USITT 2012 "Ideal Theatre" Student Design Competition Now Open

Architecture and theatre students are now invited to participate in USITT's Sixth Annual Ideal Theatre student design competition. The competition encourages architecture students to work with young theatre artists to explore the emotive power of space, how space can aid storytelling, and how it can be manipulated to achieve a dramatic purpose.

The design of the space itself should form the environment of the play, supplemented by costumes, props, lighting, sound, actors, and the audience. Winning design teams will interact with working professionals, receive free conference registrations and cash prizes. American Seating and the American Society of Theatre Consultants are major sponsors of the competition.

Application deadline is due by November 17; the deadline for completed submissions is January 6, 2012.

A jury of professionals will select three projects for Honor Awards. Jury members, under the direction of USITT's architecture commissioner Scott Georgeson, include Oskar Eustis, director and artistic director (Public Theater in New York City); Adrianne Lobel, scenic designer (Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera, and many regional theaters); David Rockwell, architect (with scenic design credits on Broadway), and Joshua Dachs, principal, Fisher Dachs Associates Theatre Planning and Design.

The Honor Award teams will be invited to the USITT Conference and Stage Expo in Long Beach, California from March 28 to 31, 2012. The three teams will present their design at a special event at Stage Expo. For a second year, to all Conference attendees are invited to take part in the final judging.

Past winners have included teams from Iran, Germany, Poland, Spain, and the Unites States. In 2011, professionals from American Seating were at the USITT Annual Conference to help with final adjudication and the presentation of prizes.

For additional information, including a design brief, application, and prize list, visit the URL listed below.