming the former maestro school into a higher school of university level. Writers, artists and other film makers with practical experience in the film industry (namely Jaroslav Bouček, Karel Plicka, Otakar Vávra, Ivan Olbracht, Vítězslav Nezval, A. M. Brousil and others) watched over the school’s future curriculum, guiding it to meet new trends in post-war film development. Later the Film Studio and the DISK theatre, which belonged to the Theatre Faculty, were added. The Opera Studio of the Music Faculty also uses the DISK theatre. When TV came into being, the Film and TV School began to serve its needs by offering study programmes for TV specialists. It also has a department with still photography curriculum.
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