For the first time the International Music Theatre Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) in cooperation with the German Centre of ITI invites artists to participate in a worldwide competition for the creators of new opera and music theatre.

Productions, which were professionally produced any where in the world since November 2005 may be submitted. Works which fall into the genre “musical³ or reworkings or reinterpretations of existing music, opera or music theatre MAY NOT be submitted, with the exception of original musical compositions which include samples. Entries may be submitted by the producer, director, composer or publisher. The leading team involved in the project MUST agree to the submission.

The works will be selected by a jury consisting of two members of the International Music Theatre Committee: Laura Berman, artistic director “Art of Our Times³ Bregenz Festival, Austria; Roland Quitt, chief dramaturg, National Theatre Mannheim, Germany. And a third person to be selected.

The prize winners will be invited to present their work at the international meeting Music Theater Now in Berlin, November 2008. Works will be selected in five separate categories based on the number of forces (musicians and performers) involved in the production: 1) Productions (with over 50 performers), which in terms of musical forces and scenic structure could become part of the classical opera repertory. 2) Productions (with over 50 performers), which in terms of their formal nature or scenic requirements may be categorized as “projects³ 3) Mid-sized productions (15 to 60 performers) encompassing both of the categories ³classical opera repertory² or ³project² 4) Small scale productions including solo works from both of the above named categories 5) Productions whose artistic approach have their roots outside of the Western European musical tradition ­ this is not a reference to the artistic personalities, but to the work itself, in terms of both musical and textual content.

Works will be chosen that are exemplary in terms of the development of contemporary music theatre respective of their countries or regions of origin. By ³contemporary music theatre² we mean pieces, which demonstrate a new development in the art form, be it in score, libretto and/or staging. It has become apparent in recent years that very interesting and innovative productions are created outside the established opera house structure. The jury is open to experimental productions expanding the frontiers of the genre, as long as they can be seen as music theatre. This includes productions in which the instruments play more than a secondary role in relation to the human voice, e.g. works performed by an instrumental ensemble for new music. We expect that works by so-called non-academic composers will also be considered. Special attention will be given to works, whose musical and theatrical vocabulary originates outside the western European tradition. As a guideline for those regions in which categories such as ³music theatre² or ³opera² are not defined: all interdisciplinary performing arts works will be considered, in which music, especially that produced by the human voice, plays a dominate role. The winning artists will be invited to present their work in the form of a lecture/demonstration with sound and video excerpts at the 9th triennial meeting Music Theatre Now (Formerly Music Theatre Workshop), November 20-23, 2008 in Berlin, Germany. Travel, accommodation and meals will be provided by the International Theatre Institute for one artist (usually the composer) to attend the meeting, which has served as a forum for professionals from around the world for many years. The artist should give the lecture in English or German. The meeting is for professionals and the general public. In addition to the presentation of the prize-winning productions, the event features lectures and discussions and the performance of new experimental music theatre work produced in Germany. The meeting will be held at Radialsystem V ­ New Space for the Arts in Berlin.

The application form, more information about the meeting and its history can be found at www.iti-germany.de/musictheatrenow, information on the venue under www.radialsystem.de Deadline for submissions is May 16th 2008 (Date as postmark) ITI Germany € Schloss Strasse 48 €D-12165 Berlin € Germany For questions or enquiries pls. contact Annette Doffin € a.doffin@iti-germany.de