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Tyl's Theatre Rakovník

Jiří Vopršal

alias People's House
history of the theatresupplementtechnical dataHistoric equipment

Important events

(detail)1886 | alteration
Probably in the 1870s, a tavern named By Golden Pike was established in the house N. 144 on the corner of Na Sekyře and Nádražní streets. The new owner J. Brettschneider added a hall to it in 1886, where balls took place and theatre was played. The building, occupying the present right wing along Nádražní street, was named Hotel Jerie according to its new owner.
(detail)1923 | opening
Since 1922, the house was in possession of the Social Democratic Party, which converted it into the People’s House. Local builder Antonín Vopršál and engineer's office of František Donát designed an extension of a new wing with a theatre hall in the first floor and a gym in the ground floor in July and carried it out until 1923 in the location of the restaurant garden; thus the building was expanded roughly into the present extent.
(detail)1925 | reconstruction design
Already in 1925, there appeared a plan of conversion of the hall, obviously used only a little, into a cinema. The unrealized project was designed that the orientation of the hall would have changed: a projection cabin should have been inserted into the rear part of hitherto stage and loge seats onto a gradually sloping floor.
(detail)1939 | alteration
A representative of the People’s House stated in 1937 at inspection, imposed by the district authority, that the theatre hall was not used and served for meetings and gymnastic purposes. One of the reasons could be an inadequate stage equipment. A project of modernization of the stage was elaborated again by Antonín Vopršál in 1939. A fly loft of the present extent was constructed above the existing low stage soon with a fly gallery and other technical equipment including a telescopic turntable.
(detail)1946 | alteration
An extensive reconstruction of the restaurant and background in the ground floor was carried out in 1946. Perhaps this is related to remarks of a reconstruction of the theatre, that was allegedly expensive, before 1948 – the theatre hall nor public space were most likely not changed in this period. The theatre had not been considerably affected as much as building concerns during the next 40 years and the building started to decay very quickly.
(detail)90. 's 20. century | alteration
The project for an overhaul of the theatre was elaborated in 1995 by Eva Horová from Prague atelier HOREA. Already in course of the works up to 1999, partial projects were being finalized solving especially the interior of the theatre hall. The reconstructed theatre was opened on 20th December of 1999; after a ceremony, the Rakovník theatre company Tyl played The Stubborn Woman by Josef Kajetán Tyl.

People

Eva Horová |architect

History

Probably in the 1870s, a tavern named By Golden Pike was established in the house N. 144 on the corner of Na Sekyře and Nádražní streets. The new owner J. Brettschneider added a hall to it in 1886, where balls took place and theatre was played. The building, occupying the present right wing along Nádražní street, was named Hotel Jerie according to its new owner. Since 1922, the house was in possession of the Social Democratic Party, which converted it into the People’s House. Local builder Antonín Vopršál and engineer's office of František  Donát designed an extension of a new wing with a theatre hall in the first floor and a gym in the ground floor in July and carried it out until 1923 in the location of the restaurant garden; thus the building was expanded roughly into the present extent. Already in 1925, there appeared a plan of conversion of the hall, obviously used only a little, into a cinema. The unrealized project was designed that the orientation of the hall would have changed: a projection cabin should have been inserted into the rear part of hitherto stage and loge seats onto a gradually sloping floor. 

The lower hall (gym) was converted into commercial space in 1932. This and other later adaptations of shops in the ground floor occurred  independently of theatre operation in the first floor; the character of the facade was often changed in dependence on them (exchanging of windows and doors, display windows and cladding etc.) and it is possible to observe its modification on preserved designs and photographs. A representative of the People’s House stated in 1937 at inspection, imposed by the district authority, that the theatre hall was  not used and served for meetings and gymnastic purposes. One of the reasons could be an inadequate stage equipment. A project of modernization of the stage was elaborated again by Antonín Vopršál  in 1939. A fly loft of the present extent was constructed above the existing low stage soon with a fly gallery and other technical equipment including a telescopic turntable. The People’s House was renamed to Tyl’s House in the same year. It is not clear, whether a sloping floor gradient of the hitherto flat auditorium was made already in this time, or it was executed later.

An extensive reconstruction of the restaurant and background in the ground floor was carried out in 1946. Perhaps this is related to remarks of a reconstruction of the theatre, that was allegedly expensive, before 1948 – the theatre hall nor public space were most likely not changed in this period.

The theatre had not been considerably affected as much as building concerns during the next 40 years (there is only a plan of unspecified modification of the orchestra pit parapet from 1964 in the building records’ sources) and the building started to decay very quickly. In 1979, a part of wall above the restaurant collapsed and the cultural centre even requested a survey of the critical condition  for the District Building Enterprise refused to carry the repair out without it.

New wiring was installed at least in 1984. First reconstruction plans of the dilapidated theatre appeared in 1986, however, they did not proceed further than to an order of a study of reconstruction by the District Project Institute Prague.  Only the facade was managed to be repaired in 1989–1990.

A building of a multi-purpose hall, interconnected with the theatre, was erected on the plot on the left from the theatre in 1990. After its completion, a new entrance to the theatre leads through here, because the old entrance and cloakrooms ceased to meet the requirements long time ago; the new hall uses the theatre background for actors up to the present day.

The project for an overhaul of the theatre was elaborated in 1995 by Eva Horová from Prague atelier HOREA. Already in course of the works up to 1999, partial projects were being finalized solving especially the interior of the theatre hall. In the course of preparatory works in 1997, preservation protection, proclaimed because of its role in the history of local labour movement. was revoked. The reconstruction affected most significantly the hall and public space apart of technical renovation of the entire structure. A new representative staircase to the first floor was inserted into the vestibule that was enlarged up to the street frontage. New elevation was given to the hall and a balcony was erected in the rear part above the cabin. The hitherto flat ceiling was removed and it was replaces by a new one, arched according to acoustical and visibility requirements and partially protuberant to the loft; the entire roof above the hall was concurrently elevated. The capacity of the auditorium increased from the original 188 to 244 seats. The theatre background was enlarged with a partial extension in the yard and newly built rooms in the attics. The reconstructed theatre was opened on 20th December of 1999; after a ceremony, the Rakovník theatre company Tyl played The Stubborn Woman by Josef Kajetán Tyl.

The culture centre on the left from the theatre was being reconstructed in 2006 and was open in the new appearance on 1st September. The existing hall was enlarged into Na Sekyře Street and its capacity was raised to roughly 650 seats. The interconnection of the culture centre and the theatre has remained.

Present state

The two storey building of the Tyl theatre stands in the corner of Na Sekyře and Nádražní streets, the entrance facade is oriented toward south. A building of the culture centre is adjoined to it from the left side.

The facade towards Na Sekyře Street is three bayed. The right wing is composed of the oldest part (originally a hotel), towards left, a central part with a vestibule is adjacent to it being protruded not until the last reconstruction into the frontage line, and the main wing with a theatre hall with a triple of big blinded windows in the first floor. Both the boundary wings are covered by a saddle roof with a hipped end.

The right wing continues into the depth of the plot along the Nádražní Street. The rear facade is hidden in a yard between other buildings.

The ground floor of the entire building is decorated by banded rustication, the flat facade in the first floor only with  “floating” hood moulding. The volume of the theatre hall was elevated by the last reconstruction, so there is another strip of flat plaster above the original crowning cornice. The entrance in the central part is glassed in the ground and first floor; a rounded balcony with iron railing protrudes into the street above the entrance in the ground floor.

The foyer is dominated by a wide staircase into the first floor. The other rooms of the ground floor are used as a restaurant, bar and shop apart of the vestibule and adjacent cash desk.

The staircase leads to the access area in the first floor, from where one can find partly an entrance into the foyer in the depth of the central wing and partly the balcony of the hall (through a staircase along the projection cabin) on one side and an entrance to a smoking room and parlour in the front part of the corner building on the other. The auditorium is entered from a foyer that is roughly square through left, cloak rooms and bar are located on the left, a big painting by Václava Zoubek is hanged on the front wall between doors to toilets and backstage.  

Steep elevation rises in the auditorium that has a rectangular plan almost up to the balcony, under which a projection cabin is located. The balcony above the cabin has a flat, dark-blue parapet with a distinctive row of  circular lights. The lower part of the auditorium walls has a panelling, that rises gradually, from coloured boards, the upper part of wall and ceiling is white. The acoustically shaped ceiling is composed of  hanging  plaster-boards; a lighting bridge is veiled in the front part of the auditorium above the transverse segment of the ceiling.

Two leaf doors from foyer are in the front part of the auditorium, the same doors at the opposite side lead  into the adjacent culture centre. The proscenium arch is black, unarticulated; wooden stairs on both the sides lead to the proscenium containing an orchestra pit.

The stage has all the technical equipment including a functional turntable, although rarely used. The Tyl’s  Theatre serves as a cinema as well and partially as a background for events in the adjacent culture centre. Theatre in Rakovník is played in the puppet theatre Before the Gate, that was reconstructed in 1973–1975 during the so called Action “Z”.  

Sources and literature:

–  Městský úřad Rakovník, spisovna, stavební spis domu čp. 144/II (Tylovo divadlo)

–  Alfred Javorin, Divadla a divadelní sály v českých zemích: I. Divadla, Praha 1949, s. 269–271

–  Ochotnické divadlo Rakovník 1812–1972, Rakovník 1972

–  Jiří Hilmera, Česká divadelní architektura, Praha 1999, s. 135

–  Rekonstrukce Tylova divadla v Rakovníku 1998–1999, Rakovník 2000

 

Tags: Interwar period

 

Author: Jiří Bláha

Translator: Jan Purkert

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