Founded in 1954 by Michel Saint-Denis at the Théâtre national de Strasbourg (TNS), the Drama School of Strasbourg coexists with the theatre in the same premises under the same director. Since its creation, it has trained nearly 800 students. The school prepares actors, directors, scenographers-costume creators, stage managers, and dramaturgs for theatrical work.
Admission is based on a contest held two years out of three, for a three-year course. Students are selected into groups of 12, with an equal number of six girls and six boys. Their training combines common education shared by all branches with specialty-specific instruction. Teaching is organized around four learning tracks: acting, body, voice, and music. The five sections also work together in workshop-performances during the second and third years, emphasizing collaboration across disciplines. Instructors include one or two directors and one dramaturg. Acting students may earn the Diplôme National Supérieur Professionnel de Comédien (DNSPC) upon graduation.
Training at the Theatre National de Strasbourg
Founded in 1954 by Michel Saint-Denis at the Theatre National de Strasbourg (TNS), L'Ecole coexists with the TNS in the same premises under the same director. Since its creation at TNS, it has trained nearly 800 students in theatrical arts. The school recruits students through a contest held every two out of three years for a three-year course.
L'Ecole prepares actors, directors, scenographers-costume creators, stage managers, and dramaturgs. Its teaching combines a common education for all branches with specialty-specific training. Students work on four learning tracks: acting, body, voice, and music. The five sections also come together in workshop-performances during the second and third years, and the school emphasizes collaboration between different sections as a way to understand team functioning.
The student groups are organized in small numbers. Each group contains 12 students, divided evenly between 6 girls and 6 boys. In some sections, three to five students focus on the aesthetics and plastic practice of theatrical representation, while apprentice stage managers number between three and six per group and learn technical and administrative aspects. Apprentice stage managers work within the core of the other sections. Instructors include one or two directors and one dramaturg. Acting students can earn the Diplome National Superieur Professionnel de Comedien (DNSPC) upon graduation.
Entrance Exam and Admission Process
Admission to the Drama School of Strasbourg is based on a competitive entrance exam, or concours d'entree, held two years out of three. The exam is organized in three rounds, called the first, second, and third rounds, and candidates are eliminated after jury deliberation at the end of each stage. Applicants must hold a baccalaureate or an equivalent diploma and have theater practice. A candidate may not apply in two different sections in the same year.
The first round is common to the acting, directing, and dramaturgy sections, which prepare the same exam and present three scenes drawn from classical, contemporary, and the candidate's own choice of repertoire. Candidates in scenography-costumes and stage management-technical sections must submit a complete scenographic or technical project based on a work assigned by the school, together with a personal portfolio, a performance analysis, and a motivation letter.
Candidates admitted to the second round in directing and dramaturgy must complete a written assignment. Acting candidates perform the same scenes as in the first round.