Designs for two award-winning productions by Birmingham Opera Company have been selected for an international showcase of performance and theatre design in Prague.

They were created by Paul Brown for Mittwoch Aus Licht, the 2012 production by Birmingham Opera Company of Stockhausen's six-hour opera in London, and by Samal Blak for Khovanskygate which was performed in Cannon Hill Park last year.

The designs were selected by a panel from the Society of British Theatre Designers to represent the UK in the Prague Quadrenniale for Performance Space and Design which is currently under way.

Thee pair will then transfer to a six-month exhibition called Make Believe which opens at the V&A Museum in London from on July 11.

Birmingham Opera Company is renowned for its approach to opera which sees large-scale productions staged in unusual urban spaces including former factories, banks and ice-rinks.

Formed in 1987 by artistic director Graham Vick, the company has won accolades and awards for its contemporary, ground-breaking productions which cast hundreds of community volunteers of all ages and backgrounds alongside the professional cast and orchestra.

Executive Director Richard Willacy said: "Our designers often have very little time to transform a sometimes derelict space, with no stage or traditional theatre seating into an inspiring, interactive environment where the audience are part of the action.

"Paul and Samal are both great collaborators who work closely with Graham Vick to create striking set designs that showcase the music and performance at its best, providing elements of surprise that engage with the audience, many of whom have never been to an opera before."