Stage Setting and Costume Design

Duration of study: 10 semesters
Graduation: diploma

Study prerequisite: general higher education entrance qualification or proof of special above-average artistic talent and proof of passed aptitude test.

Application: Dates and deadlines, Application formalities

In the Stage and Costume Design program, students develop independent artistic approaches within various forms of contemporary theater.
The program is a time for artistic experimentation and research.
It offers the freedom to continually reexamine one’s own theatrical work and to apply the insights gained in practice.

The focus of the diploma program is on the conceptual development of the visual and thematic aspects of theatrical forms and their practical implementation.
All components of the program are designed to empower students to explore new formats and practices. An open-minded approach to social issues plays a crucial role in this process. The aim is to develop substantive and aesthetic perspectives and to harness the transformative potential of theater as a collective art form.

Our graduates work continuously in national and international contexts in drama, dance, opera, performance, and artistic research.
To foster networking and enhance career prospects, the program collaborates with directing students at the theater academies in Munich and Ludwigsburg, the Folkwang University of the Arts, the Hamburg University of Music and Theater (HfMT), the Class for Performing Arts at the Leipzig Academy of Fine Arts (HGB), the Dresden University of Music, and the Master’s program in Choreography at the Palucca University of Dance Dresden and the Computer Science program at TU Dresden.


We collaborate with various institutions in the city, such as the Staatsschauspiel, the European Center for the Arts Hellerau, the Semperoper, the Kunsthaus Dresden, the Saxon Art Collections, the German Hygiene Museum, and the Kustodie at TU Dresden.

In 2025, a junior research group funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) began its work, offering our graduates not only an expanded range of courses but also career prospects in research.

The presence of various theater-related degree programs at the HfBK Dresden is of particular value. The program is complemented by a comprehensive theoretical curriculum in theater studies, art history, philosophy, and architecture. Collaboration with degree programs in the visual arts takes place regularly (development of joint projects, field trips, etc.).  In addition to numerous national activities, the program has an international focus: invitations to international guests, collaborations with universities such as the HEAR / Haute École des Arts du Rhin Mulhouse-Strasbourg, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, DAMU in Prague, ZHdK Zurich, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and Warsaw. 
There is a vibrant Erasmus exchange program, and we mentor international master’s students.
One of the strengths of this program is that, starting in the second year of study, students can choose their topic and professors each semester. Thanks to the broad artistic practice of the teaching artists, the program offers a unique multi-perspective approach and a direct connection to the contemporary theater scene.
The program in Dresden is characterized by its close connection to theater practice. It offers the opportunity to explore the process of conception and realization through interdisciplinary projects. In doing so, it encourages a rotation of authorship. In addition to the diverse range of courses, students have access to studios, workshops, a library, a laboratory theater, and the student-run Café OHA.   An integral part of the program is the translation of themes and texts into spatial and character concepts for the stage. The tools used for this include model-making, sketches, technical drawings, photographs, videos, simulations, and performative exercises.
 

“ZUSAMMEN HALTEN” is a three-year research initiative that began with the founding of the Art Academy of Social Cohesion. Through this initiative, we use artistic research and teaching to implement solidarity-based approaches to learning and working in the arts. 

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Important Contacts

• Study commission: studienkommission _bueko @ hfbk-dresden.de
• Dean of Studies: studiendekanat_ bueko @ hfbk-dresden .de
• Examination Board: pruefungskommission_ bueko @ hfbk-dresden .de

The following list represents some of the alumni of the Stage Setting and Costume Design programme at the HfBK Dresden. Names can only be published with the consent of the former students and therefore contain gaps.