The new theater in Plzeň has been approved, nothing prevents its opening

Plzeň - The New Theater on Jízdecká Street in Plzeň was approved on Wednesday, obtaining the necessary consent, and there are no obstacles to its use. The construction, costing approximately 880 million crowns, will be officially opened on September 2, featuring the opera The Bartered Bride by Bedřich Smetana. ČTK reported on the approval of the building, the most modern theater in the country, as stated by Mayor's Deputy Pavel Šindelář (ODS). The construction of the New Theater is part of the project for Plzeň as the European Capital of Culture 2015.
    "This was the last step we needed. Nothing now prevents the theater from opening," said Šindelář.
    The new theater complex consists of two interconnected parts, namely the theater building and the operational building. The operational building includes offices, dressing rooms for the company, and facilities for technical staff, while also serving as a noise barrier from the adjacent road, thus protecting the theater building.
    The theater building features two auditoriums, the main one seating 461 spectators and a smaller studio stage for 150 visitors. There will be no barrier between the stage and the audience, with the first row just one meter away from the actors. The stage consists of a 11-meter diameter rotating disc and eight 12-meter computer-controlled tables operated by silent hydraulics.
    The theater building is dominated by a concrete façade perforated with oval holes, which is an architectural reinterpretation of the curtain, the divider between the reality of the day and the magical illusory space of the theater. Its creation required 100 m³ of concrete, and with dimensions of 22 by 14 meters, it is the largest concrete sculpture in the country. "Part of the concept is the lighting of the façade controlled directly from the theater's control room, making the façade a scenographic object, part of the performance," said architect Vladimír Kružík, head of the architectural and design office HELIKA, which is responsible for the design of the building.
    The construction was carried out by Hochtief. The aim of the New Theater, which was created as a replacement for the inadequate Chamber Theater on Prokopova Street, is to increase the number of visitors, which stood at 175,000 last year. Plzeň is the first city in the country to build a new theater along with facilities since 1989.