MUT

Competition for Musical Entertainment Theatre

Since 2015, the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz has been organising the MUT competition for musical entertainment theatre (operetta, musical, chanson), founded in 2009 by Josef E. Köpplinger, with the aim of discovering and promoting outstanding artistic personalities in musical entertainment theatre.

MUT offers the opportunity to introduce oneself to renowned jurors from all areas of the musical entertainment industry and to draw attention to oneself. Participants in previous rounds of the competition have been offered engagements at the Komische Oper Berlin, the Volksoper Wien, the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, the Theater St. Gallen, the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien and the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz.

MUT is advertised throughout Europe and is aimed at classically trained singers with an affinity for the operetta and musical genres, musical performers with a preference for operetta as well as chanson interpreters.

In 2023, artists between the ages of 18 and 28 are once again called upon to showcase their singing and performing talents in front of an internationally renowned jury chaired by State Director Josef E. Köpplinger and thus lay the foundation for a promising stage career.

After preliminary casting rounds in Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna and Munich, the decisive final will take place live in front of an audience at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz on 24 July 2023. The candidates will compete together for numerous prizes.

The competition will conclude with the »Finalissimo« gala on 27 July 2023, during which the three best candidates will perform alongside members of the ensemble and the orchestra of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz and receive their prizes.

AWARDS

MAIN PRIZES

• 1st prize of the jury, endowed with 3.000 €
• 2nd prize of the jury, endowed with 2.000 €
• 3rd prize of the jury, endowed with 1.000 €
• Media Prize
• Audience Award
  

SPECIAL AWARDS

• Special Prize of the Komische Oper Berlin Three exclusive auditions for the jury prize winners at the Komische Oper and at least one engagement in a future production
• Special Prize of the Staatsoperette Dresden One exclusive audition with the option of a guest engagement in a musical theatre production in one of the following seasons
• Special Prize of Stage Entertainment GmbH One exclusive casting coaching combined with a casting for current productions
• Special prize of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz One guest engagement in a musical theatre production in one of the following seasons
• Special Prize of Vereinigte Bühnen Bozen One guest engagement in a musical theatre production in one of the following seasons
• Special Prize of the Musikalische Komödie Leipzig One exclusive audition with the option of a guest engagement in a musical theatre production in one of the following seasons
• Special Prize of the Theater St. Gallen One exclusive audition with the option of a guest engagement in a musical theatre production in one of the following seasons
• Special Award of the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck One exclusive audition with an option for a guest engagement in a musical theatre production in one of the following seasons 
• Special Award of the Salzburger Landestheater One exclusive audition with an option for a guest engagement in a production at the Salzburger Landestheater
• Special prize of Spotlight Musical GmbH One professional demo recording in a recording studio incl. exclusive audition (with material from »Die Päpstin« or »Robin Hood«) as well as a train ticket to Fulda, a visit to the show »Robin Hood« and overnight accommodation in a hotel.
• Special prize of Operette Langenlois One guest engagement in an operetta production in one of the following seasons
• Special Prize of the Musical Summer Amstetten One guest engagement in a musical production in one of the following seasons 

PROCEDURE

PRE-ROUNDS

Hamburg         Monday, 3 April 2023, 13.00 to 18.00, Mehr! Theatre at the Großmarkt
Berlin              Tuesday, 4 April 2023, 1.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m., Komische Oper
Munich            Monday, 17 April 2023, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Vienna             Monday, 24 April 2023, 1.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m., Volksoper

Preliminary Round Singing: Five solo numbers must be prepared. Two of them must be in the fields of opera, musical and chanson and at least two must be in German. The jury will select two titles from these for the preliminary round.

Preliminary Round Acting: Two monologues must be prepared, exclusively from stage plays (length per monologue 3‒5 minutes). The remaining participants from the preliminary round singing will perform one of them according to the jury’s selection. If necessary, they will be asked to perform another text or song.

A maximum of 12 participants will qualify for the final in Munich.

FINAL

Monday, 24 July 2023, 6 p.m., Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz

The finalists will present an 8-minute solo programme of their own choice, consisting of two vocal numbers (ballad and up-tempo song or operetta song/chanson) with piano accompaniment and a short monologue from a stage play. The vocal numbers must cover at least two of the genres operetta, musical or chanson. After the presentation, the final jury, a media jury and the audience will select the winners.

FINALISSIMO

Thursday, 27 July 2023, 8 p.m., Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz

The winners of prizes 1 - 3 will each perform a solo number at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz’s season finale gala and receive their prizes from Staatsintendant Josef E. Köpplinger.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

Age: 18 to 28 years (at the time of application)

Completed or started training in operetta, musical or chanson at a state or state-recognised institution.

REGISTRATION

Information and registration   mut@gaertnerplatztheater.de     

You can obtain the binding registration form here

Please send us the completed application form, your artistic CV and a recent full-body photo with the subject: MUT + preliminary round city of your choice (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich or Vienna).

Registration deadline 1 March 2023

If you travel to one of the preliminary round dates, you will have to pay a participation fee of 20 €. Unfortunately, travel and accommodation costs for the preliminary rounds cannot be covered.

JURY

Final

Alex Balga Artistic Director of the Amstetten Musical Summer, director
Philip Bröking Artistic Director of the Komische Oper Berlin
Adam Cooper West-End choreographer and director
Rudolf Frey Designed Artistic Director of the Vereinigte Bühnen Bozen, director
Irene Girkinger Designed Artistic Director of the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck
Melissa King Choreographer and director
Josef E. Köpplinger Chairman of the Jury, Artistic Director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, director
Simone Linhof Director Artistic Production of Stage Entertainment GmbH
Ricarda Regina Ludigkeit Choreographer and director
Peter Lund Director, author and lecturer
Carl Philip von Maldeghem Artistic Director of the Salzburg Landestheater, director
Peter Scholz Managing Director of Spotlight Musicals GmbH
Michael Schulz Artistic Director of the Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen, director
Werner Signer Managing Director of the St. Gallen Theatre
Markus Spiegel Music producer, journalist

PRE-ROUND Berlin

Philip Bröking Artistic Director of the Komische Oper Berlin
Iris Egger Operations Director and Deputy Artistic Director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Ulrike Frank Actress and GZSZ star
Jeff Frohner Musical Supervisor and arranger
Josef E. Köpplinger Chairman of the Jury, Artistic Director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, director
Kathrin Kondaurow Artistic Director of the Staatsoperette Dresden, director
Peter Lund Director, author and lecturer
Andreas Partilla Musical Director and pianist at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Michael Alexander Rinz Managing Dramaturg of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Torsten Rose Operations Director of the Musikalische Komödie Leipzig
Marc Schubring Composer
Werner Signer Managing Director of the St. Gallen Theatre
Markus Spiegel Music producer, journalist

PRE-ROUND Hamburg

Iris Egger Operations Director and Deputy Artistic Director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Josef E. Köpplinger Chairman of the Jury, Artistic Director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, director
Simone Linhof Director Artistic Production of Stage Entertainment GmbH
Andreas Partilla Musical Director and pianist at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Ivy Quainoo Singer and actress
Michael Alexander Rinz Managing Dramaturg of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Werner Signer Managing Director of the St. Gallen Theatre
Markus Spiegel Music producer, journalist

PRE-ROUND MUNICH

Jan Henric Bogen Opera Director and Designed Director of the St. Gallen Theatre
Iris Egger Operations Director and Deputy Artistic Director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Alice and Ellen Kessler Show legends
Josef E. Köpplinger Chairman of the Jury, Artistic Director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, director
Carl Philip von Maldeghem Artistic Director of the Salzburg Landestheater, director
Andreas Partilla Musical Director and Pianist at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Daniel Prohaska Singer and actor
Michael Alexander Rinz Managing Dramaturg of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Werner Signer Managing Director of the Theater St. Gallen
Jutta Speidel Actress, author, audio book and radio play narrator and dubbing artist
Markus Spiegel Music producer, journalist

PRE-ROUND VIENNA

Lotte de Beer Artistic Director of the Volksoper Wien, Director
Iris Egger Operations Director and Deputy Artistic Director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Carin Filipčić Musical performer and singer
Andreas Gergen Director and actor
Josef E. Köpplinger Chairman of the Jury, Artistic Director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, director
Ricarda Regina Ludigkeit Choreographer and director
Sona MacDonald Actress, singer and dancer
Andreas Partilla Musical Director and Pianist at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Malte Puls Director of Artistic Operations at the Volksoper Wien
Michael Alexander Rinz Managing Dramaturg of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Werner Signer Managing Director of the Theater St. Gallen
Markus Spiegel Music producer, journalist