Music Theatre NOW - Call for Entries to be announced soon
In early 2012 the Music Theatre Committee of International Theatre
Institute will publish the call for entries for Music Theatre NOW.
The call will close on July 20th, 2012. Until the new call is published,
please take a look at our 2008 edition of the meeting to get an
idea of the structure of the competition and the entry requirements.
Please understand that we will make some small changes, including
the elimination of the different categories - but if you read the
text below, you will get a good idea about what Music Theatre NOW
is about. Music Theatre NOW 2012 will culminate in a meeting in
2013. There will be a larger jury from five continents.
The German Centre of the International Theatre Institute (ITI)
in cooperation with the International Music Theatre Committee 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 over the last three years may be submitted. Works which fall
into the genre "musical" 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 ITI Music Theatre Committee
Mission Statement
The Music Theatre Committee of ITI is committed to the artistic
development of music theatre worldwide. From experimental projects
to productions in opera houses, the committee embraces all forms
of music theatre including hybrid theatrical forms where music is
a crucial and indispensable aspect in the performance. The committee
takes a special interest in music theatre outside of the Western
European tradition and in contemporary work which reflects these
other traditions.
The MTC is a democratic body, in which the ideals of UNESCO concerning
the acknowledgment of cultural diversity and exchange of ideas end
knowledge between people and nations are highly esteemed.
The committee's main task is dissemination of information and audience
education with the goal of raising audience awareness of music theatre
around the globe. Through its ever-expanding network, the MTC seeks
to facilitate the production and presentation of music theatre,
and the organization of cooperation and exchange of productions
among producers.
Committee members are ITI members whose professional work is directly
related to the creation, production or presentation of music theatre.
The group includes directors, composers, dramaturges and producers
of opera and music theatre from all over the world. New members
can be asked to join but local organizations and individuals who
work in the field of music theatre can also take the initiative
to become a member of the committee.
History
The MTC was founded in 1969 through the initiative of the East German
opera director Walter Felsenstein, who also remained the Committee's
president until his death in 1975.
In the early years, the work of the committee focused on cultural
exchange between the so-called Eastern and Western countries within
Europe, reflecting the then current interests of ITI. Meetings were
held focusing on the work of major opera houses. But also the American
director Harold Prince, known mainly for his work in musicals, was
a member of the committee, which at one time had over 300 members.
At the end of the cold war it was then necessary for the MTC to
redefine its goals. Since the MTC's initiation, new relations of
text, music and stage action have evolved parallel to the traditional
operatic form. The separation between a work's autonomous score
and its interpretation through the director, singer-actor and the
production team is often abandoned by the creators. Since then modern
music theatre has gained relevance as a melting pot where music,
theatre, text, dance, design, new media and all kind of cross-overs
come together.
In 1983 the committee initiated a triennial event, which was called
the 'Music Theatre Workshop'. The goal of the workshop was to exchange
ideas on new works and developments in member countries. The ITI
centres were asked to submit suggestions for works to be presented
and like Music Theatre NOW, the artistic teams were invited to give
lectures presenting the productions with the use of video. The list
of works presented over the years includes the following composers
Jonas Forssell, Chaya Czernowin, Liza Lim, Georges Aperghis, Salvatore
Sciarrino, Awet Terterjan, Alfred Schnittke, Heiner Goebbels, Detlev
Glanert, Jörg Widmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Peter Eötvös,
Rodion Shchedrin, Michael Tippett, Helmut Lachenmann, Hans-Jürgen
von Bose, Luca Lombardi, Judith Weir, Aribert Reimann, Louis Andriessen,
Giacomo Manzoni, Per Nörgaard, Roberto Gerhard, Wolfgang Mitterer,
Jin Hi Kim, Jocy de Oliveira, Giorgio Battistelli. The ITI German
centre produced and organized this event, which was held in various
German cities. In 2008 the meeting was held in Berlin. For the first
time it was open to the general public and it was called 'Music
Theatre NOW'.
The current MTC membership reflects a conscious attempt to expand
outside of Europe and North America and the board sincerely hopes
that this will continue and that the committee will grow in the
coming years. Recent activities of the committee include participation
in the 50th anniversary of the Korean ITI centre with a symposium
on the future of music theatre and cultural identity, meetings in
The Netherlands, at the Rotterdam Opera Days and in Zwolle at the
Chamber Opera Festival. Future meetings are planned for St. Petersburg,
Russia and Nanjing, China.
Board members
Nico SCHAAFSMA, Netherlands, President
Laura BERMAN, Germany
Guy COOLEN, Belgium
Roland QUITT, Germany
Axel TANGERDING, Germany
Nick Rangjun YU, PR China
Members
GAO Shan Ren, PR China
JIA Zhaouhui, PR China
Stefan JOHANSSON, Sweden
LU Hou, PR China
Daniel OTT, Switzerland
Peter P. PACHL, Germany
Frank G. RIVERA, Phillipines
Paola SARCINA, Italy
Nora SCHEIDL, Austria
WANG Jian, PR China
WANG Lijuan, PR China
WONG YueWai, Hong Kong
WU Huiying, PR China
Natalia ZYNOVA, Russia
Gino COOMANS, Belgium
CHEN Yanbing, PR China
Ali Lucky LIAQUAT, Bangladesh
Michael SCHEIDL, Austria
TIAN Mansha, PR China
Lili WU, PR China
Honorary member
Danny YUNG, Hong Kong
Music Theatre NOW 2008 Website
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