How to resolve AdBlock issue? Opus Award 2023 at Prolight + Sound
Kerstin Horaczek Photo: Jochen Günther
After a long break due to the pandemic, the event industry was able to take off again this year and experienced a festival summer of superlatives as well as many sold-out shows. However, this joy is not unclouded, because in times of rising energy costs for productions and staff shortages, creativity is more in demand than ever.
All the more reason for Prolight + Sound to pay special tribute to innovative and creatively exceptional productions and also to provide a stage for the makers behind the scenes. At Prolight + Sound (25 to 28 April 2023), the “Opus – German Stage Prize” will be awarded to productions that have turned impressive shows into unforgettable experiences through the innovative use of event technology. Projects can be submitted until 30 November at the website below – either by the participants themselves or by the audience.
Following the global openings, many thought that the situation for the industry would improve quickly. However, rapidly rising energy prices and the tense situation in Europe brought many artists and projects to a halt once again. In addition, there was a veritable ticket backlog due to the pandemic-related postponement of numerous events. “It is more important than ever to support our industry. The 'Opus – German Stage Prize' puts the spotlight on what the many creative minds behind the stage experiences create – even under difficult conditions. Against this background, the Opus 2023 is a festive tribute to the creative and innovative power, but also to the courage and perseverance of all those involved in the current situation,” says Mira Wölfel, Director of Prolight + Sound.
The Opus has been honouring outstanding personalities and projects since 1995. The focus is on the technical realisation of theatre and musical productions, concerts and tours as well as corporate events. The Opus is awarded annually at Prolight + Sound, the leading trade fair for event, stage and media technology. The initiators of the award are the VPLT (Association of Media and Event Technology), the EVVC (European Association of Event Centres) and Messe Frankfurt. A jury of experts, consisting of association members, representatives of Messe Frankfurt and other industry experts, selects the winning projects from the entries.
In 2022, the prize went to the project "Dionysos Stadt Open Air". The acclaimed and multi-award-winning production of the Munich Kammerspiele by director Christopher Rüping thrilled audiences in a version specially adapted for the spectacular open-air log theatre "Sommerbau", initiated and produced by the Frankfurt Künstlerhaus Mousonturm. The production impressively proved that art and cultural experiences can be realised even in times of tough restrictions. For the first time, the jury also awarded the newly founded special prize "Opus AVantgarde". This prize is awarded for works that go beyond classical stage performance and depict current technological or staging trends in a forward-looking way. The award went to the production "Woodkid @ ZDF Magazin Royale". Using complex photogrammetry processes, the project succeeded in making an augmented reality version of the French musician appear in the studio for a joint performance with the RTO-Ehrenfeld.