Wasn’t this place once a bustling hub of laughter and tears? Divadlo Na Fidlovačce stands before us a testament to resilience. Its story begins not with brick and mortar but with a spring festival. The Fidlovačka a 19th-century celebration honoring a tool used by Prague’s shoemakers. This merrymaking took place on the Růžek meadow in Nusle. As the city grew buildings replaced the meadow. In 1902 however a park designed by Karel Skalický emerged. This green space caught the eye of Stanislav Langer an actor and director. He yearned for his own theater. After failed attempts to rent existing spaces Langer took a bold step. In 1921 using his inheritance he built Divadlo Na Fidlovačce.
This was a significant achievement. It was the first theater built in independent Czechoslovakia. Langer naturally became its first director. Architects J Dneboský and A Zima designed the initial wooden structure. Construction began in April 1921 and was completed seven months later. The theater boasted 800 seats initially named Tylovo divadlo.
The grand opening took place on November 5th and 6th 1921. Langer originally planned for an October 28th opening coinciding with the anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s founding. However the building inspection delayed the opening. Two plays by J K Tyl were chosen for the event. The first night featured the drama Drahomíra and her Sons. The second day offered a local farce called Fidlovačka.
Initially the theater enjoyed immense popularity. This initial enthusiasm faded. To maintain audiences lighter fare like operettas and farces were added to the repertoire. In 1923 the theater shifted to primarily staging operettas. Langer left in 1925. Many directors followed him over the next two decades. The stage hosted stars of the era including Ferenc Futurista Jára Kohout Ljuba Hermannová Theodor Pištěk and Zita Kabátová.
Throughout the years Divadlo Na Fidlovačce underwent several transformations including changes in name and structure. In the 1930s some wooden parts were replaced with stone. Further construction occurred in the late 1930s. For eight months in 1944 the theater operated under the name Divadlo Pod Vyšehradem before the Nazi occupation shut down all theaters.
From 1948 to 1963 it was once again known as Divadlo Na Fidlovačce. Then it merged with the Karlín Musical Theater becoming the Nusle Musical Theater. It closed its doors in 1978. The official reason was cited as inadequate electrical wiring. However the reality was more complex. The rise of small alternative theaters during the communist era posed a challenge. The authorities lacked control so these small venues were closed.
For years Divadlo Na Fidlovačce stood abandoned. Its interior was ravaged. The building decayed. Then in the 1990s actress Eliška Balzerová and her colleague Tomáš Töpfer had a remarkable idea. They established the Fidlovačka Foundation. Their goal was to restore the theater. Through benefit performances and donations including a substantial gift from the famous violinist Tomáš Baťa.
The meticulously renovated Divadlo Na Fidlovačce reopened on October 28th 1998. The reopening production was Tyl’s Fidlovačka. A remarkable aspect of the fundraising was a donation from Mr Bursík a blind man who never saw a performance at the Nusle stage. The restoration itself was led by Miroslav Melena an experienced stage designer. The original wooden arena was carefully restored. The auditorium foyer and other areas were also completely redesigned.
The audience capacity stands at 480 seats. It retains the old charm of the original Czech wooden theater stage. Tomáš Töpfer served as director until 2012. Eliška Balzerová then took over for four years. The theater faced another crisis when Prague’s grant commission refused to fund it in 2015. Then two entrepreneurs Jan Kořátko and Jan Beneš stepped in to save this beloved theater. Jan Beneš later left the position of CEO. Ing Josef Jaroš now leads Divadlo Na Fidlovačce alongside Jan Kořátko. The theater continues its legacy of artistic expression.