History

DasArts was founded in 1994 by and under the aegis of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. DasArts operated as an independant foundation in association with the Amsterdam School of the Arts until 2008.

The founder of DasArts was Ritsaert ten Cate. He was the director of DasArts until 2000. Ritsaert's catchphrase for DasArts was a quote by Scott Momaday: "We are what we imagine. The greatest tragedy that can befall us is to go unimagined."

Ritsaert ten Cate's successor was Alida Neslo, who was the director of DasArts until 2003. From 2004 until 2007 Moniek Toebosch was the director of the institution.  Alida Neslo and Moniek Toebosch both left their personal mark and identities upon the school.

From 1994 until 2003 DasArts was located in various buildings at the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam-West. In 2003 DasArts moved to its current premises in a historic school building in the vicinity of the Oosterpark, close to the Amsterdam city centre.

In 2009 DasArts became part of de Theaterschool, the theatre faculty of the Amsterdam School of the Arts, as a residential Master of Theatre in the form of a training laboratory for professionals in the performing arts. Since 1 June 2009 Barbara Van Lindt is the managing director of DasArts.