E:UTSA (Europe: Union of Theatre Schools and Academies) is a union and exchange platform of European theatre schools which primarily supports student-led theatre projects and collaborations with the goal of enhancing the educational experience of European theatre students and of creating a students´ network which will enable future professional work. By providing students with the opportunity of developing their own independent artistic networks, E:UTSA aims to bridge the gap between the students’ educational and future professional lives and supports the principles of lifelong learning. This will be achieved by offering space and support for students to take responsibility for their own generation’s theatre through the creation of student-led work. E:UTSA aims to participate in the process of creating a united Europe, celebrating the range and diversity of cultural and creative expression and endorses the Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union.
Each member school is represented by one student representative and one representative of the institution. Therefore half of the team of the E:UTSA network consists of students from all around Europe who have the opportunity to create an international network and to work together. Currently E:UTSA is composed of 17 members which are theatre academies and theatre schools in Brno, Glasgow, Hanover, Ludwigsburg, Madrid, Malmö, Milan, Moskow, Munich, Paris, Rome, Salzburg, Stockholm, St. Petersburg, Verscio, Vilnius and Warsaw. Furthermore there are personal members and associate members. The board of E:UTSA is voted by all members and consists of the Chair, a General Secretary, three student representatives and three representatives of the institutions. The E:UTSA network was founded 2011 in St. Petersburg by the Polish actor Piotr Cieślak and other representatives of the current member academies.
E:UTSA is committed to supporting collaboration between its members, such as, for example student festivals, international workshops, student exchanges, teacher exchanges. Each year there is a meeting of all E:UTSA representatives which takes place at a different school, thereby guaranteeing that the E:UTSA members have the chance to get to know the other member schools. Part of this meeting is the official General Assembly. During the year the EUTSA academies offer different programmes and projects and give their students the opportunity to participate in these activities (for example international workshops). E:UTSA takes an important position regarding the dissemination of student-led projects and productions on an international level and supports the idea to create international student theatre festivals (such as the International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER in Brno (Czech Republic), the FESTIVAL DEI DUE MONDI in Spoleto (Italy), the FACT Festival in Budapest (Hungary), the FURORE Festival – International festival for young theater in Ludwigsburg (Germany), UWE Festival in Munich (Germany) or the International Theatre Schools Festival ITSelF in Warsaw (Poland).
Currently the board of E:UTSA consists of Beata Szczucińska (Chair, representative of (The Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw), Grégory Gabriel (vice-chair) (representative of Conservatoire National Supérieur d´Art Dramatique in Paris), Regina Guhl (General Secretary, representative of Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover), Corinna Vitale (Treasurer, representative of Accademia Teatro Dimitri in Verscio), David Gaviria (student representative of The Academy of Performing Arts BW in Ludwigsburg), Madeleine Price (student representative of The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow) and Lea Mergell (student representative of Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover).
Download the EUTSA statutes here: