Victory Hall Opera [VHO]—in partnership with VMDO Architects of Charlottesville, Virginia—is inviting entries for a modular set design competition. VHO challenges all assumptions about the presentation and interpretation of opera, and is seeking a set design that will rethink what a set can be.

Submissions open: January 31, 2019
Deadline to submit: March 31, 2019, 12:00pm EST
More information: www.victoryhallopera.org/ready-set

The multidisciplinary jury includes Beth Morrison (Beth Morrison Projects, PROTOTYPE Festival); Ethan McSweeny (American Shakespeare Center); Miriam Gordon-Stewart (VHO); Sara Brown (MIT); and Robert Long (Theater Consultants Collaborative).

Jury members will select three finalists at the Tom Tom Summit and Festival, on April 11, 2019, based on criteria of creativity, versatility, a high-end design aesthetic, acoustics, stability and ease of construction.

Three finalists will receive a stipend to further develop and refine their design with VHO over the summer of 2019. VHO will select one Winning Entry in July 2019.

The winning design will be constructed and used in VHO’s mainstage productions. The design will also be available as an affordable, licensed download from VHO, allowing smaller arts orgs with minimal resources to produce contemporary, mobile, versatile sets.

VHO and VMDO seek to find a solution to widespread challenges: As more opera and theater companies are producing smaller-scale, experimental work in alternative or “pop-up” venues, with minimal production budgets, the challenge remains to utilize contemporary, effective design that can not only fit into alternative venues, but can also enhance them visually and acoustically.