On May 6, 2026, an online presentation of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts — GITIS — took place at the Russian House in Brussels. The educational programmes, structure, history, and international activities of this renowned institution were presented.
GITIS is one of the largest theatre schools in Russia and Europe, founded in 1878. The Institute preserves the traditions of the Russian theatre school and is the only higher educational institution in the country where students receive training in all specialisations required for theatre. In 2028, GITIS will celebrate its 150th anniversary.
The Institute includes eight faculties — acting, directing, musical theatre, variety arts, choreography, producing, stage design, and theatre studies — as well as 19 departments. Workshops at GITIS are led by chief directors of leading Moscow theatres, outstanding masters, and teachers well known in the professional community.
Graduates of GITIS successfully work and hold prominent positions not only in theatres across Russia and the CIS countries, but also abroad. Among them are classics of Russian theatre such as V. Meyerhold and V. Nemirovich-Danchenko, as well as our contemporaries — A. Efros, A. Vasilyev, I. Raichelgauz, S. Zhenovach, D. Krymov, and A. Abdulov. This list could go on endlessly.
With its rich historical legacy, GITIS continues to seek new and modern forms of education, both within the Institute and through the development of international cooperation with renowned theatre schools worldwide. GITIS has partnered with theatre schools in the United Kingdom, France, China, Korea, Japan, Spain, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, the United States, and Canada. In addition, GITIS maintains strong ties with theatre schools in CIS countries.
A special place is given to cooperation with China — the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing and the Shanghai Theatre Academy. The Institute organises and finances tours of student graduation performances, holds exhibitions of stage design students’ works in foreign theatre schools, and supports productions staged abroad by creative teams of GITIS graduates.
One of the priority areas is the exchange of choreographers. Every year, GITIS hosts student theatre festivals such as “Your Chance | GITIS Fest”, “Silver Sword”, “GITIS Master Class”, and the International Competition for Young Choreographers named after R. V. Zakharova “Maria”. GITIS students also participate in international student festivals abroad.
Welcome to GITIS!
