In the Spirála theater in Prague, workers are finishing the construction part of the work

Prague - In the Spirála theater at the Exhibition Grounds in Prague's Bubenč, workers are finishing the construction phase of the renovation - completing plastering and flooring. The technical installation phase will follow. The theater team has already begun working on the dramaturgy. Tomáš Hübl, the chairman of the board of the city company Výstaviště Praha, which is responsible for the area, said this to ČTK. The theater is expected to open to the public in the fall. The Spirála building has been deteriorating since the floods in 2002, and the renovation, costing approximately 200 million crowns, began nearly three years ago.

"Most of the construction is done; now we are doing what can be described as finishing work," Hübl said. Workers are completing surfaces, coatings, and plastering inside the building. The dressing rooms, facilities, bars, and other spaces are being equipped. Before the summer, or at the latest during the summer, technologies will begin to be installed in the theater, specifically sound and projection technology and other theatrical equipment. "But all of that will come only after the construction is completed," Hübl said.

The renovated Spirála will retain unique structures, including a spiral ramp and a dome made of metal pipes. Additionally, the theater will feature stage, sound, and lighting technology, as well as a smaller hall for 250 to 300 people for hosting more intimate concerts. The capacity of the main hall will be 750 spectators, which is 100 more than the original capacity.

The operation and dramaturgy of Spirála will be managed by Výstaviště Praha. The program is planned to be presented in April. The new Spirála will welcome its first audience this fall. A team has already been assembled at the exhibition grounds to prepare the dramaturgy. "The team is already working now and has started preparing it; there are commercial staff, producers, and during the summer, technicians will begin to join," Hübl added.

The Spirála theater was created in 1991 by converting the former Panoramic Theater. The cylindrical Panoramic Theater was covered in 1960 with a tubular steel dome, designed by Ferdinand Lederer, which is a scaled-down version of the pavilion Z roofing at the exhibition grounds in Brno. The structure of the dome was preserved during the renovation in 1991 as a technical and cultural monument. The architects of the 1991 renovation are Jindřich Smetana, Jan Louda, Tomáš Kulík, and Zbyšek Stýblo.