Stage and Costume Design

The Stage and Costume Design course at the ABK Stuttgart covers the fields of spoken theatre, opera and performance.

Basic studies (Grundstudium)
During the first two semesters, students of stage and costume design attend one of the three foundation classes in General Artistic Education alongside students of Fine Art and Art Teacher Training. They then move on to the specialist class in stage and costume design.

Advanced Studies (Hauptstudium)
During the main course of study, semester projects involve the development of sets and characters on a variety of themes. The focus here is on creating visual designs (models / figurines) for theatre scripts and musical theatre productions; film costume design is offered as a block seminar.

Of great importance is the staging of plays in collaboration with students of the Directing and Dramaturgy programme and professional directors. The practical work is complemented by modules on theatre theory and history, applied theatre and art history, costume history, the cultural history of fashion and stylistics, dramaturgy seminars, and courses in technical drawing, historical pattern-making, theatre law, etc.

The degree programme is complemented by a range of practical workshops. These are of central importance to artistic training and serve as venues where the interdisciplinary nature of the ABK Stuttgart is particularly evident. The Baden-Württemberg Academy of Performing Arts also provides a costume workshop and a joinery workshop for students on the Stage and Costume Design course at the ABK Stuttgart.

During the final two semesters of their degree, students are exempt from coursework. During this time, they have the opportunity to carry out projects at the ADK or the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg.

Diplom degree
The degree programme culminates in the final diplom degree thesis, a comprehensive piece of artistic work to be undertaken independently.

Courses in art history, art theory, aesthetics and art education

Alongside artistic practice, academic teaching forms a key focus of the programme. The wide range of art history courses on offer is open to students from all disciplines. The formats and methods of academic and theoretical teaching are in line with those used at universities.

• Floor area: approx. 7 m x 7 m
• Hight: approx. 7 m
• Under-stage
• 9 hand-operated counter-takes
• 1 motorised train
• 6 winch pulls
• 1 main curtain
• Various notices and projection slides
• Various platforms, racks and stage construction materials

Stage area

• Floor area: approx. 8.5 m x 16 m
• Hight: approx. 8 m
• 8 point trains
• 8 electric trains with drawbars

Lighting system

• ADB–MENTOR–DMX lighting console
• 120 lighting circuits
• 80 mobile spotlights
• Cables, tripods, etc.

Sound system

• 16-channel basic audio set-up
• Various recording devices, cables, tripods, etc.

In the annexe

• Ground floor: Joinery and metalworking workshop
• Upper floor: Office and mobile costume workshop