Brno has three options for the Bolka Polívka Theatre, including a move to the Bakala Hall

Brno - Brno is evaluating three options for the Bolka Polívka Theater, which cannot perform in the city-owned building due to compromised structural integrity. Mayor Markéta Vaňková (ODS) said today at the city council meeting that one possibility is to move the theater to the White House to the Břetislav Bakala Hall, which has been closed for a long time. Another option is to quickly secure the space where Polívka's theater currently operates. The last variant involves simultaneous operation at the Reduta Theater along with the National Theater Brno, which has objections from both the National Theater Brno and opposition councilors. Next season will be the jubilee thirtieth for the Bolka Polívka Theater.

The private Polívka Theater is located in a city building on Jakubské náměstí, which also houses the Scala cinema of Masaryk University. Due to compromised structural integrity, both organizations had to suspend operations this year. Recently, there has been talk primarily about moving the theater to Reduta, against which the leadership of the National Theater Brno has protested. They stated that it would limit the activities and plans of the National Theater Brno. The opposition parties, including the Greens and Žít Brno, also disagree with such a solution. However, Vaňková does not see this as the only option. "There is also the possibility of moving the theater to the White House to the Břetislav Bakala Hall. However, it is important to realize that this variant requires technical adjustments," the mayor stated. The hall is currently used as a storage space. City representatives talked about reactivating the hall last year.

Bolek Polívka welcomes the possibility of using the Břetislav Bakala Hall. "If we can manage the construction and technical adjustments, the premises would suit us," he told ČTK.

According to Vaňková, the city is also considering the possibility of repairing the current premises where Polívka's theater operates. "But we are facing statements from the structural engineer that this is unlikely. However, we are still negotiating with the structural engineer," Vaňková added. As a last option, she mentioned the simultaneous operation of the National Theater Brno and the Bolka Polívka Theater in Reduta. The mayor did not rule out that if the Bolka Polívka Theater found another suitable space, it might not return to the building on Jakubské náměstí. If that were to happen, it is unclear whether the city would repair the premises and for what purpose they would be used.

Vaňková expressed regret over how the situation has developed at a time when nothing has been definitively decided. She also reminded that Bolek Polívka is a recipient of the City of Brno Award and that a sociological survey indicated that Brno residents perceive Leoš Janáček, Gregor Johann Mendel, and Polívka as significant personalities of Brno. "He is a phenomenon of Brno and Moravia, and throughout his life, he had the opportunity to leave Brno, but he decided to stay. He deserves gratitude rather than the reactions I have encountered," Vaňková emphasized.

Opposition councilor Matěj Hollan (ŽTB) described the proposal to move the Bolka Polívka Theater to Reduta as inappropriate and ill-considered. "The idea that the National Theater would have its stage taken away is beyond the boundaries of how politics interferes with artistic operations," he said during the council meeting. He added that there are significant differences between the operations of both theaters, whether in terms of technologies used, scenography, or principles of operation.

Hollan called for the councilors to reject the proposal for simultaneous operation in the Reduta Theater and for the city council to present a solution that would provide temporary shelter for the theater in other city spaces that are suitable for this purpose. He also wanted councilors to declare the future preservation of cultural operations in the current building and that the city would maintain ownership stakes there. However, these points were rejected by the councilors.

Vaňková reminded that the city leadership has explored many options, including Králík's theater at the Brno Exhibition Grounds. However, according to her estimates, repairs would be needed there costing about half a billion crowns, and it is also uncertain whether they could be completed by September 1, when new spaces need to be secured for the Bolka Polívka Theater.