Schauspielschulen#

Drama schools: the bourgeois demand for theatre to function as an educational institution raised the standing of actors and led to the establishment of private drama schools from the mid-18th century. The aim of these schools was to train actors capable of coping with the demands of "moral education" and of providing a nuanced portrayal of their characters (in 1779 a private drama school was established by the Viennese court actor J. H. F. Mueller). In the 19th century the demand for actors grew due to the foundation of city theatres, prompting many actors and actresses to offer private instruction to aspiring actors. At the same time larger drama schools were founded (e.g. by E. Kierschner in 1869, the Otto drama school in 1886). In the 20th century the quality of these schools was considerably increased owing to the support of renowned theatres, and drama schools developed out of dramatic classes given at conservatories; after 1874 there was a separate department for drama at the Vienna Conservatory of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien, which became the state-run "Academy for Music and the Performing Arts" in 1909 and the acting and directing seminar became the Reinhardt-Seminar in 1929. The art universities in Salzburg and Graz, as well as the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz also provide training for actors. In addition to the state-run drama schools which require an entrance audition and a four-year course of study, there are numerous schools run either by cities or privately (e.g. the Krauss drama school in Vienna established in 1948), as well as the Workshops, established in the seventies, which arose out of the alternative theatre scene. In order to become an actor in accordance with the labour laws and trade union stipulations, students following a course of study for drama in Austria must pass a final examination called "Buehnenreifepruefung".

Literature#