The Theatre Arts Department (Departamento de Artes Cênicas) commenced activities in 1998 together with the Department of Visual Arts. Uniting with the Music Department, the three departments formed the Institute of Arts of the University of Brasilia (Universidade de Brasília - UnB) later in the same year. Since then, the Theatre Arts Department has sustained steady expansion in scope and strength in art and education.
Currently our undergraduate courses include a Licentiate Degree in Artistic Education/Theatre Arts (Licenciatura em Educação Artística/Artes Cênicas) – both a day course and a night course – and a Bachelor Degree in Theatrical Acting (Bacharelado em Interpretação Teatral). Since 2002, the department has engaged in two lines of postgraduate research: Composition and Processes for the Stage and Cultures and Knowledge. Until recently these have been executed by way of the Master of Arts Degree and Doctorate of Contemporary Art of the Department Visual Arts. In 2014 we inaugurated our own Master of Theatre Arts Degree (Mestrado em Artes Cênicas) to continue this research. Although the course currently represents the youngest postgraduate program in theatre arts in Brazil, we bring with us the breadth of experience of the prior program. Additionally, in 2007 the department pioneered the Licentiate in Theatre Arts by Distance (Licenciatura em Teatro a Distância) of the Open University of Brazil (Universidade Aberta do Brasil - UAB).
Our courses invest in an experience and understanding of a unique and complex artistic language in its entirety; one built of multiple yet interdependent units including: acting; choreography; set, sound, lighting and costume design; makeup; production; play-writing and direction. We investigate the interdisciplinary potential of theatrical language in both teaching and learning contexts.
