<divadlo loutek ostrava opened a new five-story extension</div>

Ostrava - Thirty to eighty spectators can fit into the auditorium in the extension that the Puppet Theatre Ostrava opened today. The auditorium in this unusual building can be transformed and expanded in various ways, for example, with an outdoor amphitheater that can be covered if necessary. Director Jarmila Hájková said today that the theatre will primarily use the alternative stage for interactive performances for small children, as well as for workshops and creative activities.
    The construction of the building took seven months, cost nearly 70 million crowns, and was mainly funded by the European Union. "The extension is architecturally exceptional and evokes dual emotions. Some people like it without reservation, while another group rejects this type of architecture. But I think there are more people who like the building, and what will be more important is what we fill it with," said Hájková.
    In the five-story building, two of which are below ground level, besides the theatre hall, there is a deposit, facilities for actors and administration, and a café with a starry sky on the ceiling and a gallery of puppets. The façade of the building is adorned with an astronomical clock that people can see in action every two hours. The extension is the work of a team of architects including Petr Hájek, Gabriela Minářová, and Bronislav Stratila, with the first two also being responsible for the original theatre building from 1999.
    Director Hájková stated that seven new employees will gradually be added to the theatre. These include actors, technicians, and special educators, as the theatre is also dedicated to working with children with disabilities. "We have been working with disabled children for a long time in our proven project Therapy with Puppets," the theatre director stated.
    The Puppet Theatre Ostrava performs about 500 shows annually in the main hall, and there should be about 200 performances in the alternative hall each year. Each year, around 80,000 spectators from across the Moravian-Silesian region, including from Vsetín, visit the theatre's performances.
    For today's festive opening of the new building, the theatre also prepared a new premiere, an interactive fairy tale for children aged three and up titled The Fairy Smaller than a Grain of Poppy. The play is written by Martin Geišberg, and it stars Lenka Sedláčková and Karel Růžička. The theatre also organized several attractions for children today, including a light show and street fire theatre.