During Opera Europa and FEDORA’s joint event hosted by Deutsche Oper am Rhein at the end of April, the 15 projects shortlisted for the first edition of the Next Stage Grants were presented to members and sponsors. These inspiring projects in the field of opera and dance drive innovation through sustainability, inclusivity and digital transformation, and involve 48 cultural organisations and partners in 16 countries in Europe.
This spring the jury of experts will evaluate how innovative, collaborative, transformative, feasible and scalable these projects are and decide which ones will become recipients of the grant money of €250,000 provided thanks to the support of a private foundation.
The 15 projects are:
■ Sensory theatre led by AsLiCo with Opéra Grand Avignon
■ European Sustainability Dance Network led by Ballet Rambert with Scottish Ballet, Tero Saarinen Company and Ultima Vez
■ Don Carlo 4R: piloting 4R in theatre productions and development of young audiences led by Croatian National Theatre Rijeka with Slovenian National Theatre Maribor
■ XR Stage Phase 2 led by Finnish National Opera and Ballet, with Zoan, Insta Automation, Stara Zaragora State Opera and Aalto University
■ Inclusive Culture Project led by Teatro alla Scala with Teatro Regio di Parma, Teatro Sociale di Como and Teatro Massimo di Palermo
■ Opera Digital Warehouse led by Teatro Regio di Parma, with National Theatre Brno, Labinf Sistemi, Future Technology Lab, Murata ID Solutions
■ The Scorched Earth Trilogy and Street Art Opera App led by Irish National Opera with Dumbworld
■ Next Education and Digital Janáček Centre led by National Theatre Brno, with Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno
■ Here and There led by O. Festival for Opera. Music. Theatre. with Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Musiktheatertage Wien, Muziektheater Transparant, De Singel, Komische Oper Berlin and Britten Pears Arts
■ Sustainable Costumes led by Oper Leipzig with Icelandic Opera
■ Dance Health Center Project led by Opéra national de Paris with Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin and Royal Swedish Ballet
■ Opera Matters led by Poznan Opera House with Baltic Opera in Gdańsk
■ Culture of Inclusion: increasing representation in Dance led by Sadler’s Wells with A New Direction
■ Fortissimo led by Theater Magdeburg with Fortissimo, Tiroler Landestheater und Symphonieorchester Innsbruck, Teatr Wielki, Wiener Taschenoper, Fondazione Haydn di Bolzano e Trento, Opera North and Schule für das Leben
■ Deep digital transformation by implementing fully collaborative digital sheet music led by Volksoper Wien with Staatsoper Hannover