The Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo was officially opened in 1981 with the inaugural Department of Acting. This was followed by the opening of the Department of Directing in 1989, the Department of Dramaturgy in 1994 and the Department of Production in 2010.[2]
An important segment of the academy's practice is its cooperation with the Open Stage "Obala", a prominent Sarajevo theater, where students present their works along with professional actors, directors and writers.
The need for the school arose because, according to data from the year 1981, Bosnia and Herzegovina theaters had around 180 employees of which only 24 had the appropriate academic qualifications. Therefore, it was decided to establish Academy for Performing Arts in Sarajevo which was open to students from Bosnia and Herzegovina and other republics of former Yugoslavia. Academy of Performing Arts officially started working on December 2, 1981.[3]
In 2010, it was announced that the Sarajevo Canton and the Cantonal Development Institute would be funding the construction of a 10 million KM building and center for the Academy of Performing Arts, primarily because working conditions for students and faculty alike have been subpar for the past decade. Construction on the new 4,600 m2 (49,514 sq ft) center began in mid-2010 in the Centar Municipality.[4]
