A city in central Greece has set up an international design competition calling for proposals to help develop the area around its 3,000-year-old open-air theater.

The city of Larissa in the region of Thessalia is offering a prize of $35,000 for the best submission, which will help turn the theater into a point of reference.

Following a recent major excavation, the city wants to return the theater to use, which means rethinking the surrounding area of approximately 452,100 square feet.

The ancient Theater A’ of Larissa is an open-air theater, built in the second half of the third century BCE. The largest of its kind in central Greece, the theater was built for a 10,000 audience capacity and lies on the slope of “Frourio” — the fortress hill coinciding with the fortified citadel of the ancient city in Larissa’s center.

The competition, which is open to architects or multidisciplinary teams consisting of at least one architect, is endorsed by the International Union of Architects (UIA). The contest will be conducted according to UNESCO Regulations and UIA best practice recommendations.

The international jury includes the chair Renato Rizzi (Italy), Aristidis Sapounakis (Greece), Deniz Incedayi (Turkey), UIA representative Christian Sumi (Switzerland), Rainer Mahlamäki (Finland) and deputy UIA representative Jacek Lenart (Poland).

Registration closes on November 19 and the winners will be announced in March 2022.

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