Students of the master's course in scenography apply with an individual project or theme they wish to explore throughout the program in order to realize it as their final MA project. And those who wish to develop a master's project with a focus on performing arts have the opportunity to do so as a coproduction with theater students at master's level of the Oslo National Academy of the Arts.
The Oslo National Academy of the Arts in Oslo offers a Master's in Theater with specialization in Directing, Acting and Playwriting. These candidates would be partners for MA students in Scenography at Norwegian Theatre Academy/University College Østfold.
- You can take an MA in Scenography at the Norwegian Theatre Academy in close collaboration with directing students at master's level at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts and finish your studies with a staged theatre production, confirms Professor Serge von Arx.
He has been artistic director of scenography at the Norwegian Theatre Academy since 2007.
Rare study opportunity
The Norwegian Theatre Academy is one of very few institutions in Scandinavia that offers scenography education at master's level. About the MASCE programme.
The next application deadline is 15th of January 2024. More about how to apply.
"Our scenography program must be as broad and open as it has been since its inception. But in addition, we strengthen the possibility of a close theatrical collaboration with theatre directors."
Serge von Arx, professor and artistic director of scenography at Norwegian Theatre Academy
The master’s program in scenography is an international study course and was the first in the Nordic Countries/Scandinavia when it was established in 2015. The program recruits internationally and runs full-time over two years with all teaching in English.
Since its inception, four cohorts of master's students have completed the scenography course. Graduates now work both nationally and internationally.
- Our master’s degree in Scenography offers many different opportunities. Our former students work in various areas, within the free field, in theatres, museums, with artistic research, etc., says von Arx.
The scenographers who graduate from the Academy of Performing Arts qualify to work nationally and internationally within diverse forms of scenography of an experimental and interdisciplinary nature. This also includes work in exhibition design and museums, architecture and art in public space, in film and video production as well as various venues in urban environments and natural landscapes. The master’s program also creates the basis for a PhD in artistic research.
Focusing on theatre in the master's course of Scenography
The fact that fully trained designers from the Norwegian Theatre Academy also can work as stage-designers within more traditional performing arts settings is probably less well known. The potential of doing scenographic work for institutional theaters (established theaters that have their own ensemble of actors, permanent technical staff, and administration) during the master's studies is an important aspect of the MA program.
Professor in Scenography Serge von Arx emphasizes that this is an opening for more work possibilities and that there will not be any change to the content of Norwegian Theatre Academy’s scenography program otherwise. However, as artistic director at the Academy, he believes there is a need to highlight the opportunities that exist in an artistic collaboration between master's candidates across the educational institutions.
- First of all, we want to highlight that the possibility of scenic arts and stage-design related scenography on MA level exists. We currently wish to enhance that area, says von Arx.
And continues:
- In the master's program, you will still try out many different approaches to scenography - in museums, the public space, working with memorial sites, etc. - to strengthen your skills, also as a potential scenographer at the National Theater!
- Our scenography program must be as broad and open as it has been since its inception. But in addition, we strengthen the possibility of a close theatrical collaboration with theatre directors, von Arx concludes.
Alumni stories about the scenography programme:
- You get to choose what and how to learn from different mentors
A Scenographic Challenge: From Lungs to LungsMachine
“It is a place that allows you to be in process, to test and to fail”