Searching the Theatrical Architecture of the Future in the Projects of Lviv Architecture School

Abstract

It would seem that at the beginning of the 21st century everything what had been predicted by the leading researchers of Lviv architecture school in the field of theatrical architecture was supposed to be implemented in Lviv as well as in the whole Ukraine. V. Proskuryakov, Yu. Bohdanova, B. Goy, I. Gumennyk, S. Ivanov-Kostetskyi, Z. Klymko, I. Kopylyak, R. Kubai, Yu. Filipchuk, K. Yanchuk and others. A whole series of the buildings has been designed; there were traditional theatrical buildings based on the prototypes as well as the projects of adjusting already existing historical spaces with the purpose of performing activity, moreover, modern views on the graphic solutions to cultural and entertainment institutions with traditional scenography were suggested. Among them, there are city halls, community halls, and landscape theatres, theatrical halls in club buildings, experimental theatres and studios. The designing activity was done in a historical, modern and futuristic style and was directed at arranging the environment for constructing theatrical space, developing mobile theatres in landscape environment, relocatable, detachable, touring and studio theatres. Everything what has been tested in Lviv during the last 17 years in experimental, competition and applied designing can be grouped based on five main directions: 1. Designing performed on the existing buildings. Among the most interesting ones, it is worth mentioning the designing of the concept of space arrangement in the assembly hall of the former research institute of radio-electric equipment for theatrically-performing needs of a leisure centre “Mi100” in Lviv and the project of renovating the assembly hall of the 1st building at Lviv Polytechnic National University with extending its theatrical function. As a part of the measures towards historical reconstruction, the projects of theatrical equipment in the defensive buildings of Lviv and Lutsk have been suggested. 2. Direction has been created by the theatre projects for rock concerts and exhibitions which were designed in the natural landscapes. 3. Direction should include the experiments with theatres-studios. For example, the design of a new television studio “Tonis” in Kyiv is arranged in a way of a modern analogue of a historical main stage. 4. One should include designing theatrical buildings for national communities: a theatre for the Jewish community and working out the concept of the project of a Polish theatre in Lviv. 5. One - conceptual design which has grown from the ideas of a worldwide-known architect and scenographer F. Kiesler and a stage artist Ye. Lysyk, which have been implemented into the projects of the theatres of kinetic projections and scenographic solutions to the pavilions at Prague Quadrennials. It seems that the mentioned above ideas and particular projects are not very much different from the ideas which were being generated by the school on the verge of the 20th and the 21st centuries, however, it only seems like that at first glance. During the recent years, the artistic palette of the theatrical activity has hardly noticeably been revived in Ukraine which has been reflected positively on the quality and genre variety of works of Lviv architecture school.