In its endeavor to establish theater education and professionalism in the country, the School of Theatre Arts is the oldest and largest school of theatre art in Ethiopia. It was established, first at a department level, in 1978 with few part-time staff from some of the professional theatre houses found in Addis Ababa. Since then, the school has produced a significant number of professionals with Bachelor and Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts. From training academicians in the field, to support the theater and the broader entertainment industry with actors, directors, playwrights, critics, journalists, theater managers, cultural practitioners and managers, stage managers, designers, public relation officers, event organizers, the School of Theater Arts played a tremendous role in the Ethiopian cultural and entertainment industry.

Professional graduates of the school have been employed in various governmental, non-governmental and private organizations not only as theatre experts but also as teachers, public relation officers, information and communication agents, journalists, and coordinators of enter-educate/entertainment education/programs, to mention but few. They have also engaged themselves in private works mainly as playwrights, actors, directors and critics. Some of them have founded private companies related to theatre, film, media and communications.

In every aspect of their professional careers, graduates of the school has showed practical strength and stamina in executing any professional jobs in the field and related matter which can be witnessed in the broader cultural and entertainment industry of Ethiopia. Many broadcasting agencies, theater houses, cultural bureaus have showed ever growing interest to hire our graduates in different theoretical and practical positions they had which is a strong assurance to the quality of the schools practical and theoretical education and follow up.

Apart from the undergraduate program, the school has also launched a multidisciplinary and problem-solving Master of Arts program in Theatre and Development starting from the 2004 E.C. academic year and revised it as “M.A. in multimedia theater” which was launched in 2008 E.C. The curriculum of this graduate program is designed in a modular approach. Our graduate program mainly equips young instructors of theater arts who are applying from different universities, experienced theater professionals from the entertainment industry and managers of governmental and non-governmental cultural bureaus.