Top Performing Arts Universities in Russia!

Russia has a number of thriving performing arts institutions with esteemed alumni working on Broadway, touring theatre, local theatre, TV and film! Below, BroadwayWorld rounds up the top performing arts schools in Russia. Check out the list below!

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The School of Russian and Asian Studies

The St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy offers intensive courses of Russian-style actor training for English-speaking actors. These are available in English or through interpreters.

One of the oldest and largest acting schools in Europe, the Academy is today best known for teaching the Etude Method of Acting. Stanislavsky's Method, as used in America, while a highly effective technique for actors, is greatly simplified from how it was originally practiced in Russia and how many in Russia utilize it today. The Etude Method, developed largely from Stanislavsky's Method, and as used by the St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy today, combines intense physical and vocal training with improvisation to help reveal the psychology of a character and the emotion of a scene.

These courses are offered directly through The St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. Any questions about application, enrollment, and other issues should be addressed directly to the Academy. Those students requiring additional support in such issues as obtaining insurance and securing credit transfer may contact SRAS about our visiting scholar services.

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Russian Academy of Theatre Arts

GITIS trains students in various professions in the theatrical arts (including ballet, acting, etc.) and simultaneously provides a traditional university education in liberal arts and humanities. Approximately 1500 students, qualification-advancement students, and post-graduate students from various countries study at GITIS.

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Moscow Art Theatre School

The Moscow Art Theatre School was opened in 1943 as an affiliation of the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). The idea of its creation belonged to Vladimir Nemirovitch-Danchenko, a close associate of Konstantin Stanislavsky. Initially, the school aimed at rearing professional actors for MKhAT. The core of the acting method taught at the school was originally developed by Stanislavsky to instill in the disciples an acute sense of genuinely organic acting that was close to people's behavior in real life. The fundamentals of the Stanislavsky system have retained their priority meaning to date. Nevertheless, during the time it exists The Moscow Art Theatre School has significantly expanded the scope of disciplines taught and has been actively integrating into the practice of the world's theatre. The Moscow Art Theatre School has developed partnership with some of the leading theatre schools, such as Paris Conservatory, London Academy of Musical and Dramatic Arts, Theatre School of Strasbourg. From April, 2003 Moscow Art Theatre School participated in the international educational project TEMPUS (TEMPUS "Russia/Europe Mobility & ECTS within the European Modern Languages"), successfully completed in October, 2005. For the last several years the Moscow Art Theatre School has trained sizeable groups of American students from the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University.

There are 5 theatre specialization departments: Acting; Directing; Stage design; Costume design; Performing arts management.

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Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute

The history of the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute began at an amateur theatre studio under Yevgeni Vakhtangov, then a young actor working at the famous MKhAT. October 23, 1914 when Vakhtangov read his first lecture is the official date of the establishment of the institute. Boris Shchukin, one of the first graduates of the institution was Vakhtangov's favorite disciple. His name was later given to this theatrical school. The Evgeni Vakhtangov theatre then appeared on the base of that studio. In 1937 a new educational institution was established under its aegis. In 2002 the school was accorded the status of an institute. At present, besides Russian students there are students from South Korea, the United States, France, Israel and Moldova.

There are two theatre specialization departments: Acting; Directing.

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Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre College

The school's history began in 1809 when Emperor Alexander I decreed to set up the first Moscow's theatrical school. A wide range of specialties was offered to its students, including drama artist, ballet dancer, musician, props maker and stage-hand. The obligatory disciplines included vocals, dances, fencing and the use of several musical instruments. Upon graduation, the students got jobs at Moscow's and St.Petersburg's theatres. The school's history of 1840s and 1850s was related to the great Russian actor Mikhail Shchepkin, who had lectured at this institution for 30 years, and whose name was then given to the school. In 1918 the school came under the patronage of the Maly Theatre, soon turning into a theatrical college. In 1943 the college was accorded the status of "the higher theatre educational institution" it nears to date. Significantly, starting from 1950, when the first national studio for Yakutia was established, this school was the supplier of creative theatre workers for the small national republics of Russia. Altogether specialists for 32 national and ethnic studios have been trained at the Shchepkin School. Of late the school has helped form national studios for a number of foreign countries.

There are 4 theatre specialization departments: Acting; Directing; History of Arts; Body balance.

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