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History - Location of the Department

The Department of Theatre Studies was founded in 2003 (P.D. 118/2003), has been operating since the academic year 2003-2004 and is part of the School of Fine Arts of the University of the Peloponnese, which is located in Nafplion, Argolis.

In a small distance from the Department, within the wider area, there are the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus, the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus and the Ancient Theatre of Argos, while the archaeological sites of Mycenae, Tiryns and Argos create a special natural, historical and cultural scenery. The Department has built a strong relationship with the local community and the cultural institutions of Argolis, being in this way an integral part of Nafplion’s image.

The Department of Theatre Studies is based in the following buildings, which are equipped with the necessary technical infrastructure: a) the Main Teaching Building with lecture halls, a multimedia/computer hall and a library, b) the building for administrative services and teaching, c) the Room for Experience-based Teaching and d) the Fine Arts building in Aria, Nafplion, while the Trianon Theatre at the Syntagmatos Square is used for performances and courses. The aforementioned buildings except for d) are used by kind permission of the Municipality of Nafplion, while the Department is prepared to be transferred to the spacious building of the former tobacco warehouse of Nafpion.

The teaching staff covers a wide range of fields of study and in parallel, extra elective courses are offered by teaching staff members under contract.

Undergraduate and postgraduate studies

The Department of Theatre Studies off ers one undergraduate curriculum and two postgraduate curricula.

The undergraduate programme is a four-year programme. During the fi rst two years of the studies, basic theatre education is off ered on ancient, modern Greek and world theatre and drama, combined with solid background knowledge on related humanitarian sciences and arts (history, literature, anthropology, philosophy, music, cinema, critical theory, history of art). During the last two years of the studies, students attend specialisation courses of the two informal specialisations of the Department:

a) Theatre Studies b) Theatre Practice and elective courses: In order to gain the degree, students have to take exams and pass 52 courses (or 48 courses plus a thesis) and accumulate two hundred forty (240) ECTS-credits plus the internship in relevant institutions.

The special character of the Curriculum is based on the interdisciplinarity, the combination of theory and practice – according to the statute – and the pioneering introduction (in comparison to other relevant departments) of fi elds of study, such as dance, theatre pedagogy, creative writing/adaptation, ritual performance, French and Spanish theatre and translation, Roman theatre, theatre reviewing, physical theatre, ancient theatre architecture, inventive theatre, documental theatre, contemporary direction trends, stage lighting, multimedia, theatrical production et al.

Both Undergraduate and Postgraduate Curricula off er high-quality education, which meets the requirements of international standards. Their purpose is the cultivation and development of theatre studies and performing arts in general, through the combination of practice with scientifi c methodology, the following of current trends and the application of new technologies. They provide students with all necessary skills, which ensure their adequate training for a scientifi c and professional career, and contribute to theatre and arts research at an international level.

It should be noted that the Department was certifi ed with grade “Excellent” by the Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency, aſt er an external evaluation by external reviewers in 2019.

In the Department, there are two postgraduate programmes operating successfully:

a) Drama and Performing Arts in Education and Lifelong Learning, with focuses on the study and promotion of the know-how and the development of research and applications of Drama and Performing Arts in Education

b) Theatre and Society: Theory, Staging and Didactics, which focuses on the relation between theatre and other performing arts with society, and off ers two specialisations: “Theatre Studies” and “Stage Practice: Didactics and Social Applications”, which combine theatrological with artistic practice, mirroring the twofold character of the Department

c) Creative Writing, Theatre and Culture Industries: Artistic, Research and Pedagogical Applications, which concerns the study and practice of creative writing and the production of original and translated texts as well as artistic and social/pedagogical applications of creative writing,  especially in relation to theatre,  in the wider context  of policy, curating, editing, communication and management in pertinent culture industries. It offers two specializations: 1. Creative Writing and Theatre Adaptations, and 2. Applications of Creative Writing and Culture Industries

The Department of Theatre Studies has a dynamic and rich network of thirty-one (31) Erasmus+ cooperations with renowned higher education institutions, and encourages the student mobility abroad either for studies or for an internship.

In addition, the Department has concluded a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with universities abroad, such as the universities of Montpellier (France), Regina (Canada). It cooperates with the Centre for Hellenic Studies in Greece (CHS Greece) of Harvard University in Nafplion, as well as with international festivals, and holds several research and artistic events with international participants on a regular basis.

Carrer Prospects

The Department’s graduates are called “theatrologists” (according to the P.D. 105/2009 and P.D. 125/2000), belong to the category PE 92.01 (University Education in Theatre Studies), and within this framework they have established their professional rights. They can work as teaching staff members in public primary/secondary education, as well as other structures of art education and professional training. They can also work as members of cultural organisations, as scientifi c consultants, producers, culture managers, culture authors or professional artists, while they have the right to enrol in postgraduate first-cycle programmes.

Research

The Department of Theatre Studies has notable research activity by participating in six funded European and national research programmes as well as three educational programmes in the fields of theatrological, pedagogical and applied research. In parallel, the Department has participated as scientifi c partner in fi ve research projects.

At the Department of Theatre Studies, eight doctoral theses have been conducted, 46 more are prepared for the time being in study fi elds treated by the Department, while at the same time three post-doctoral research projects are conducted in the fi eld of ancient theatre. Honorary doctors of the Department are among others: Terry Eagleton, Theodoros Terzopoulos, Giannis Kokkos and Eugenio Barba.

Within the framework of its research activities, the Department publishes its conference proceedings and the peer-reviewed scientifi c journal “Theatrou Polis”: Interdisciplinary journal on Theatre and Arts, in cooperation with the National Documentation Centre. Moreover, a signifi cant number of conferences, lectures, theatrical plays is held, along with an annual post-doctoral candidate conference.

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