First Ever -- Dutch Opera Design Award

Dutch National Opera, De Nederlandse Reisopera and Opera Zuid are proud to present the First Dutch Opera Design Award.

Set and costume designers are invited to participate in the competition for a new touring production of Domenico Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto, directed by Monique Wagemakers. The deadline for submitting the concepts is June 1st 2015.

A maximum of seven projects will be selected as finalists. These projects will be presented in September 2015 at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam to an international jury consisting of a.o. by Pierre Audi (Opera director, Dutch National Opera), Nicolas Mansfield (General and Artistic Director of De Nederlandse Reisopera), Miranda van Kralingen (Intendant of Opera Zuid), Monique Wagemakers (director of the production) and renown designers such as Wolfgang Gussmann and Andrea Schmidt-Futterer.



 L'Etoile by Charbrier/ Photo courtesy of Dutch National Opera

CONDITIONS

• The competition is open to set and costume designers from all nationalities, who have not yet designed an independent production for a major theatre.
• Participants should be born after January 1st 1979
• Only complete projects –including set and costumes- will be accepted. It is possible to apply individually or as a team. In the event of dispute as to eligibility to enter the competition, the final decision will be taken by the Jury.
• The concept must comply with the following technical conditions:
  Designers must take into consideration that the production will be presented on tour at different theatres in The Netherlands.
  The set must be built for a production tour. Building the set, performance and striking of the set, must all occur on the same day.
  For information about the technical conditions and measurements of the theater please check:
  https://www.rabotheater.nl/informatie/over-het-rabotheater/techniek/ 
• The available budget for building the physical elements of the production will be the following:
  - Set and props: € 40.000.-
  - Costumes, hair & make up: € 10.000.-

Participants accept that submitted project data may be used for Dutch Opera Design Award–PR after the submission deadline has passed. For organizational reasons, the concepts or parts of it, cannot be returned.

REGISTRATION
Registration for the award is exclusively possible by sending an e-mail to talentontwikkeling@operaballet.nl and should contain the following information about each participating team member:

• Personal data (name, nationality, date of birth, contact, etc.);
• Scans of passport, and of registration fee receipt;
• Curriculum Vitae;
• A video or web link of an already realized project, if available.

Registration fee

• The registration fee for each team is € 50,-
  All payments must be free of charge to the recipient, i. e., Teams must pay all bank costs of the remitting bank and those of the receiving bank.

Bank account:
IBAN: NL46ABNA0485775247
SWIFT/BIC: ABNANL2A
Name account holder: Stichting Nationale Opera & Ballet
Mention: registration Dutch Opera Design Award

• All candidates who are accepted as competitors will receive confirmation of their acceptance by e-mail. Registration deadline: June 1st 2015

Portfolio
The portfolios are expected to be submitted by surface mail either in Dutch, English or German to the following address:
Dutch National Opera
T.a.v. Talentontwikkeling
Waterlooplein 22
NL-1011 PG Amsterdam
The Netherlands

The portfolio should contain the following:

• Designers concept/presentation for Il matrimonio segreto, including a storyboard;
• Designs of both set and costumes;
• Explanation of concepts and ideas;
• Any additional information about the project.

FINALS
The selected finalists will be asked to present their concept to the jury at the Dutch National Opera in September 2015. The time for each presentation is a maximum of 20 minutes and a conventional model (1:20) should be used. Additional electronic means may be used to support the presentation. The designers will be interviewed about their ideas and feasibility of their concept.
Each final team receives a recognition fee of € 500.- for participating in the finals.
No other costs for design, or travel and accommodation will be reimbursed.
The public presentation of the concepts takes place in September 2015 at Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam.

AWARD

• The winning design of the Dutch Opera Design Award will be realized for the production Il matrimonio segreto, which will tour the Netherlands in spring and autumn 2016.
• The set and costume designer will each receive a gross fee of € 2.500.- + necessary accommodation + necessary travel costs. The winner agrees to make the design for the production Il matrimonio segreto for the mentioned fee.
• The jury is entitled not to award the Dutch Opera Design Award. 

For more information about the competition, the technical conditions, and the available budget for the set, props, costumes, hair & make up, please contact Peter van der Leeuw, Coordinator Talent Development Dutch National Opera by: talentontwikkeling@operaballet.nl