Theater in Vinohrady

The idea of ​​creating a theater in one of the oldest districts of Prague, the Royal Vinohrady, has been discussed since the end of the 19th century. In the competition for the design of the theater building, architect won, and from 1905 to 1907, under the leadership of Jan Majere and Josef Vesely, a three-storey building was erected near the Church of St. Lyudmila . Allegorical statues of winged angels by , symbolizing Bravery (angel with a sword) and Truth (angel with a mirror), were installed on its facade above the main entrance. The balustrades of the second and third floors were decorated with sculptures and antique columns .

The premiere performance staged at the Royal Vinohrady theater and shown to the public on November 24, 1907 was Yaroslav Vrchlitsky 's play “Godiva”. During the first 12 years of its existence, the audience here presented both opera and drama productions, but later the opera troupe led by Otakar Ostchil left the theater, and its repertoire left only dramatic direction with artistic director Yaroslav Kvapil . In the period from 1921 to 1925, the famous Czech playwright Karel Čapek worked as head of the literary section in the theater.

Since 1922, the theater building was taken over by the mayor of Prague and in October 1923 it was renamed the Vinohrady theater. In the first years of the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis and the creation of a protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia on its territory, the theater was closed, and the Germans had a cinema in its building. During the war years , the troupe under the direction of Frantisek Gotz was forced to perform in the musical theater in Karlin and only after its completion returned to her native stage.

Since 1950, the leadership of the theater passed to the . Until the mid-60s, he bore the name of the Central Theater of the Czechoslovak Army, and his repertoire for the most part included propaganda of socialist realism . The theater returned its original name under director . Since that time, it has again become possible for artists to stage classical and contemporary dramas.

Nowadays, the theater in Vinohrady is one of the main centers of cultural life in the Czech Republic, and its repertoire includes productions of works by Shakespeare , Ibsen , Ostrovsky , Chekhov , Dostoevsky , Kohout and other famous playwrights. The main hall has a capacity of 767 seats, a small one holds up to 60 spectators. Like many years ago, famous Czech actors and directors work here, as well as touring theaters from Russia , Europe and America .

• Official site (Czech) .
• Theater in Vinohrady on the Theater Architecture website (Czech) .