A fully-functioning theatre made entirely from locally-sourced re-usable or recyclable materials will go up in the grounds of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff this September as part of the first UK-hosted edition of World Stage Design.

Local and international volunteers will be given just over a week to build the temporary venue in time for it to host a series of talks, workshops, debates and shows exploring environmental sustainability and the arts during World Stage Design 2013 (WSD2013) which runs from September 5 to 15.

The building team will be working to plans by architect Tim Lai and theatre designer Brad Steinmetz, both of Columbus, Ohio, USA – the winners of an international design challenge that attracted more than 100 entries from 26 countries.

Unveiling the plans in Cardiff Ian Evans, WSD2013’s technical director and a senior lecturer at RWCMD, said: “The design brief was a tough one.  We asked for a venue that was eco-conscious, could seat up to 150 people, host a variety of events and be self-built, all for an outlay of less than £20,000. Yet the response has been magnificent, many using highly original approaches and suggesting a wide variety of materials, including hay bales, cardboard boxes and packing crates.  The entry from Brad and Tim was everyone’s favourite, though, because as well as meeting the technical brief, it is going to look and feel very interesting – an innovative blueprint that can be copied for other settings.” 

You can read the full press release here: http://www.wsd2013.com/about/press-and-media-centre/