The Theatre Academy in Warsaw (Warsaw State Theatre School until 1996) had been estabilished right after World War II, in 1946 in Lodz, but three years later was relocated to Warsaw.

Since 1955 it has its place in 18th century building of Colegium Nobilium at Miodowa Street. The Academy may be considered as a sequel of very long tradition of theatrical education in Poland. Its debut can be dated to 1811, when Wojciech Boguslawski opened the first actors school. In 1932 Aleksander Zelwerowicz (actor) and Leon Schiller (director) initiated the State Theatre Art Institute, which was kept in conspiracy during the WWII.

After the war, the Academy began its educational mission again but in different form - movement and pantomime lessons have been estabilished, the Direction Faculty was reformed: all the students - young directors - were able to co-operate with the students of Actor's faculty. Moreover, the theoretical classes reduced, which obliged the young artists to individual work.

When Tadeusz Lomnicki, great and remarkable Polish actor became a new rector of the Academy, the school changed again. He wanted to give a chance to young people to play in theatre and films even during their studies. That was the beginning of many great performances of Stanislaw Wyspianski, Witkacy, Gombrowicz, Mrozek or Hanuszkiewicz.

In 1975 a Warsaw Theatre School Puppetry Art Department in Bialystok was estabilished for the students who were to begin a new and strong tradition of Polish puppetry.

Since 1981 the School was led by had numerous great Polish artists  like Andrzej Lapicki or Jan Englert. In 2002 Lech Sliwonik became a new rector.

The artists bound with the scene in Warsaw Theatre School are amongst the greatest in Poland: Zygmunt Hubner, Gustaw Holoubek, Zbgniew Zapasiewicz, Anna Seniuk and many others, who were the Academy's staff, but also graduates: Marek Kondrat, Andrzej Seweryn, Krystyna Janda, Marian Opania, Joanna Szczepkowska and Maciej Prus.

Every year the Academy organizes International Theatre Schools Festival.

The Filmschool in Lodz had been estabilished in 1958, when two schools from Lodz - Actor's State School and Film State School connected. The School provides also a Film Production Centre, where its students make their thesis. From the School's very beginning, the students were educated to actors, operators and directors.

Since 1950 Kazimierz Dejmek, the founder of The New Theatre became the first rector in Lodz's School. There are many remarkable directors among first graduates of Lodz's Filmschool like Andrzej Wajda, Andrzej Munk or Kazimierz Kutz. The school became a synonym of freedom, avant-garde - it was a place where one could see both European classics and Italian new realism and participate in interdicted jam sessions.

Since 1983 the school organizes a Theatre Schools Festival, which is nowadays known as International Film and Television Schools 'Mediaschool' Festival.

Juliusz Osterwa, who had connected three local Artistic schools, set up Krakow State Theatre School of Ludwik Solski in 1946. In 1949 its name was changed to the Actors’ Higher State School and got a final name in 1955. During the next several years there were few departments opened: Puppetry (also in Wroclaw), Direction and Drama, which graduates were Maja Komorowska, Kazimierz Kaczor (actors), Jerzy Grotowski, Mieczyslaw Gorkiewicz, Edward Lubaszenko, Anna Polony (directors) and many others.

From the beginning the school had been directed by many remarkable artists like Janusz Osterwa, Tadeusz Burnatowicz, Wladyslaw Woznik, Eugeniusz Fulde, Bronislaw Dabrowski, Jerzy Krasowski and Jerzy Stuhr. The entire history of Krakow State Theatre School of Ludwik Solski had been created on one hand by great educators (theoreticians, actors and directors) and on the other – graduates, whose influence was also significant.

Among the teaching staff there were many personalities as Jerzy Jarocki, Jerzy Golinski, Tadeusz Kantor, Mieczyslaw Kotlarczyk, Wladyslaw Krzemienski, Ewa Lassek, Krystian Lupa, Krzysztof Penderecki, Anna Polony and many others.

The most remarkable graduates: Gustaw Holoubek, Zbogniew Cybulski, Kalina Jedrusik, Bogumil Kobiela, Jerzy Grotowski, Zofia Kucowna, Marek Walczewski, Jerzy Binczycki, Anna Seniuk, Ewa Demarczyk, Jan Peszek, Wojciek Pszoniak, Henryk Talar, Jerzy Trela, Jerzy Stuhr, Anna Dymna, Boguslaw Linda, Jan Frycz, Dorota Segda, Maja Ostaszewska and many others. Many of them co-operates with the school as teachers and directors of graduating performances.