Postgraduate Education at Shanghai Theatre Academy
Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA) was founded in 1945. After 76 years of development, it has become a comprehensive university covering all disciplines of art. The history of STA’s postgraduate training can be traced back to 1979, being one of the first master's degree awarding units approved by the State Council. At present, Shanghai Theatre Academy has the first-tier discipline doctoral programs in theatre, film and television and art theory, the first-tier discipline master programs in theatre, film and television, art theory, design, music and dance, and the first-class discipline post-doctoral mobile station in theatre, film and television and art theory. Currently, there are more than 700 postgraduate students in enrolment.
In recent years, STA has been aggressive in the reform of postgraduate education, with breakthroughs and innovations in enrollment, training, degree, student affairs, quality assurance and international exchanges and other aspects. The number of postgraduate students has been increasing steadily year by year, and the types of postgraduate students are also increasing.
MFA programs have included the seven specialized areas of drama, Chinese opera, radio and television, film, art design, dance and fine arts, with 44 MA and MFA directions and ever improving quality of postgraduate education. The scientific research achievements of academic doctoral and master students have been remarkable. MFA training has achieved fruitful results, with 12 graduation works selected into the MFA 15 Years National Outstanding Graduation Works. International exchanges have been fruitful, with the joint doctoral and master’s training programs in partnership with City University of New York and Columbia University.
In 2018, the drama with the postgraduate students of STA as the main creative team appeared on the stage of Off Broadway in New York. This was the first English drama with Chinese classical themes to be performed in the United States. It was also the first time for Chinese MFA students to perform on the Off Broadway stage in New York, which had generated a certain social impact in the United States.
The Academic Forum on Theatre, Film and Television for Postgraduates Students in Yangtze River Delta, which has been held continuously for 13 years, has had a positive academic impact in the region and even the whole country. “Wisteria Blooming – MFA Works Performance Season” and other activities named with "Wisteria" have become a well-known academic brand in the field of postgraduate education in theatre, film and television.
At present, there are more than 700 graduate students in STA. In 2021, the total number of postgraduate students enrolled in STA hit a new high. The total number of master’s degree students enrolled was 262, and the total number of doctoral students enrolled was 37. The total number of postgraduate students enrolled was 13.25% higher than that in 2020.
At present, the university has two postdoctoral mobile stations, two first-tier discipline doctoral degree programs, four first-tier discipline master’s degree programs and seven professional master’s degree directions.
Theatre, Film and Television was selected into the first Peak I Discipline Construction Plan of Shanghai, while Design and Art Theory were respectively selected into the first Plateau I Plan and the first Plateau II Discipline Construction Plan of Shanghai. In 2019, the university entered the rank of high-level educational institutions construction in Shanghai with Theatre, Film and Television as the main component.
The university has formed the campus layout and functional positioning of "four centres", namely, the dramatic art education centre (Huashan Road Campus), the Chinese opera education centre (Lianhua Road Campus), the international dance education centre (Hongqiao Road Campus), and the film, television and new media education centre (Changlin Road Campus).
The postgraduate training involves the Acting Department (including the Musical Center), the Directing Department, the Dramatic Literature Department, the Stage Design Department, the Chinese Opera College, the Dance College, the Film College, and the Creative Studies College etc. The hardware facilities for postgraduate education are constantly improving.
Shanghai Theatre Academy has a strong graduate supervisors team, which has achieved fruitful results, including nine major national scientific research projects as follows.
- One key research project of philosophy and social sciences of the Ministry of Education
- Six major art studies projects of the National Social Science Fund of China
- One key research project of philosophy and social sciences of the Ministry of Education (already completed)
The postgraduate supervisors team has also created more than 20 China National Arts Fund projects represented by “Four Prime Ministers of Ming Dynasty” and “Military Song, as well as large-scale works reflecting the characteristics of history and the era represented by “Outpost” and “Nurse’s Diary”.
The project of "Cultivating Dramatists with Feelings - Exploration and Innovation of Playwriting Talents Training Mode in Art Schools" won the second prize of National Teaching Achievement Award.
Yi Tianfu, a doctoral supervisor, with his “Stage Lighting Design Creation and Presentation”, won the first prize of the professors group, the teaching activities innovation award, the teaching design innovation award and the excellent basic-level teaching organization award in the first Shanghai University Teachers' Teaching innovation competition; Fan Congbo, a master supervisor, with his “Makeup Design Creation and Presentation", won the third prize of the association professors group and the excellent basic-level teaching organization award; Zhuang Li, a master supervisor, with her "Rehearsal of Chinese Dance Repertoire", won the excellence award of the associate professors group.
In recent years, the postgraduate education of STA has focused on the goal of creating a first-class MFA education that matches the international cultural metropolis, and created the annual "Wisteria Blossoming" MFA Works Performance Season.
The original drama "God of Welding", an interdisciplinary joint MFA graduation production, won the best work award of the first "Wuzhen Cup" Drama Competition. "Fengzi Village", the practicum work of STA’s master’s degree and doctoral students, was nominated for the best costume design award of New York Innovative Drama Award.
The MFA training of Shanghai Theatre Academy has gradually formed a practical talent training mode of "industry integrated learning" with public performance as the core. The postgraduate education of STA actively connects with the needs of Shanghai’s cultural development and the needs of the "50 Articles" for Shanghai’s cultural and creative industries, so that the graduation works of postgraduate students can more directly serve the urban cultural development of Shanghai and the artistic life of its citizens.
At present, STA has a number of national-level laboratories including the "Ministry of Culture’s Key Laboratory for Integrated Innovation of Digital Performing Arts” and the "China Theater Development Research Center", as well as a number of municipal-level laboratories including the "Shanghai Key Laboratory for Literary and Artistic Creation under Virtual Environment" and the "Experiment Centre for Stage Comprehensive Teaching". The “New Media Smart Lighting Laboratory” is a top notch experiment space for lighting teaching in China. All these provide rich resources for postgraduate teaching.
In addition, STA has successively established provincial and ministerial-level think tanks and research bases such as the Global Cities (Shanghai) Cultural Observation and Research Center and the Global Cities Collaborative Cultural Innovation Center (Shanghai Universities Think Tank), which have responded to the new requirements that the country has for universities in the new era, improved the service capacities of universities in serving the major development of the country and the region, and expanded the new path of scientific research reform in higher education institutions.
The postgraduate education of STA will continue to strengthen its characteristics and advantages, further improve all aspects of postgraduate training, and strive to cultivate excellent art talents who have international vision and meet the needs of society.
