Named by the Telegraph as the "indie" arm of the Royal Opera House, ROH2 invites submissions from creative artists to take part in Firsts 09 in the Linbury Studio Theatre. Now in its eighth year, this season is at the forefront of the work of ROH2 and seeks to present high quality work of originality and diversity across the contemporary lyric art forms including music, dance, puppetry, physical theatre, aerial work and work that defies categorization. Priority will be given to young, vibrant artists working outside of the mainstream and artists from the regions.

Firsts presents nine companies over six nights in the Linbury Studio Theatre from 11 - 20 November 2010 and the following criteria apply:

• The piece must be between 10 and 30 minutes maximum.

• It must have been created in the last 18 months and completed by the application deadline (below).

• Must be UK based.

• Each company will have two performances on consecutive nights along with two or three other performing companies as part of a mixed bill.

• A basic lighting rig is provided, black dance floor and white or black backcloth. Lighting specials can be provided by negotiation in advance. It is recommended that if you require a projector you supply your own, but this can be negotiated.

• The Technical manager will endeavour to meet the requirements of the piece as near as possible, but companies must accept a level of compromise due to the nature of the programming.

• The Royal Opera House provides a minimum of four technical staff to run the shows and operate lights and sound. However, it is strongly recommended that you bring your own lighting designer/technician to relight the show and operate the board particularly if your cues are complicated. The cost for this should be included in your fee. Cont/d.

• Technical time is usually four hours and will be either the day of the first performance or the preceding day. Other than technical time in the theatre, the Royal Opera House cannot provide further rehearsal space.

In order to apply, please forward the following. We must receive all of the information requested.

1. Contact name, address, email address and telephone number of artist/company.

2. The name and length of the piece and the number of performers.

3. Dates and venues of previous and forthcoming performances.

4. A description including a DVD of a performance or rehearsal. Please note: we cannot accept applications without a DVD. If you are proposing an excerpt from a longer piece, please indicate the appropriate sections. All DVDs need to be compatible with European DVD players. Apple Mac formats will not be accepted.

5. A full technical rider including details of set, props, sound and lighting requirements. If this is not possible as full an indication as possible of the above.

6. The fee for two performances inclusive of performer and staff fees, technical costs, travel, transport and accommodation (please state VAT separately if applicable). Please show how this fee is broken down. This may be subject to negotiation.

7. How you heard about Firsts.

All applications must be received by Wednesday 31 March 2010.

By post: Marked Firsts and sent to ROH2, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD.
By email: Email applications Firsts@roh.org.uk. Emails must be no larger than 6Mb. All footage must be sent/delivered as a hard copy.