By Randi Bjornstad

Do you sing? Dance? Play an instrument? Act? Recite poetry? Paint? Sculpt? Tell jokes? Charm snakes?

Whatever your talent, the Hult Center for the Performing Arts wants to hear from you. Well, actually not. The Hult Center wants to receive a no-longer-than-three-minute video from you showing off your particular talent. The video will become part of the Stay Home Talent Show competition.

Once they have all these videos in hand, a panel of judges will choose a set of finalists that will be announced on May 4.

Then, from May 4-7, everyone can watch the video and enjoy the talent show — and vote for a favorite act to be considered for the People’s Choice Award. The results of the competition will be announced on May 8, with prizes for the finalists and the People’s Choice winner.

The idea of the talent show is to give performers who have been affected by the recent shutdown of Hult Center and other perfomances to put their gifts out there so the community can see and enjoy the hard work and talent that has been put on hold — and in many cases financially jeopardized — by the coronavirus pandemic that has shut down so much of the community, Oregon, the United States, and the world.

People who want to participate in the Stay Home Talent Show should create their submissions while maintaining all the recommended “social distancing” protocols. As the Hult Center’s announcement of the contest puts it, “That said, this is the arts, so extra points will be awarded for creativity, flair, and style.”

Finally, the rules:

  • Video clips can be submitted on social media platforms and Hult Center social media posts by including the hashtag #HultTalentShow no later than Thursday, April 30.
  • Hult Center social media accounts include: Facebook – facebook.com/hultcenterarts, Instagram – instagram.com/hultcenter, and Twitter – twitter.com/hultcenter
  • Clips must be no longer than three minutes in length. Use of copyrighted or protected materials is prohibited, so no lip syncing over other artists’ work is allowed.
  • There are no specific categories in this talent contest — finalists will be determined by the judging panel from the entries received. The judges will include media, local producing companies, and other local performers.
  • Prizes will include tickets to Hult Center events, Eugene Symphony performances, merchandise packs and whatever else the judges come up with. (Prizes are non-transferable and carry no cash value.)

For information, contact Hult Center marketing director Rich Hobby at 541-682-8413.