The Reconstruction of the Thalia Orangery

Architect: Krisztián Vincze
Text: György Szegő
Photos: Tamás Bujnovszky

One of the most unique curiosities of the „Pest Broadway” is the building of Thália Theatre in which a minor theatre was now reborn named Thália Télikert (Orangery). During the large-scale reconstruction the direction of acting was turned by 90°. The new space was designed to integrate a unique mobile auditorium. Opened as one space, the stage and auditorium has turned into a spatial stage and the sphere of a homogenuous interior architecture. The old temporary office level was demolished and the staircase was repositioned to visually open up the new facade facing the street on the entire width of the building tract in the foyer towards the busy pavement of Nagymező Street. Our theatre buildings contained within historic monuments are simultaneously our historic gems and challenges making the service of contemporary requirements of the theatre quite difficult. This task can only be fulfilled with extraordinary efforts: in Europe Hungary is the country spending most money on culture (1,5% of its GDP). This requires cooperation between architects, specialist designers and managers of the theatres who also have huge responsibilities. The infrastructure of our theatres and our audiences are both winners in this situation as a result of cooperation.

Architect: Krisztián Vincze
Interiors: Andrea Tarján, Sándor Mezey
Structure: Ferenc Kamarás
HVAC: Gábor Pál, János Varga
Electrical engineering: Gábor Nagy
Weak current: Károly Borsányi
Glass textile: Andrea Hegedűs
Stage technology: Zsuzsanna Tompai
Lights: László Vértessy
Main contractor: Bástya Millennium Zrt.