Latest news with #Charcoalblue
Zawya
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Zawya
12th Theatre Architecture Competition winners and finalists announced
Sharjah, UAE: The winners and finalists of the Theatre Architecture Competition (TAC) taking place during World Stage Design (WSD) 2025 from 18-25 October in Sharjah, UAE has been announced. This is the 12th edition of the competition with the theme ' Theatre of Possibilities' and co-organised by Sharjah Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) and the International Organisation of Scenographers Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT) Architecture Commission. Charcoalblue – a globally reputed theatre, acoustic, and experience consultancy service is the sponsor of the Competition this year which received 50 entries from 17 countries around the world. The site for TAC is Bait Obaid Al Shamsi - the large two-storey building with a central courtyard which used to be a house was built around 1845 for merchant Obaid Bin Hamad Al Shamsi. Renovated in the late 1990s, the building is presently managed by the Sharjah Art Foundation and hosts a series of artists' studios and events. Participants had to submit ideas for a flexible structure to transform the central courtyard into a new 100-seat temporary performance space, but which also deals with the site's specific climate. The proposals had to also consider the heritage of the venue and the region, sustainability and to offer a maximum construction and dismantling time of no more than three days. The first, second and third place winners are: Kuo, Chun-Hao, Taiwan - The Dynamic Fold Janae Van Panahon, New Zealand - Diwaniyat Al-Masrah: Theatre's Gathering Cynthia Bou Chebl, Lebanon - The Crossroads Theater Additional prizes: Zachary Wong, Hong Kong - Wanderer Vladislav Dudyrev and Aleksei Vorobev, Russian Federation - AL-BAYT THEATRE The list of finalists is here: 'We were delighted to receive so many compelling entries for TAC. The proposals were brilliant and beautiful which made the jurying process tough and exciting. Congratulations to the winners and finalists. We look forward to showcasing these incredible architecture design proposals at Bait Al Shamsi during WSD 2025. I extend a warm welcome to all professional and emerging architects in the region to come see this exhibition and attend the Middle East debut of World Stage Design', said Jacqui George, Project Director, WSD 2025. Tickets for WSD 2025 is available here: PR & Partnerships Officer: Ancy Alexander Email: ancyalexander@ About Sharjah Performing Arts Academy Sharjah Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) is the only dedicated performing arts academy in the Middle East, offering comprehensive education in both performing and production arts. SPAA trains students for various roles, from actors and dancers to stage managers and scenic designers, preparing them for success in the competitive global industry. The Academy's mission is to develop confident, creative professionals who can lead and collaborate in any global context. About OISTAT OISTAT was founded in Prague in 1968. It stands for 'Organisation Internationale des Scénographes, Techniciens et Architectes de Théâtre' in French, and 'International Organisation of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians' in English. OISTAT is a global network for theatre practitioners celebrating design, technology and architecture in live performances.
Otago Daily Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
‘Stage on stage' performing arts venue option
The Regent Theatre Trust's proposal of an up to 350-seat "stage on a stage" venue could put an end to the vexed question of developing a performing arts centre for Dunedin, at least in the short term. It is one of four options that will be presented to Dunedin city councillors during nine-year plan deliberations on Monday. It would require borrowing $1.4 million to fund the plan, a report by Dunedin City Council creative partnerships team leader Lisa Wilkie said. Still, it would not meet "all long-term sector needs", Ms Wilkie said. "There are still some unknowns for staff to work through with the trust to better understand the operational implications of the 'stage on a stage' proposal. "This includes how quickly the initiative could be implemented, when new programming could begin, what new opportunities will be available to the wider performing arts community and what impact this may have on the existing Regent Theatre programme." If councillors opted to pursue the stage-on-a-stage idea council staff and the trust would work through those issues and report back to the council by August with a more detailed account of the "operational implications, benefits to the community and potential risks" of the proposal, she said. There would be minimal disruption to the theatre's existing programming; the concept had the backing of national theatre practitioners and touring companies; and it would provide an interim venue while "medium to long-term solutions" were pursued, she said. However, the community's use of the venue would rely on the Regent Theatre's ability to provide affordable access to it and the plan could "divert attention and funding from permanent venue solutions". Ms Wilkie's report said since 2018, the council had worked with the performing arts community to address "a long-standing gap in mid-sized theatre infrastructure". Her report traversed the history of the Charcoalblue study from 2018 to 2021, which resulted in $17.1m being set aside for a venue in the 2021-31 plan and a direction to council staff to engage further with the performing arts community. (The $17.1m funding was removed from the 2025-34 draft plan.) Three years ago, the Playhouse Theatre, the Athenaeum and the Mayfair Theatre formed the Dunedin Theatre Network elected to focus on formulating a solution. The network proposed to work with the council and others to refurbish the three venues. Then late last year an informal collective known as the "performing arts group", working with council staff, proposed a $5.79m redevelopment of The Playhouse Theatre, a $15.48m redevelopment of "the New Athenaeum" and a $28.02m new performing arts centre. Option 2 in front of councillors was to put $75,000 towards a business plan for this three-venue proposal, Ms Wilkie said. However, Ms Wilkie noted this option did not address short-term infrastructure gaps and "without a funding commitment, the Playhouse Theatre anticipates closing in two years' time". The third option in front of councillors was to allocate $3.5m in seed funding in years 2 and 3 of the plan towards the refurbishment of the Playhouse Theatre. The fourth option was for councillors to provide a different solution. "In all scenarios, staff will continue to work collaboratively, and in partnership, with the performing arts community to support their work in Ōtepoti Dunedin," she said.
