Kino Scala will be closed until 24 February for structural repairs. Photo credit: Brno City Municipality.
Brno, 17 Feb (BD) – Kino Scala and the Bolek Polívka Theatre are suspending operations until 24 February. The decision was taken on the recommendation of a structural engineer following a structural diagnostic survey of the building connected with the upcoming reconstruction of the Bolek Polívka Theatre.
As part of the preparation for the reconstruction of the theatre, the City of Brno has been carrying out a structural and technical survey of the premises in recent months, which also included the roof structure above the theatre’s auditorium and stage. During the static assessment, it became clear that the structure of the reinforced concrete trusses of the roof in this part of the building, i.e. above the halls of the theatre and the Scala cinema, is in unsatisfactory condition and that immediate measures must be taken to stabilise and reconstruct them.
Based on an assignment from the city, experts from the Faculty of Engineering at the Brno Technical University, together with a structural engineer, are now determining whether measures can be implemented that would allow both cultural facilities to remain open until the end of the current season.
“The tenants in this part of the building, i.e. the Bolek Polívka Theatre and Masaryk University, were informed about the situation and were advised to stop public traffic until measures are taken,” said Filip Poňuchálek, press spokesman for the Brno Municipality.
The two institutions responded immediately to the message from the city: “Masaryk University cannot accept the slightest risk of endangering health in the premises it uses, therefore it has decided to suspend the operation of the Scala University Cinema for the public until this matter is resolved by the owner of the building,” said university spokesman Radim Sajbot, adding that the university, which rents the building, is communicating with city officials about other options, especially the supervision of the technical condition of the building, so that a decision on how to proceed can be made as soon as possible.
Simona Kostrhunová, project director of the Bolek Polívka Theatre, also confirmed the immediate suspension of operations. “The Bolek Polívka Theater was informed of the experts’ conclusions about the technical condition of the building, and therefore it was decided to immediately suspend the operation of the theatre until 24 February. We sincerely hope that a solution can be found during this time. We thank the audience for their understanding and we believe that we will not lose their favour in this exceptional situation.”
The theatre will refund tickets for all cancelled performances. For tickets purchased online, the amount paid will be automatically credited back to the account. The theatre box office, which is not in the affected part of the building, remains in operation, where purchased tickets can be returned during box office hours.
The temporary suspension of operations will affect courses from the Masaryk University Faculty of Arts held in Kino Scala, as well as several planned public events including the marathon screening of all eight Harry Potter films, a Czech Police event for secondary school students, and children’s theatre performances, for which hundreds of tickets were sold combined. The Kino Scala Bar remains open, as these spaces are located in the part of the building that is not affected by the damage.
Tickets for all film screenings scheduled at the Scala University Cinema from February 16 to 24 will be automatically refunded if purchased online. If the ticket was purchased in person at the box office, customers should contact the cinema at pokladna@kinoscala.cz. The box office will also be open daily from 5pm to 9pm.
