Finalists in the 2010 “Ideal Theatre” Student Design Competition had the opportunity to present their work in Kansas City, Missouri to a special session sponsored by USITT’s Architecture Commission. Awards were presented at the same session.

Photo/Tom Thatcher

Scott F Georgeson, AIA
Architecture Commissioner

The Ideal Theatre Student Design Competition, now in its fifth year, will begin accepting applications for 2011. Information will be available online at www.usitt.org in early August with submissions due in late December. The competition is sponsored by USITT’s Architecture Commission.

Architecture and theatre students work together in teams to design their university's ideal theatre. The students collaborate to write the program and develop the design. The submissions are juried by professional theatre architects and consultants. Three teams will be selected to present designs to the Architecture Commission at the 51st Annual USITT Conference & Stage Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina, March 9 to 12, 2011. Information includes a poster, design brief, and entry form.

In 2010, the final three teams were from the United States, Germany, and Poland. The German team was selected as Commissioners Winner. This competition provides an opportunity for an architecture student interested in theatre design to gain a greater understanding of the building type, plus have their work critiqued by top theatre professionals. Past submissions have been part of class work, independent efforts, and thesis research.

New for 2011, selected teams from the United States will be included in the U.S. Theatre Architectural Exhibit at the Prague Quadrennial 2011. PQ2011 is the largest gathering and exhibit of theatre professionals and artists in the world. For more information on this event go to www.pq.cz.

For additional competition information and to see the 2010 winners, visit the USITT website, www.usitt.org/StudentArchitecture.aspx.

For questions, contact the USITT office at shannan@office.usitt.org or USITT Architecture Commissioner Scott F Georgeson, AIA, at sfg@workshoparchitects.com.

To Top