The new theater in Plzeň is to be built for 818 million by August 2014

Plzeň - Plzeň is the first city in the Czech Republic to build a new theater including facilities after 1989. After years of discussions, today the city's leadership and the contractor laid the foundation stone of the new building worth 818.5 million CZK. The structure, which is divided into a functional and theater building with two halls, an auditorium for 500 spectators, a restaurant, a ballet school, a studio stage, and underground parking, is to be completed by August 1, 2014. The theater is part of the European Capital of Culture 2015 (EHMK) project. Besides supporters, it also has its critics.
     "The construction of the new city theater building is the largest investment of the European Capital of Culture 2015 project," said Mayor Martin Baxa.
     According to the director of the J. K. Tyl Theater, Jan Burian, the new theater represents more than just a building. "Conditions and space will be created not only for theatrical creation but also for music and other activities associated with theater. If we stayed with just one theatrical building, we would become a city of a different category," he stated.
     The new building, which will rise near the center between Palackého Square and Jízdecká Street, will replace the Chamber Theater building on Prokopova Street, which is in a state of disrepair. According to Burian, the theater will increase the number of premieres from 16 to 22, and its activities will expand to include a studio stage. There are also plans to increase festivals and other events, which is expected to bring more foreign visitors.
     The theater construction also has its critics, not only among some Plzeň representatives. They point out the high price, the unsuitable location, and the project itself. "Plzeň is investing in a theater that is unable to fulfill even a hint of the European dimension it needs with its repertoire. Instead of investing in exhibition spaces and other areas for contemporary art, which are the only ones capable of attracting foreign cultural tourists," said Yvona Kreuzmannová, the former artistic leader of the Plzeň - EHMK 2015 project, who did not part ways with the new leadership on good terms. According to her, exhibition spaces for the West Bohemian Gallery would be much more important in Plzeň. "The exhibition program is the alpha and omega of the entire programmatic focus of EHMK," she added.
     "We spent almost two years selecting a location; we identified about eight, and this one seemed the best," Burian stated. The noise from the adjacent road has been resolved by the fact that the functional building of the theater will separate the main structure with the theater halls, creating a sound barrier. About 130 million CZK of the price is for the construction of facilities such as parking and network relocations. "The theater itself costs around 700 million CZK, of which about 200 million CZK is for technology," added Burian.
     "I am really looking forward to it. The current Chamber Theater is inadequate for us and for the audience. The elevation is poor, there is no air conditioning, it is hot in summer and cold in winter. There should also be a new club stage; club theater should get a boost, which is very good," said actor Martin Stránský from the Plzeň drama company to ČTK. According to him, the theater's four ensembles will finally have an adequate rehearsal environment.
     The conceptual design comes from a Portuguese architectural office, elaborated by the design office Helika. In the first quarter of this year, a selection process for the construction contractor was conducted, which was awarded to the construction company Hochtief. Six companies submitted bids ranging from 778 to 961 million CZK. The city will borrow 400 million CZK from the European Investment Bank, the EU will provide about 200 million CZK. The rest will come from the city budget.