The application process for Pitch New Works Now at the Seoul 2012 ISPA Congress is now open.

Developed from a program originated at the Banff Film and Television Festival in Alberta, Canada, Pitch New Works Now is a forum for creators to share new international and/or cross-cultural projects with ISPA’s prestigious international network of performing arts professionals.  Presenters have the opportunity to pitch their new work to more than 300 delegates from 40 countries.

Ten projects are selected to participate in Pitch New Works Now held at ISPA Congresses.  Selected applicants have seven minutes to pitch their new work and three minutes immediately following the pitch to answer delegate questions.  After the pitch session, participants have the opportunity to interact directly with delegates during ISPA’s informal networking session; ProEx (Professional Exchange).

Past presenters in Pitch New Works Now have included proposals from many of the world’s leading dance, music, and theater artists including, but not limited to: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, SITI Company, and Mark Morris Dance Group (United States), Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Siobhan Davies Dance Company (Great Britain), Chinese Music Virtuosi (Hong Kong), Chunky Move and Balletlab (Australia), Soundstreams, Tafelmusik and Toronto Dance Theatre (Canada), Emio Greco/PC (Netherlands), Farm in the Cave (Czech Republic), Opera Africa and Farber Foundry (Africa), Tao Dance Theater (China), T’Ang Quartet (Singapore), and Ultima Vez (Belgium).

View New York 2012 and New York & Toronto 2011 Pitch New Works Now Projects here.  To view an example of an actual pitch given at the New York 2010 Congress, see Pitch New Works Now project "Aviary".

Who should apply?

Those who are interested in presenting a new project to an international delegation of performing arts industry professionals should consider Pitch New Works Now.  Prospective projects vary in discipline, scale, and country of origin.  For the Seoul 2012 Congress, priority will be given to projects that reflect the diversity and character of the region.  Multi-disciplinary and/or multi-national projects are particularly attractive to ISPA delegates, though all project types and applications will be considered.  Prospective projects must meet one of the two following criteria:

1.    Be in development or have had minimal public exposure and will premiere within the next two years OR;
2.    Has recently premiered, but has a potential for international touring and room for artistic enhancement and expansion.

Applicants do not need to be ISPA members.  ISPA welcomes all eligible applications.  A non-refundable application and processing fee of $50 USD is payable to ISPA upon submission of this application for all non-Korea based applicants.  The application fee for organizations and individuals based in Korea is waived.

Language

Please submit all materials in English, or accompanied by English translations.  Simultaneous translation from Korean to English will be available for selected Pitch presenters as needed.

Application and Selection Process

Candidates should download and complete the Pitch New Works Now Application Form (Word | PDF) and submit all required material by Wednesday, April 4th.  This is a final deadline, no extensions or late submissions will be accepted. All material should be submitted in English and ISPA regrets that the application materials will not be returned.  Applications will be reviewed by the 2012 ISPA Pitch Committee.  Candidates will be notified of their application status by Thursday, April 27th, 2012.

To apply, assemble a complete application in this order: (1) Pitch New Works Now application form - found above, and (2) all requested material in Section IV of the application in a single Adobe PDF document.  Submit the application via email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it indicating “Pitch New Works Now Application” in the subject line of the email.  Please note, if you do not receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of submitting your application, your application was not received and you should contact the ISPA offices.

Applications in electronic format preferred.

Questions? Contact  Nicole Merritt at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or +1 (212) 206-8490 x201.