The dominant feature of the new theater in Plzeň will be a perforated facade

Plzeň - A perforated façade made of white polished concrete resembling a semi-permeable membrane, a curtain, and a painter's canvas, through which the lights of the theatrical world penetrate onto the street, will become the dominant feature of the new Plzeň theater. The design of the new building, consisting of the theater building and an operational object, already has its final shape, and construction is expected to start in 2012. Representatives of the city, the theater, and the project contractor announced this to journalists during the project presentation today.
    "The construction of a new theater in Plzeň has been discussed since the 1990s. Now, the form is final and we are as close as we could be," said Deputy Mayor Marcela Krejsová. According to her, next year a contractor for the construction should be selected, and the building could start serving in September 2014. The modern object, costing hundreds of millions of crowns, will be a new and exceptional landmark of Plzeň. The new theater is one of the largest investment projects that the city is preparing as part of its candidacy for the title of European Capital of Culture for 2015.
    The complex's centerpiece will be the exceptional façade of the main building, which becomes more of a scenographic object, a kind of symbolic curtain. The white decorative protruding wall, resembling a painter's canvas, leans towards the incoming visitor, inviting them to enter the theater. "When designing the main motif of the theater, i.e., the entrance façade, we decided to stop thinking like architects and start thinking more like artists and scenographers and give the main façade a certain symbol," architect Vladimír Kružík told ČTK.
    The unique decorative façade thus does not relate to any surrounding architecture but will live its own life, allowing colorful theatrical light to penetrate directly onto the street through its openings. It will become a transition from the real world to the world of magic.
    The theater building will have two halls with a capacity of 500 and 200 people, with basements for storage, technology, and facilities for the orchestra and choir. The first floor, designated for ensuring the supply of the building, includes a covered supply yard. "The second floor will house a studio stage, while the third will feature the main foyer of the theater and the main theater hall," added Kružík. The other two floors will serve the theater staff.
    The adjacent operational building, connected to the main one by bridges, will act as a barrier protecting the theater building from noise from the busy Jízdecká street and will provide complete theatrical facilities.
    According to the director of the J. K. Tyl Theater, Jan Burian, the new building will bring a higher quality and richer artistic repertoire to Plzeň. The main stage will serve not only for drama, musicals, ballet, and opera but will also allow for genres that move in between. It will also provide space for various theatrical forms conceived not only in the shape of a stage and auditorium. The building, open all day, will include a café, restaurant, exhibition space, bookstore, and a meeting place.
    Thanks to the project, the immediate surroundings of the theater will be revitalized, and a so-called theater square with a sculpture will be created in front of the buildings.
    The project, designed by the architectural and planning office Helika, is based on the original design by Portuguese architects who won the competition announced by Plzeň. Helika modified the winning design along with the Portuguese according to the city's requirements, primarily limiting underground spaces that would have significantly increased the cost of the construction.
    According to Krejsová, the price of the construction will come from the competition and will be below a billion. Plzeň will release 200 million from the budget, another approximately 100 million should be obtained from the sale of the current inadequate Chamber Theater and the adjacent building. About 100 million will be obtained from the Plzeň Region, and funding will also be sought from the European operational project as well as from the state budget.