New theatre again

I went to the ballet Warhol at the new national theatre last night and saw the interior of the theatre complex for the first time. It opened just last April after 21 years of funding and construction delays. It is magnificant -- elegant, welcoming, and very classy.

This is the main entrance lobby, gleaming with marble, glass, and understated greenery. There are three theatres in the complex: one for Drama, with 635 seats; one for Opera and Ballet, with 901 seats; and a Studio with 149 seats.

Here's a view of one of the staircases leading up to bar/cafe areas and seating outside the theatres, with skylights overhead.

I took this on the promenade outside the balcony level, looking down onto the main lobby.

This marble installation in the main lobby is elegantly presented as a work of art in itself, but I couldn't find any attribution for the artist.

The seating design gives almost everybody great sightlines, with ample space between rows. With only 901 seats, this is a small house, compared to the Opera House at the Kennedy Center, e.g., which seats almost 2000 and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, which seats almost 3000.

NOTE: Click on any image in this blog to see it full-size.

New theatre

Today I went over to see the new Theatre complex by the Danube just east of the Old Town area. Some of the ballets I am seeing next month are performed here, so I wanted to check out the bus routes. One line runs from two blocks from my flat to within one block of the complex -- perfect!

The complex has several theatres. The front facing the river has a mirror-like quality that reflects some of the many construction cranes nearby. Construction on the theatres began in 1986, while the Communists were still in charge, but it took 21 years to complete, due mainly to a lack of funding. It finally opened on April 14, 2007.

The back of the complex houses offices and rehearsal halls. The silver dome protects an outdoor spiral staircase leading to the lower level. The parking garage is underground below the complex.

A sprawling construction site surrounds the theatre complex by the river and to the west. This will be the new Eurovea complex with shops, offices, and housing, built by the Irish development company, Ballymore. The complex will include a 5-star Sheraton Hotel.

Southeast of the theatre plaza is the Apollo Bridge, opened in 2005. The Theatre complex is located on the site of the Nazi Apollo gas refinery, obliterated by U.S. bombers in September 1944. Soviet ground troups from the east defeated the Nazis here in April 1945.

The web site for the new Theatre is here: http://www.snd.sk/?home

NOTE: Click on any image in this blog to see it full-size.