The Theatre Academy of Finland

Theatre Academy was founded in 1979 when the Finnish and Swedish theatre academies merged into a single national and bilingual theatre academy. The Central Library of Theatre and Dance became part of the academy at that time. The birth of Theatre Academy coincided with major reforms and revolutions within the worlds of academia and the arts in the 1960s and 1970s. Dr Timo Kallinen's book Teatterikorkeakoulun synty tells how Theatre Academy evolved from a polytechnic school to a higher education academy. The Theatre Academy provides the highest education in the performing arts in Finland, training actors (in Finnish and Swedish), directors, dramaturges, lighting and sound designers, professionals in dance (choreographers and dancers), performance artists, dance and theatre pedagogues. The results of the studies are performed on the stages of the Academy’s training theatre. The Academy also works within research in the fields of theatre, dance and performance. At the Theatre Academy, art, performance, training, and research are in constant interaction. Everything starts from training in the practical craft of acting, with the objective is of educating students who are willing to develop in the arts. Our purpose is to provide an extensive general knowledge in the field and to encourage students to pursue analytical, investigative and reflective thinking.