Ústí nad Labem gradually became the centre of the chemical industry in the second half of the 19th century. The town grew rapidly with the social demands of the growing and prospering inhabitants beginning to gradually increase. The town council decided to construct a town theatre at the end of the 19th century.
The theatre in Ústí nad Labem /Aussig was built 1908/09 according to plans of architect Alexander Graf in Neo-Baroque style with elements of Art Nouveau. The auditorium has a capacity of 878 seats. The theatre was opened on 27 Sept 1909 with a play by Franz Grillparzer, nowadays they are focused on opera/musical theatre and ballet.
It's a typical theatre building with impressive, ornate rooms, beginning with the nice lobby over festive rooms for intermission to the lavishly decorated auditorium, rich stucco and woodcarving works, caryatids supporting vaults and balconies, gildings and paintings everywhere.
Website of the North Bohemian Opera and Ballet Theatre Ústí nad Labem is www.operabalet.cz
Ballet of the North Bohemian Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Ballet history in Ústí nad Labem reaches back to the early 20th century, yet it is only after World War II that the town saw the founding of a Czech ballet ensemble. In the late 1950s, Pavel Šmok presented his early works in Ústí nad Labem. Later, in the 1980s, Hana Machová imprinted her artistic signature in the creation of the ensemble. After 1989, the ensemble underwent a crucial transformation: among other things, it was joined by many well-trained dancers from Russia and Ukraine. In mid 1990s, during the controversial era of Ondřej Šoth, Czech dancers made for less than 10% of the ensemble.
In 2000, Vladimír Nečas became artistic director of the ballet: since then, the ensemble gained critical acclaim around the country several times.
One of the highlights of last years was its production Cikánské koření / kořeny, loosely inspired by the story of Romeo and Juliet. The notoriously known history was staged as a conflict between Romani culture and a skinhead gang: the piece thus perfectly correlated with the North Bohemian atmosphere of Romani ghettoes and the rising of local nationalism. The production, choreographed by Dana Dinková and Jaroslav Moravčík, with temperament music by Goran Bregovic, was awarded the best collective performance prize. Likewise, the star of the ensemble and the protagonist of the leading role, Vladimir Gončarov, was awarded Thálie Prize - a prestigious prize for the best dancer of the Czech Republic. The ensemble currently has around twenty members.
Orchestra of the North Bohemian Opera and Ballet Theatre.
