Theatre Academy’s educational materials can be read freely online
The history of theatre and dance, reflections on artistic research and much more – anyone can access Theatre Academy’s high-quality and diverse performing arts educational materials.
Theatre Academy’s online publication series is available to everyone for free at https://disco.teak.fi. The works deal with, among others, the history of theatre; the history of dance art and contemporary dance; Asian traditional theatre & dance; eco-socially sustainable new media art and lighting design in contemporary performance; and artistic research. The publications are in Finnish, Swedish, or English, and many of them are available in multiple languages.
Anyone can read these educational materials and reference books online free of charge. They are especially useful for performing arts teachers and other professionals.
“The educational materials are generally clearly written, so anyone interested in the subject can independently familiarise themselves with them. The materials can be read like any nonfiction book. They are also useful for students of various arts disciplines and art research at other universities and universities of applied sciences,” says Laura Gröndahl, Vice Dean for Research at Theatre Academy.
The topics of the publications come from, for example, the latest research and everyday needs of the Theatre Academy’s teachers.
“Most of the educational materials are based on materials used in teaching and have been tested many times. They include both new research and information compiled for teaching during many years,” says Gröndahl.
The following publications are available online in English:
Laura Gröndahl’s Artistic Research is a fine introduction to the basics of artistic research. The work considers, for example, the differences between scientific and artistic research and the coordination of the roles of artist and researcher. Languages: Finnish and English.
Dance Arts, Historical Perspectives and Contemporary Practices, edited by Monni, Laakso, and Järvinen describes the historical development of Western dance art. The book approaches history from the present and considers what in the past resonates now.
Jani-Matti Salo’s essay collection Reorientations explores how sustainable new media artworks and lighting design for contemporary performances can be realized.
Jukka O. Miettinen’s Asian Traditional Theatre & Dance is an illustrated introduction to Asian theatre and dance traditions. It can be used as a textbook for university students as well as a handbook for general readers.
Pentti Paavolainen’s Finlands teaterhistoria is available in Finnish and Swedish. The book describes the transformations of theatre art in Finland from the 17th century to the present day. It covers, among others, significant figures, theatre cities and theatre’s participation in social debate.
Text: Päivi Brink