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Flóra

history of the theatresupplementtechnical dataHistoric equipment

Important events

(detail)1907 | construction

(detail)1914 | Alteration

(detail)1974 | Alteration

History

Original name: Dekorationsdepot K. D. Landestheaters, Prag

Original purpose: probably gendarmerie barracks and scenery depots of the Royal Provincial German Theatre

Address: Vinohradská 117/1535, Praha 3

Date of construction: 1892–1914

Reconstruction: 1914: extension of the Royal Provincial German Theatre set pieces depots, 1974: conversion to National Theatre studios and workshops

Date of reconstruction: 1914, 1974

Current use: National Theatre studios and workshops

 

The structure built in 1907 on Vinohradská street 107 (at Flóra) that had most likely served as gendarmerie barracks was extended around 1914 to become the Royal Provincial German Theatre set pieces depots. In 1935, the building was acquired by the National Theatre to be used as set pieces storage premises. When the theatre’s workshops in Apolinářská Street were bombed out, a decision was made to compete the construction of Flóra spaces so that the paint shop and scenic shops could be moved over there. Completed in 1974, it became a self-contained complex of four interconnected buildings with two driveways to let trucks in. The courtyard in the middle allows for temporary parking.

 

The building is home to paint shops, carpenter, upholstery and thermoforming shops, but also a scenography drawing room, costume design shops, dressmaking shops, hair-pin production shop, photographic studio, some of the theatre’s admin offices, and several employee apartments. The concept of how the Flóra shops should be utilised is closely associated with the theatre’s chief scenic designer Josef Svoboda who campaigned for all artistic and artisan theatre professions to be concentrated in a single building, including drawing rooms for scenographers. The large paint shop space originally had a walkway built inside making it possible to view the canvas in the painting process from above. Later on, the walkway was removed to make space for an inbuilt floor for yet another paint shop. The building was gradually re-built according to long-term vision of Josef Svoboda who wanted the theatre sceneries to be produced in a single location where all theatre professions would be working together at one place. This is where scenic designs were to be produced and handed over, dummy set pieces and costume prototypes produced, and set pieces first tried out in the assembly hall prior to the first-night. A new locksmith shop, auxiliary depots for scenery production, dressmaking shops and rehearsal stages were established at Flóra in 1982. The latest production modernizing project was carried out in 1994. The old paint shop space was converted to a carpenter shop, dispatch depot, warehouses, and a compressor room. A new freight lift (8 m) was built for set pieces transportation purposes and the existing upholstery shop and the paint shop were moved out onto two different floors.

 

The National Theatre studios and workshops produce sceneries for the National Theatre, The Estates Theatre, and the Kolowrat theatre. They are capable of manufacturing sceneries for as many as 18-20 stage productions per year. Long-term storage facilities are located in Čakovice.

 

 

 

 

Author: Marcela Steinbachová

Translator: Jiří Pilucha

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