Stage One Complete

A record number of 353 young artists from 38 nations took part in the first stage of the RING AWARD 25 and developed innovative production concepts for the competition opera ‘L’Orfeo’ by Claudio Monteverdi in 109 teams.

The RING AWARD jury evaluated the anonymised concepts in the first stage of the competition.

Nine teams are in the RING AWARD 25 semifinal with a total of 35 participants from 12 nations in the fields of directing, set and costume design, dramaturgy, light design, video design and composition.

SEMIFINAL TEAMS (in alphabetical order)

1. Maria Chagina (RUS) / Anna Agafonova (ISR) / Sören Sarbeck (DEU)
2. Caterina Cianfarini (DEU) / Julia Kraushaar (CHE) / Karoline Gundermann (DEU) / Julia Jordà Stoppelhaar (DEU)
3. Franciska Ery (HUN) / Peter Butler (GBR) / Mathieu Cabanes (FRA)
4. Richard Glöckner (DEU) / Heike Hümpfner (DEU) /Anna Novotny (HUN)
5. Marcel Kohler (DEU) / Kenneth Chinea Torres (USA) / Natalie Soroko (DEU) / Friedemann Slenzka (DEU)
6. Finn Nachfolger (DEU) / Sidonia Helfenstein (CHE) / Anouk Hufschmid Hirschbühl (CHE) / Selina Pfeiffer (CHE)
7. Max Nattkämper (DEU) / Elena Popova (BGR) / Sabrina Zinsmeister (DEU) / Jurij Kowol (DEU)
8. Giorgio Pesenti (ITA) / Giulia Bruschi (ITA) / Riccardo Mainetti (ITA) / Elena Patacchini (ITA) / Matteo Castiglioni (ITA)
9. Victoria Stevens (ZAF) / Basia Bińkowska (POL) / Charlotte Werkmeister (DEU) / Lukas Eicher (DEU) / Alexander Schweiß (DEU)

The teams will present their concepts and prove their skills to jury and audiences at the semifinal on January 18, 2025 at Next Liberty in Graz.

SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE

For the first time, a Sustainability Prize, endowed with EUR 2,500, sponsored by art + event | Theaterservice Graz, was awarded at the RING AWARD.

Together with the submission of the production concept for the competition opera, each team was also asked to submit a sustainability concept. The aim was to find innovative concepts that promote environmentally friendly stage productions, social inclusion and economic sustainability. The prize was awarded by our expert-jury.

Winner is team Lea Willeke (DEU) / Zoe Leutnant (DEU) / Teresa Martin (DEU) / Henning Wölk (DEU).

Statement of the Jury:
The sustainability concept impresses with its holistic approach and innovative ideas in dealing with social aspects, efficiency, choice of materials and reusability. The necessary steps of comprehensive sustainable theatre work are concisely explained. New and exciting is the use of seagrass, a natural insulating material that has so far been largely unused in stage design. By using seagrass, the consumption of resources can be reduced and a long-term, sustainable solution for the future can be found. Congratulations to the winners!