Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (AMU)

Master's in Authorial Acting

The Master’s course spans four semesters with a blend of practical training, conceptual work, public presentation and theoretical study:

• Psychosomatic and acting disciplines: Core work in voice, speech, movement, body awareness, and the method of dialogical acting with the inner partner. This foundation ensures a grounded, embodied approach to expression and performance.
• Authorial creation and presentation: Students engage in Authorial Reading and Authorial Presentation, writing their own texts or performance material, developing them into performable form — individually or in collaboration — and refining their ability to present authorial work to audiences.
• Theoretical and contextual seminars: Studies in theatre theory, philosophy, psychology, dramatic text analysis, ethics and pedagogy provide intellectual depth and situate personal creation in a wider cultural and social frame.
• Workshop and public‑practice environment: Regular workshops with experienced professionals, opportunities for public readings, performances and involvement in the department’s festival of authorial creation encourage real‑world experience and audience feedback.
• Final project & examination: In the last phase, each student proposes, develops and presents an original authorial performance, complemented by a written thesis or dramaturgical text, and defends their work in an oral examination, demonstrating both practical competence and theoretical understanding.

This structure ensures graduates combine embodied technique, creative initiative and intellectual maturity, ready for professional or pedagogical application.

Programme Goals

The programme aims to cultivate artists who — beyond interpreting existing material — originate their own work with authenticity, integrity and awareness of broader contexts. Its core objectives include:

• Deep psychosomatic and expressive mastery: Developing voice, speech, movement, gesture and presence as natural, holistic means of expression, integrating physical, emotional and psychological awareness.
• Original authorship and creative autonomy: Enabling students to conceive, write, develop and perform original texts and performance pieces (solo or collaborative), grounded in personal vision and imagination.
• Integration of acting and authorship: Encouraging a blend of spontaneous dramatic play and conscious artistic authorship — fostering a hybrid practice of performer‑author, not merely interpreter.
• Reflective theoretical grounding: Providing a broad horizon through philosophy, psychology, dramatic theory, theatre history, ethics and pedagogy — enabling students to frame their creative work within social, cultural and intellectual contexts.
• Pedagogical and social engagement competence: Equipping graduates to share, teach or lead psychosomatic and authorial practices, enabling them to contribute not only artistically but educationally or socially — in theatre, media, community or educational settings.

Graduates emerge as creative, self‑aware and flexible artists capable of working across performance, creation, education, social practice or media.

Graduate Profile

Graduates of the Master’s Programme in Authorial Acting typically demonstrate:

• Embodied expressive competence: Deep control over voice, speech, movement, gesture and presence, enabling authentic, psychosomatically grounded performance.
• Creative authorship and independence: Ability to generate original dramatic or performance texts, conceive and mount their own productions — solo or collaborative — rooted in personal vision and experience.
• Analytical and theoretical awareness: Capacity to reflect on the meaning, context and ethical/social dimension of their work; ability to engage with dramatic theory, philosophy, psychology and pedagogy.
• Versatility across creative and social fields: Preparedness to work not only in theatre but also media, education, community work, therapy, social activism or other fields where performative authorship and psychosomatic awareness are valuable.
• Leadership and pedagogy potential: Equipped to teach, share or lead psychosomatic and authorial practices; able to mentor others, run workshops, or participate in community and cultural initiatives as creator‑educators.

Such graduates are not just performers, but independent authors‑artists‑educators capable of shaping their own path and contributing meaningfully to culture and society.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Master’s in Authorial Acting are well-positioned for diverse and meaningful careers:

• Theatre and performance creators — as authors, performers, directors, dramaturgs, creating original plays, performance art, experimental theatre or intermedia work.
• Media and content creators — writing performance texts, radio/audio drama, video and media performance, combining acting with authorship and interdisciplinary media.
• Educators, facilitators or pedagogues — teaching voice, movement, psychosomatic methods, performance techniques, drama education, or leading workshops and training in social, therapeutic, educational or community contexts.
• Cultural and social practitioners — engaging in socially engaged theatre, community arts, therapeutic theatre, participatory projects, social work, therapy, activism, communication or cultural management.
• Independent artists or researchers — producing personal or collaborative work, publishing, continuing study or entering doctoral-level artistic research, contributing to culture, academia or public life.

Because the programme’s emphasis lies in creativity, critical thinking and psychosomatic awareness, its alumni often traverse conventional boundaries — combining art, pedagogy, social engagement, therapy or media — making their career paths diverse and flexible.