This is the Plus3Architekci sp. z.o.o. team's next approach to projects where, in addition to space, acoustics matter. The construction of the building of the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz is not over yet, and the realization of another of their projects - a new stage for the Wanda Siemaszkowa Theater - is already approaching. In this case, in addition to functionality and good sound characteristics, the relationship that the new building will establish with its surroundings will also count. And this is no accident. How do the plus3 architects intend to deal with this?
The Wanda Siemaszkowa Theater in Rzeszow is an institution with a long tradition. Its history began in 1944, when the National Theater was established in the eclectic building of the Sokol Gymnastic Society, already after the end of the German occupation period. The helm at Rzeszow's first dramatic theater was quickly taken over by its current patron, Wanda Siemaszkowa. It is to her that the institution owes its strong start at the very beginning of its operations - an experienced actress(she played, among other roles, the Bride in the first production of Stanislaw Wyspianski's "The Wedding") and director (before the outbreak of war she managed the Municipal Theater in Bydgoszcz and the Popular Theater in Poznan), she engaged the theater's rising stars, Kazimierz Dejmek and Adam Hanuszkiewicz.
Stanisław Wyspiański, Portrait of Wanda Siemaszkowa as the Bride
Photo: Michal Bulsa © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons + © public domain
After her death in 1947, the theater did not slow down - today it is the most important institution of its kind in the city, serving up to 70,000 spectators each year. Although in the meantime the so-called Z. Kozien Small Stage, located in the former home of the Holz family, began to operate, the current infrastructure no longer met the needs of the theater and residents. The idea to build an additional stage quickly emerged, and it didn't take long to get the funds either - on December 30, 2024, the anniversary of Wanda Siemaszkowa's birth, an agreement was signed for a grant of PLN 85.4 million for the construction of a new stage for the Rzeszow theater. The Warsaw-based plus3 architects studio was responsible for the project, which at the time was already largely complete. How did it fulfill its task?
New Stage of the Wanda Siemaszkowa Theater - situation
proj.: Plus3 Architects
boldly among the monuments
The location where the new stage for the Rzeszow theater will be built is undoubtedly prestigious, but also difficult. This is because the building is to be constructed on the outskirts of the Old Town, with an entrance from Lukasz Cieplinski Avenue, on a plot located at the rear of the main theater building. Despite the proximity of historical buildings, including the Art Nouveau County Council building (designed by Tadeusz Stryjeński), which now houses a branch of the Provincial Library, the design team decided to rely on modern forms:
We consciously set a contrast. The modern form and material, i.e. prefabricated concrete elements with a characteristic texture, juxtaposed with historical buildings, are meant to emphasize each other's features
- says Katarzyna Glazewska, co-founder of plus3 architekci studio.
Despite the aforementioned contrast, the expression of the building should not significantly disturb the historic character of the immediate surroundings. This is mainly due to the specifics of the location - the building will be visible primarily from the side of Łukasz Ciepliński Avenue, from where both the southern elevation of the Art Nouveau edifice of the Provincial Library and the mighty glass block of Galeria Rzeszów are visible. As for the closer surroundings, a small square separates the New Stage from the already mentioned Art Nouveau building of Tadeusz Stryjeński. On the other hand, from Sokola Street, leading to the center of the Old Town, the new stages of the Wanda Siemaszkowa Theater will be obscured by a compact historical frontage.
New Stage of the Wanda Siemaszkowa Theater - View from Cieplińskiego Avenue
design: Plus3 Architects
around the green monuments
The design by plus3 architects envisages the erection of two volumes - a larger one to house the main building of the institution along with two theater stages, and an auxiliary one to serve as a decoration warehouse. Both buildings are sculpted, geometric blocks, parcelled out in the space of an irregularly shaped plot. The division into two volumes, and the way they are arranged within the plot, is the result of several factors, the most important of which may have been a desire to spare the existing greenery that currently overgrows the site.
At Cieplińskiego Avenue there are two century-old oak trees with thick, about 3-meter trunks and a special status - a collective natural monument. As the architects assure, they were the main determinant of how the buildings were designed:
We knew from the beginning that these trees had to stay. We developed the project around them, adapting the building layout to the existing greenery
- says Katarzyna Glazewska.
Indeed, the main building will "wrap" around the monumental oak trees, creating an intimate patio. The large trees will be visible from the space of the spacious, almost fully glazed foyer, which is located on the south side. This is the most representative elevation of the New Stage of the Rzeszow theater - open to a small square, partly preceded by an arcade. The other highly "visible" elevation will be the one facing Lukasz Ciepliński Avenue, to the west. The team of architects designed it in the form of three blocks with trapezoidal profiles, intersected by narrow vertical windows. The whole consists of a total of five blocks with steep roofs, and will be covered with roofs with a pro-environmental slant - three of them will be rain roofs, capable of accumulating large amounts of rainwater, while the other two will be covered with photovoltaic panels.
New Stage of the Wanda Siemaszkowa Theater - Foyer
design: Plus3 Architects
two for the (s)price of one
The New Stage building will incorporate several functions, spread over 5 above-ground floors. An elongated foyer will connect the two most important spaces of the new building - the New Stage, which will seat 180 people, and the Young Stage, which will seat 60 people in the audience. In addition, the foyer space will also provide access to the buffet and to the upper floors, where, in addition to the administrative rooms, two more important functions have been located in the massive bay window projecting in front of the southern façade. The first of these, located in the top floor, is the rehearsal room. Below, between the foyer and the aforementioned room, will be the Szajna Gallery.
The New Stage of the Wanda Siemaszkowa Theater - Cafeteria overlooking the natural monuments (oak trees), with the entrance to the Young Stage in the background
proj.: Plus3 Architects
This one has been operating in the current theater building since 1997, presenting to those willing to visit (as it is only available by appointment) the work of the famous painter and stage designer, Jozef Szajna, who was artistically active mainly in Rzeszow. With the construction of the new Wanda Siemaszkowa Theater facility for the gallery, a new public space will be created to house the collection of the Rzeszow artist's works, which currently consists of 42 exhibits.
New Stage of the Wanda Siemaszkowa Theater - New Stage
proj.: Plus3 Architects
flexible architecture
The interiors of the theater spaces are to be elegant, kept in dark colors, and adaptable. According to the architects, they are meant to respond to the dynamic needs of contemporary performing arts, so - for example - the foyer space will be able to be transformed into an additional theater room by darkening the longitudinal glazing. Also susceptible to change are the actual stages, which have been equipped with modern stage technologies that will ensure that the Rzeszow theater will finally have 21st century infrastructure.
