Dramatens elevskola

Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola (Swedish for "The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school"), also known as Dramatens elevskola, was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, The Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years (1787–1964) seen as the foremost theatre school and drama education for Swedish stage actors. It was established in 1787 by the theatre and art loving King Gustav III and was for many years under the protection of the Swedish royal family.

The school was originally founded in 1787. Previously, actors had been educated as personal students of individual actors at the theatre, but it was decided that a school was necessary for a more secure succession of the profession and to teach children in the profession from the start from examples made by the continent. In 1788, it was called The Children's Theatre, teaching children between the ages of 9-14. The school is noted to have performed a play for the king and the royal court. One of the first students known was Lars Hjortsberg, who also performed at this occasion and became one of the stars of Swedish theatre history. The school was re-organised in 1793 by Anne Marie Milan Desguillons and her spouse, two actors from the French Theatre in Bollhuset in Stockholm. The students was often used in small parts by the royal theatre and in student performances. The instructors were often actors from the royal theatre.

The quality of the drama school was considered to be one of Europe's greatest (equivalent to British RADA) and up until 1964 it still featured traditional fencing, ballet-training, plastik (plastique; body movement and posture on stage), recital- and voice-training (following the same instructions since 1819) and teachings of skilled masking techniques - everything much the same since the 18th Century. The education originally was one year long, but later in the end of the 1910s became two years and later in 1930s extended to three years (as a third year as practising actor at the national stage in its productions was included and compulsory for all).

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