Throughout history, the understanding of dramaturgy has developed in several areas: as an author’s original dramatic work, as a practical theatrical creative activity aimed at forming the programme basis of a theatre through repertoire selection and dramaturgical-directing preparation of the author’s text, and finally as a theatrical-critical and evaluative activity. All these aspects – especially the constant intertwining of the authorial and dramaturgical principle – are reflected in the study plans.

The aim of the study programme is to create qualified theatre dramaturges who will be able to perform a whole range of professional activities in theatre, as determined in our cultural context by the concept of theatre dramaturgy – i.e. the ability to bring stimuli and impulses, create short-term and long-term concepts (dramaturgical plan of the theatre season, dramaturgical orientation of the theatre, etc.), participate in the process of theatrical artefact as a co-creator of the decisive dramaturgical-direction concept of the production, to constantly analyse the individual moments of the creative process and correct the whole work on that basis, write studies, analyses, create programme articles and articles for programmes.

The study of theatre theory focuses on supplementing knowledge from the field of drama theory (theoretical dramaturgy) with the latest knowledge and current forms of theory (poststructuralism, post-postmodernism, etc.) as well as on one’s own attempts to explore this issue. The area of theatre history is oriented towards a more detailed knowledge of individual national theatre cultures, a detailed examination of individual time periods, especially on becoming familiar with the most current developments in important areas of European (world) theatre. Lectures and seminars on this topic alternate in individual academic years according to the possibilities and current offer of internal and also external teachers – experts in the field. Students further expand their knowledge in the fields of philosophy, aesthetics and sociology in the form of specialised lectures or seminars. In the field of talent development, students prepare staging adjustments of dramatic texts, adaptations, dramatisations of originals as well as their own texts or translations of dramatic texts from foreign languages – they are gradually moving towards greater independence; the studies are overseen and controlled by the teacher, but he or she pedagogue becomes more and more a partner for discussion and polemics, so that the student has a chance to develop his or her own independent creative thinking. The practical part of the studies culminates in the preparation of a graduation project (dramaturgy of a production) in the Marta theatre studio (or on some professional stage).

An important part of the master’s degree studies is completing a study or work internship abroad or an internship in a Czech professional theatre.