| Starting this week, Segerstrom Center for the Arts is accepting submissions for its county-wide talent competition, OC Center Stage. In a period of uncertainty and social distancing, this is the perfect time to become Inspired, brush up and rehearse act, and submit your entry for an opportunity to be among Orange County’s rising stars.
If you sing, dance, play an instrument or perform impromptu music sessions off your balcony, we want to hear from you. Audition for your place on the Argyros Stage without leaving home! Applications are available online and video submissions are accepted through the Center’s website from April 9, 2020 to June 1, 2020.
Ten finalists will be selected. Once we receive the word that we can gather again, we’ll schedule the live performance where they’ll compete for First, Second and Third Place on the stage of the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza in front of a live audience and panel of judges.
The arts have a beautiful way of bringing people together no matter the distance, and.Segerstrom Center for the Arts is looking forward to discovering and showcasing talented performances from around Orange County during this second competition.
Last year, more tan 120 submissions were received and twelve finalists competed for the top prize. Local hip-hop dance group Kingsman Coed wowed the crowd with their high-energy performance and took home the $1,000 grand prize.
Eleven-year-old Ayn Liu from Irvine stunned the audience and judges with her striking vocal talent while accompanying herself with her ukulele. Her voice drew comparisons to Adele.
She was awarded the first runner-up prize of $750. Shortly after her win at the Center, Liu was discovered by a casting agent for NBC’s TV show Little Big Shots and headed straight to Hollywood! Ayn shared, “It meant so much to play at Segerstrom because I’ve watched so many great artists like Diana Krall and Jake Shimabukuro perform here”. Third place went to Undecided Future, an OC band that is no stranger to a live stage.
The band has already received recognition as the 2019 recipient of the Young Entertainer’s Award and as the 2017 winner of Ryan Seacrest’s global music competition, Best Cover Ever, where they shared a performance with Jason Derulo.
When we are able to gather again, OC Center Stage 2020 is sure to bring the magic back with new talent discoveries in Orange County. For now, we invite all aspiring local artists to show off your moves, share your performance, and let your art help bring Orange County together!
The grand prize winner will receive $1,000, second place will be awarded $750, and third place will win $500. Additionally, all finalists will receive a stipend: solos and duos will receive $150 for performing, and groups of three or more will receive $300.
OC Center Stage is open to residents of Orange County who are at least eight (8) years old and who are non-professionals (you may not generate your full-time income from performing). Full content rules are available below and on our website (www.scfta.org/occenterstage).
Tips and Tricks for Video Submissions
Now’s the time to send in your submission for OC Center Stage 2020! If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few best practices for creating your submission video.
Submissions are judged on creativity, originality, technical ability and audience appeal. But the most important piece? Give us a sense of YOU performing live. Lyric videos, audio files, or music videos that do not show you performing can’t show us how great you might look on our stage! For vocal submissions, please do not use vocal backing tracks.
Videos do not need to be professionally shot. The best videos show YOU off. When filming a video, consider:
- Visibility – Does the lighting allow us to see you performing? Is the camera stable? Does it give a clear picture of what your performance will look like?
- Sound quality – Are you in a quiet space, or are you unintentionally harmonizing with your neighbor’s dog? If you’ve got a pesky echo, sound may be bouncing off hard surfaces, including floors, walls, and high ceilings. Recording in a carpeted or curtained space may help!
- Content – Does your video show the piece you intend to perform if selected? Does it contain any off-color language or subject matter? Is it six minutes or under?
Being a good citizen and practicing social distancing from other members of your performance group? We encourage you to submit a video from a previous performance or get creative through videoconferencing platforms like Zoom.
Still have questions? Contact our Community Engagement team at community@scfta.org.
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Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence, offering unsurpassed experiences and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring arts-based education and community engagement programs.
Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County’s largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School.
The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events.
Segerstrom Center is a leader among the nation’s performing arts centers for providing education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. The Center’s programs reach hundreds of thousands of students each year in five Southern California counties. Community engagement programs developed through the Center for Dance and Innovation and Center Without Boundaries also connect the Center more comprehensively with Orange County’s many diverse communities. The CDI supports flagship artistic programming and a wide range of projects that celebrate innovation, nurture creativity and engage audiences of the future. It is home to the ABT Gillespie School and the School of Dance and Music for Children with Disabilities. The Center Without Boundaries develops partnerships with non-arts organizations to help them in their own efforts to respond to the ever-changing needs of the community.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons performed at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
In addition to Segerstrom Center for the Arts as a presenting and producing institution, it also identifies the beautiful 14-acre campus that embraces the Center’s own facilities as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.
OC CENTER STAGE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Segerstrom Center for the Arts – Julianne and George Argyros Plaza
600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA
Awards:
Grand Prize- $1,000
2nd Place- $750
3rd Place- $500
Apply electronically beginning April 9, 2020
Entry deadline: June 1, 2020
Submissions will be judged by the following criteria:
- Originality/creativity
- Technical ability
- Audience appeal
Guidelines and Additional Information:
• There is no cost to enter.
• Complete an electronic application form and provide a video link per piece entered.
• Applications are accepted via Google Forms; (CLICK HERE to APPLY)
• If a performer wishes to enter multiple pieces (e.g. as a soloist and as part of a group), a maximum of two (2) entries are allowed. Separate entry forms and video links are required per piece entered.
• If a performer competed as a finalist in OC Center Stage 2019, they are not eligible to enter OC Center Stage 2020 as part of the same performing group.
• All files must be clearly labeled with the performer’s name and title of performance piece.
• Maximum length of performance piece – (6) six minutes.
• Incomplete materials or those exceeding the time limit will not be processed.
• The video file must contain only the piece being entered. No exceptions.
• Professional recordings are not required, but attention to quality, clarity and point of view are essential for accurate review.
• No off-color language or mature subject matter allowed.
• Once your entry is received it will be reviewed by a screening panel.
• If your entry is selected you will be contacted no later than July 15, 2020 and notified of the performance date, rehearsal date, and other deadlines. Upon accepting a place as a finalist, you commit to a rehearsal and technical walkthrough during the week before the live show and to a performance before a panel of judges in front of a live audience on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza.
• Finalists must sign and complete a contract, media release, and a W-9 form.
• 10 finalists will be chosen.
• The winner will be announced on the evening of the performance.
• All performers must:
• be at least (8) years of age.
• reside within Orange County.
• be non-professionals, i.e. you may not generate your full-time income from performing.
• Performances must be totally self-contained.
• A piano/keyboard, drum kit, microphones, padded Marley floor, and sound system will be provided by Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
• Props are permissible; however, the placement of the props must not interfere with the flow of the performance. All props must clear the stage immediately following the performance. No littering of the stage is allowed.
Information:
Admission – FREE
Online – SCFTA.org
Phone – (714) 556-2787
From 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily
Information provided is accurate at the time of printing but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a public, non-profit organization. “Segerstrom Center for the Arts” is a registered trademark.
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600 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626 T (714) 556-2121 F (714) 556-8984 SCFTA.org |
