Welcome to the XVI International Theatre Summer Academy 2026!
ART PICNIC
Artistic Direction: Dr Jurij Alschitz / International team of teachers
18 July – 2 August 2026
Montecreto, Italy
Located in the Modena Apennines Regional Park, at the foot of Monte Cimone
in collaboration with Čajka Teatro d’Avanguardia Popolare – Teatro Oriens
The International Theatre Summer Academy in short |
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♣ Summertime in Italy – hot days in cool mountains |
self-preparation: your secret to success
Meet Jurij Alschitz and his International team of teachers
With its annual International Theatre Summer Academy, the World Theatre Training Institute offers a supplement to drama school programmes and therefore offers both students and professional theatre professionals a unique opportunity for personal advanced training.
The subject of self-preparation, which is closely related to self-education and ultimately self-creation, is the central tool for any successful person in today’s society, especially in the arts. Why is self-preparation still not taught at drama schools? The issue is largely neglected and is considered more of a “private matter”, which lends it a mysterious flair.
The International Theatre Summer Academy invites actors, directors, theatre pedagogues and drama teachers to intensively explore and learn the wide range of techniques and methods for self-preparation at the highest professional level.
For over 25 years, Jurij Alschitz has been developing various techniques and approaches on how actors can prepare for a role / play / project in a meaningful and independent way in order to be able to meet the director at eye level on the first day at rehearsal or on set. In times of collective and less hierarchical forms of work, the actor as creative artist and author of the role is increasingly coming to the fore. In times of short production periods, effective self-preparation is a question of artistic survival.
However, the same applies to directors: in order to work professionally with actors, you need perfect, all-encompassing preparation with a methodical toolkit. Only on this basis can the talent and fantasy of the director unfold. Theatre pedagogues and drama teachers ultimately need the same instruments for teaching, rehearsing and creating performances.
Apart from this, directors, theatre pedagogues and drama teachers get the unique chance to learn how to apply self-preparation methods in a meaningful way, but above all how to guide them. Dormant here is an incredible potential for the collective creative process that has hardly been discovered to date.
Two courses for Acting and Directing
as international laboratory ART PICNIC
led by Dr. Jurij Alschitz, Christine Schmalor and Riccardo Palmieri
The common starting point of the day
Joint Training
In the rehearsal room, in the open air, in the park or in the forest; the training is the decisive introduction to every topic, here we open up our system with all our senses. For the actors, the exercises serve as a basis for the practical research that follows. Directors and teachers can experience “training as a method” for themselves and get the necessary tools for their own teaching and rehearsal practice.
Course for Directors, Drama Teachers, Theatre Pedagogues and Playwrights
Course for Actors
From the Energy of the Word to the Energy of the Scene
This year’s academy will explore with you the relationship between the energy of the actor, the energy of words, the energy of performance, the energy of the stage, and the energy of the surrounding world. There is a famous quote by Oscar Wilde: “Nature is artificial, and art is natural.” But what if nature is really natural, and the actor is artificial? Or do they change places from time to time? What if the artificiality of theatre and acting is not a consequence of cultural context, but the very essence of human nature, striving for expression and playful transformation of the world?
Our academy takes place in the heart of nature, surrounded by forests and mountains. There will be no familiar stage frames or scenery. Not only will nature become our space for research, but works of art will also become the subject of our work. We will work with elements of theatrical expression, literature, music, and painting, trying to discover how nature can become an active participant in the creation of a theatrical image, and the actor an integrated part of this world.
The Course for Actors will focus on the energy of words – a little-explored area and an underestimated tool in acting practice. The energy of words feeds on the energy of thoughts and ideas; it is the result of the energy of acting, which arises from the energy of the actor. Now the question arises: where do I get all this energy from? Moreover, what is the nature of this energy? How can I handle it, direct it, transform it, regulate it – in short, how to control it?
You will learn about new techniques to open text and meaning through the energy of words. This will be your fundament for our Art Picnic with the Directors.
The course for directors and teachers will explore the possibilities of energy sources in stage situations and atmospheres. How do I open and work with the energy of the scene? You will learn valuable methods and techniques for the director’s self-preparation.
Both groups will end up working together about the profound interaction between art and the world around it. We will have the opportunity to hear, feel, and see how the energy of theatrical performance can energise the surrounding world and nature, and how the energy of nature can inspire actors to new forms of self-expression.
Join us this summer to explore the boundaries between art and nature, body and space, reality and fiction.
Information
Language of tuition
English / Italian, on stage: mother tongue
Working hours
All day. Training, lectures, individual rehearsals, work presentations.
The Location
Montecreto is a small mountain village with natural charm, known for its unique chestnut forest right next to our Teatro Oriens. Montecreto is the perfect place to concentrate on yourself, experience nature and climb mountains in between lessons. Together, we will enjoy the Italian way of life, good food and friendly locals who welcome the artists every year.
Accommodation
We have arrangements with apartment houses close to the theatre space, where you can get shared spaces with integrated kitchen. We also collaborate with an agency renting holiday apartment.
We will arrange personally after your registration and connect interested participants as needed.
How to get there
The nearest railway station is Modena. The nearest airport is Bologna.
Please contact us before booking tickets so that we can organise the transfer to the mountains.
Application procedure
Please use the APPLICATION FORM
We will reply in a short time if your application is accepted.
To complete your registration, please transfer a registration fee of 150 € as the first instalment of the participant fee. Only after this payment, your place will be reserved and you will receive the preparation materials.
The registration fee is not refundable.
In case of cancellation, refunds are only possible, if you send a participant substituting your place.
Tuition fee
Acting course: 750 € early bird price until 1 April 700 € | early early bird price until 1 Februar: 650 €
Directing course: 900 € early bird price until 1 April 850 € | early early bird price until 1 Februar: 800 €
For more information, don’t hesitate to call: +49 (0)30 – 612 87 274
Voices after our 2025 Summer Academy
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The experiences shared at Montecreto has been so deep, so nourishing, so insipiring, so professional. Thank You thank You thank You. I would love to continue the online training with you, Christine, and Master Jurij! |
International Theatre Summer Academy 2024 – Impressions
