Tour of the building
While from the outside, the New Stage building seems all hermetic, wrapped in greenish pieces of glass, the inside brings a surprise with its original layout and ambitious artistic aspect. The authors of the interior design are Karel Prager in collaboration with the artists Martin Sladký, Zorka Smetanová, Pavel Hlava, Jaroslav Šturs and František Vízner.
Foyer
The glassed-in foyer has two entrances: from the National Avenue and from the theatre’s piazzetta. The information center including the ticket office of the New Stage is set here (open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm, or to the beginning of the show on show days; it opens an hour later on weekends). You can buy tickets to all performances of the New Stage at the information center, as well as programs, various publications or posters of shows that are part of the New Stage’s repertoire. The staff at the information center speaks English and information about the Laterna magika’s performances are also available in other languages.
The New Stage is accessible for disabled visitors, it is wheelchair accessible. The accessibility from the foyer to the rest of the building of the New Stage is insured by two elevators. Accessible toilets are located on the 4th floor. We recommend that you contact the information center in advance in order to reserve accessible seats in the auditorium and to insure the assistance of the staff.
The foyer – which mainly consists of a structure involving stone and pavement facing – leads the visitor to a spreading circular staircase, faced with highly polished green stones. A luminous artifact created by Pavel Hlava and Jaroslav Štursa rises up the central part of the stairway. This original light is made of a chromium structure on which over one thousand crystal prisms are attached.
Mezzanine
The small semi-circular landing is used as an exhibition area.
3rd floor
The foyer on the third floor has a lowered waffle ceiling with inbuilt lights and the glassed walls on both sides of the room open on the outside. The two sculptures set on the central pillars – the Art of joy and the Art of battle by sculptor Jan Simota – remind us that when the building was constructed in the early 1980’s, propaganda was greatly present due to political reasons.
This floor contains the theatre’s café and the cloakroom. The Café NONA is open all day long (from 9am to midnight on week days, and from 11am to midnight on weekends and holidays). Apart from its regular service as a coffeehouse, the café also works as a reading room with books from the literary contest Magnesia Litera. It occasionally holds literary events connected to it. There is a free wifi internet connection at the café.
The cloakroom is a service offered to the spectators, it opens one hour before the beginning of the show and closes half an hour after its end. The service is free, it cannot be used to store money, jewelry or other valuables.
The open area behind the staircase includes the toilets, the elevators, and a quiet area with a view on the Ursula garden; the area includes a public phone.
4th floor
The main foyer on the 4th floor has a high embossed ceiling. The room is completely glassed-in on both sides and offers a view on the National Avenue, the Ursula garden and the piazzetta, making the place seem much more spacious. The luminous sculpture towers over the room and spreads out into the open in beams of light. The foyer also exhibits the painting Czech Countryside by František Jiroudek.
The main foyer is occasionally used to hold drama plays, readings and press conferences. The mobile auditorium holds 70 seats.
A snack counter is available to the spectators before the shows and during intervals. Toilets are once again located near the elevators. Accessible toilets are located by the left entrance to the auditorium.
The theatre hall
The theatre hall itself is arranged in a different spirit: the sober blue-grey colors contrast soothingly against the brightly colored foyer, giving the hall an intimate atmosphere. The walls are covered with a neutral latticework and the ceiling, or more precisely the overhead, is composed of tube-shaped elements which height can be varied, and which hide the technical and lighting devices. Two aisles divide the auditorium into three blocks (the central part and the lateral parts), the hall seats 397 spectators. The upper part of the auditorium holds seats reserved for spectators on wheelchairs. The hall is air-conditioned.
It isn’t allowed to carry food or beverages inside the hall, it is forbidden to take pictures and to make video and audio recordings during the performances. We ask spectators to come to the shows on time, as for some performances, they won’t be able to be seated once the show has started.
