Pištěk's Arena Theatre
alias Vinohrady Singspiel, Vinohrady OperaVinohrady | |
show on the map |
Important events
People
History
The Arena Theatre in Kravín was purchased from the owner of the plot dr. Weinert in 1877 by Jan Pištěk (1874–1907), a tenor in a theatre company of former owner J. E. Samuel, who acquired a licence to establish his own theatrical company in the same year. Because of the fact that he gained a considerable fortune due to the marriage with Marie Votýpková, he had enough financial means at his disposal for theatrical enterprise. Apart of the arena theatre, he hired the Town Theatre in Pilsen for the season of 1877–1878 as well. He restored the dilapidated theatre and started to play there at the beginning of 1878. Despite numerous repairs, the building was decaying up to the point, when a balcony collapsed in 1881 due to a rotten beam and three people were injured; theatre attendance declined considerably after this accident. Pištěk decided to torn down the theatre and to construct a new unroofed theatre in the very same location already in 1882 that was named the Summer Theatre in Royal Vinohrady. The construction was carried out by master carpenter Antonín Kutina from Prague. After ten years, this theatre had to make way to a building boom that occurred in Vinohrady by the end of the 19th century. The plot owner wanted to build as well, for that Pištěk could not make any compromise with him. Pištěk torn down the theatre in February of 1893 and used a part of the material (carcass) for construction of a new theatre – Pištěk’s.
He built the new arena theatre in Slezská Street in Vinohrady in 1893: “The new Pištěk’s summer theatre in Vinohrady is about to be completed . […] The new theatre is built in the size of the old one, but is decorated by verandas around and a massive tower portal.“ The theatre, which was built by master carpenter Kubeš, was partially built from the material of the old theatre, but it differed in the general layout and appearance. It did not have a roof, the auditorium was 21,5 m wide and 21 m deep, with a capacity of 1800 spectators. Two towers stood on the sides of the entrance. Electricity was used for lightning.
The theatre was opened on 30th April of 1893 by a play Prague is Prague by O. Blumenthal. Pištěk had the arena be provisionally roofed in 1899 for the possibility of playing in the winter, a year later carpenter Matěj Bílek carried out the final roof and Pištěk installed steam heating. The entrance part of the theatre was composed of a rectangular area, framed by high towers. From here, one entered into a semi-circular closed auditorium, on which a rectangular stage was adjoined being roofed by a saddle roof. The sides of the auditorium were adjoined from outside to ground floor rooms with a lean roof – a background for the ensemble and a store room of materials and scenery. The planning authority permitted an extension of a covered veranda with a room for an orchestra in the garden to Pištěk in 1901. After Jan Pištěk had died in 1907, the ownership of the theatre passed to his wife Marie Pištěková. In 1912, the local planning authority issued an enforcement notice requiring M. Pištěková to demolish
a part of the veranda in the width of 1,6 m standing actually on the neighbouring plot. After the First World War had broken out, M. Pištěková let the theatre to Stanislav Langr, who had to enlist to the army soon, and the owner closed the theatre in 1915. The unemployed actors formed a company, hired the theatre and played under direction of Adolfa Karlovský here until 1920. Afterwards the theatre was let to the Cooperative of the City Theatre in Royal Vinohrady that wanted to employ here its opera ensemble after the reconstruction would have been done. This was averted by a strike in the theatre, after which the opera ensemble became independent and established a company named Popular Singspiel and hired the Pištěk’s Theatre in 1920 renaming it Vinohrady Singspiel.
The theatre was being reconstructed in 1921 and 1924 and a temporary office building and tailors workshops were built up to it. Soubrette Marie Skřivanová-Křečková with her husband became a new owner of the theatre and they reconstructed the building again according to the design by builder Bohumil Libánský.
The theatre had 672 seats in 1926 and could accommodate 1250 spectators ( this quota was often exceeded). The building committee stated in 1932 that the theatre was very shabby and the structural stability was reduced. The compulsory consistent reconstruction of the theatre could not be financed nor by the owner nor by the company. Mrs. Pištěková then decided to remove the building in May 1932 and it was demolished in October 1932. Its location was filled with three blocks of flats that completed a missing part of block of houses.
Literature:
– Alfred Javorin, Pražské arény: Lidová divadla pražská v minulém století, Praha 1958, s. 90–101, 245–250 a 213–217
Tags: Austria-Hungary, extinct theatre
Author: Markéta Svobodová
Markéta Svobodová:
DISK - Theatre of the Theatre Faculty of the AMU in Prague, Theatre on the Balustrade, Rokoko Theatre, Pištěk's Arena Theatre, Roškot Theatre, Hybernia Theatre, RockOpera Praha, Uranie Theatre, Karlín Musical Theatre, ABC Theatre, Theatre in Řeznická, Comedy Theatre, Image Theatre, Theatre Na Fidlovačce, The Drama Club, The unrealized design of the Liberated Theatre in Prague (1926-1927), By Firemen Theatre, Beskydy Theatre Nový Jičín, Smíchov Arena Theatre, New Town Theatre, Competition for the Realistic Theatre of Zdeňek Nejedlý in Prague, Arena theatres in Prague, A studio Rubín, All Colours Theatre, Pidivadlo, Radar Theatre, Na rejdišti Theatre, Viola Theatre, The Small Venue, Radek Brzobohatý's Theatre, Na Orlí Theatre, Theatre hall in the building of the Women’s Homes, Continuo Theatre - Švestkový dvůr, Klub MlejnTranslator: Jan Purkert
Jan Purkert:
Vienna State Opera, Theatre of Bolek Polívka, City Theatre of J.K. Tyl, Kolowrat Theatre, Theatre of Puppets Ostrava, Minor Theatre, Theatre on the Balustrade, Rokoko Theatre, Highland Theatre, South Bohemian Theatre, Jirásek's Theatre Česká Lípa, Chamber Theatre Plzeň, Chamber Venue Aréna, Minor Theatre Liberec, Town Theatre Český Krumlov, Palace Theatre in Nové Hrady, Municipal Theatre Mladá Boleslav, Naive Theatre Liberec, Silesian Theatre Opava, West Bohemia Theatre in Cheb, Karel Pippich Theatre, House of Culture and Trade Unions (DKO), City Theatre Kolín, Tyl's Theatre Lomnice nad Popelkou, Spa Theatre Luhačovice, A. Dvořák Theatre Příbram / The House of Culture, Oskar Nedbal Theatre Tábor, Masaryk's House of Culture (MKD), Hálek Town Theatre Nymburk, Pištěk's Arena Theatre, Dr. Josef Čížek Town Theatre Náchod, Theatre of Music Olomouc, Polish House, East Bohemia Theatre Pardubice, Lubomír Lipský Theatre, Fráňa Šrámek Theatre Písek, Kolár's Theatre, Municipal Theatre Turnov, Alois Jirásek Theatre, Town Theatre Znojmo, Town Theatre Žďár nad Sázavou, Town Theatre Železný Brod, Jirásek Theatre Hronov, Municipal Theatre in Broumov, J. K. Tyl`s Theatre, Dusík Theatre Čáslav, Palace Theatre in Český Krumlov, Revolving Auditorium in Český Krumlov, Theatre in the Wallenstein Palace Garden, Chamber Theatre Prague, RockOpera Praha, Uranie Theatre, Provisional Theatre, Spirála Theatre, Hanka‘s House, Božena Němcová Theatre, Na Veveří Theatre, Ta Fantastika (Black Light Theatre), Theatre in Řeznická, Palace Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Broadway Theatre, Studio Two, Image Theatre, Diviš Theatre, Architectural competition for the design of the Czech national Theatre in Brno, 1910-1913, Flat Theatre of Vlasta Chramostová, Alfa Theatre, Pardubice Competition 1961-1962, Archa Theatre, The Drama Club, Ypsilon Studio, Competition for a new Czech theatre in Prague, 1922, Cinema the World, City Theatre Chomutov, Cinema the Czech Paradise, Na Slupi Theatre, The unrealized design of the Liberated Theatre in Prague (1926-1927), Puppet Theatre in Louny, Smetana House, Vrchlický Theatre, Theatre of Petr Bezruč, House of Culture Ostrava, German House, Culture House Ostrov, By Firemen Theatre, Soběslav Culture House, Tyl's Theatre Rakovník, Municipal House of Culture Sokolov, Drama Studio, Palace Theatre in Valtice, Beskydy Theatre Nový Jičín, Palace Theatre in Žleby, Na Kovárně Theatre, Theatre in the House of Catholic Journeymen in Ostrava, Smíchov Arena Theatre, Theatres and theatre projects by Joan Brehms, Theatre Behind the Fence, City Theatre in Mnichovo Hradiště, Revolving auditorium Týn nad Vltavou, Musical Theatre Hodolany, A. V. Šembera's Theatre, Chrudim Theatre, New Town Theatre, Competition for the Realistic Theatre of Zdeňek Nejedlý in Prague, Minor stage Zlín, Arena theatres in Prague, Provisional Theatre, Palace Theatre in Měšice, A studio Rubín, All Colours Theatre, Pidivadlo, Radar Theatre, Na rejdišti Theatre, Viola Theatre, The Small Venue, Town Theatre, Kotzen Theatre, Old Drapers‘ Theatre, Radek Brzobohatý's Theatre, German House, Na Orlí Theatre, Quite a Great Theatre, Passage Theatre, Czech Theatre at the Lower Side in the Kajetán House, New Czech Theatre in the Růžová Street, Theatre hall in the building of the Women’s Homes, Continuo Theatre - Švestkový dvůr, Klub Mlejn, Comoedien-Haus, Town Theatre, Palace Theatre Duchcov, Comoedien-Haus, Palace Theatre in Teplice, Theatre in the Thun Palace, Municipal TheatreAdditional information
No information has yet been entered
Add information