Stefan Żeromski Theatre in Kielce

EARLY 19TH CENTURY 

According to a legend circulating in the Świętokrzyskie region, Ludwik Stumpf, a wealthy brewer and philanthropist from Radom, fell in love with a certain Warsaw actress and decided to build a theatre for her in Kielce. His wish to keep her close led to the construction, begun in 1877, of a tenement building housing a theatre stage together with a hotel and restaurant on Kielce’s main thoroughfare – Sienkiewicza Street. Named after its originator and main founder, the Ludwik Theatre opened just two years later, on 6 January 1879.

Although today Kielce residents have access to many renowned cultural institutions in the city, such as the Świętokrzyska Philharmonic, the Kielce Cultural Centre, the Regional Cultural Centre and the “Kubuś” Puppet and Actor Theatre, the undisputed leader among them is still the Stefan Żeromski Theatre (formerly the Ludwik Theatre), which, as the only drama theatre in the region, offers a wide range of exceptional, often controversial and taboo-breaking performances.

The major renovation of the Żeromski Theatre’s historic home, which began in 2020, was a unique challenge for architects and contractors alike. The guiding idea of the design process was, above all, to preserve the building’s unique character and restore its original interior décor, in close cooperation with the heritage conservator. The successful combination of modern technology with tradition and the historic character of the tenement building was first seen and appreciated by the audience at the grand opening of the new complex in September 2024.

The four-year reconstruction, extension and raising of the theatre centred on a new functional layout. In addition to the main stage, the theatre now boasts a new Chamber Stage with electrically retractable tiered seating (over 70 seats), which increases the configuration options and allows the playing area to be opened onto the inner courtyard. Both stages also have spacious foyers suitable for exhibition openings, exhibitions and cultural events. The new complex also includes rehearsal rooms, a modern recording studio, an extensive workshop area, offices, guest rooms and apartments, as well as underground levels with large scenery stores. The rooftop viewing terrace offers a stunning 360-degree panorama of Kielce.

The undisputed jewel among all the spaces is the Main Stage, whose auditorium has had many historic features restored, such as medallions with the faces of great Polish poets and writers, and two richly decorated caryatids – maidens supporting the lintel of the proscenium window, which proudly bears Horace’s Latin quotation in gilded letters: “Omne tulit punctum, qui miscuit utile dulci” (“He has won every vote who has blended the useful with the pleasing”). The natural acoustics are supported by a 3-tonne brass ceiling canopy above the Main Stage auditorium, made of hand-hammered brass sheet.

UNEXPECTED PURCHASE & # 8211; NEW FEATURES

One of the most exciting and groundbreaking moments of the renovation was the investor’s decision, at the end of 2021, to purchase the tenement building adjoining the Main Stage behind its back wall. On the one hand, this meant a complex process of adapting the additional space and urgently “absorbing” it into the Main Stage while construction was already under way. On the other hand, it elevated the Main Stage of the Żeromski Theatre to one of the most technologically spectacular drama stages in Poland. The playing area was doubled, making it possible to install a second set of stage lifts and additional fly bars and lighting bridges. The side stage and the storerooms on the lower levels were also enlarged, a second goods lift was installed and space was set aside for a loading dock on Sienkiewicza Street. This significantly expanded the stage’s technical capabilities and improved circulation and the flow of scenery – so crucial in the day-to-day running of a theatre that hosts so many events.

Moreover, merging the tenement building with the original stage and enlarging the playing area has given the audience a much greater sense of depth, as set designers can now create far more elaborate and monumental scenery. The stage can transport characters to new locations in an instant, significantly increasing the pace of performances. In addition, space was found at the rear of the stage and in the side stage for two mobile seating stands, adding a total of 124 seats. The resulting three-sided seating arrangement is one way of placing the audience right in the middle of the action.

A TECHNOLOGICAL GEM

Rapid technical progress, the constant development of individual fields of stage technology and new staging possibilities meant that modern stage lighting, extensive electroacoustic and multimedia systems, and stage machinery with autonomous components played a particularly important role in the overall modernisation of the Żeromski Theatre.

All work related to the integration and implementation of the stage technology was entrusted to a partner experienced in projects of this scale – Przedsiębiorstwo Specjalistyczne TEATR.

STAGE LIGHTING

The main scope of the stage lighting covered, above all, the stages – the Main Stage and the Chamber Stage – but also the Large and Small Rehearsal Rooms, where actors can rehearse and prepare well in advance for performances on the larger stages.

A comprehensive power installation was distributed throughout these spaces, supplying all lighting fixtures and peripheral devices. It includes a total of 14 passively cooled ETC ThruPower wall-mounted dimmers (24 circuits of 10 A each), whose key feature is that each circuit can easily be switched between non-dimmed and dimmed mode independently. For touring or performances in the courtyard, two mobile rack sets (with PLS PowerMIX63 mobile distribution boards and PLS FLX DIMMER/RELAY 12 × 2.3 kW dimmers) or 10 compact single-channel Elation UNIPAK MKII dimmers are ideal.

Given its size, the Main Stage required powerful, large moving heads with a variety of effects to provide the scenographic possibilities directors expect.
Among the many fly bars you can therefore spot lighting bridges with Elation FUZE MAX moving heads (6 Profile and 6 SPOT units), interspersed with 20 striking CLF POSEIDON WASH XL wash fixtures. Precise framing and beam animation from the auditorium are provided by 6 Elation Artiste Picasso fixtures.

More compact but equally functional models were rigged on the Small Stage, led by 6 DTS ALCHEMY 5 WASH units with a Fresnel lens and perfect colour rendering, including pastel nuances. They are supported by 12 DTS NICK NRG 1401 wash fixtures, while 10 Elation FUZE SFX units take on the role of spot moving heads.

Classic theatre lighting was not forgotten either – the halls feature 60 iconic ETC SOURCE FOUR profile spotlights (ZOOM and JR versions). Their LED counterparts are 14 ETC S4 LED Lustr Series 2 profile spotlights. The conventional theatre lighting is completed by 70 DTS SCENA S 1 kW PC spotlights. Their direct successors supplied with the project are 30 Elation KL FRESNEL 8 WW 350 W spotlights, which – thanks to their silent operation, motorised zoom and 8-leaf barn door system – have rightly earned wide recognition among theatre technicians and operators.

The range of lighting fixtures is completed by, among others, 36 powerful Elation KL PAR FC RGBMA LED PARs with variable optics, 28 CLF ARES RGBW LED floodlights, 10 ACME BL-100UV UV fixtures and 10 Elation SIXBAR 1000 LED battens.

In the theatre, followspots are often used to manually follow actors moving around the stage. At the Żeromski Theatre this task is made much easier by two large SPOTLIGHT FS HY 700CW followspots from the Hyperion series and two smaller 300CW units.

Two HAZE BASE THE FAB haze machines, combined with DMX-controlled Elation MagmaFAN1 fans, enhance the visibility of light beams and quickly fill the stage with haze, while two BRITEQ H2FOGII units produce low-lying fog.

To control the Main Stage lighting, the choice fell on a ChamSys MQ250M STADIUM digital console with an additional touch-screen monitor, which also works with the installed tracking system. Operators in the other areas of the building have four consoles from the same brand at their disposal – 2 × MQ70 and 2 × MQ50. Mobility is important here, as the theatre frequently tours, and because all the supplied consoles run the same MagicQ software, shows can easily be backed up and transferred.

For signal distribution, the consoles work with a wide range of reliable NETRON series converters. The control racks of the individual stages are equipped with a total of 6 Obsidian EN12 units, 1 Obsidian RDM10 and 4 Obsidian DMX10-5 splitters. Local DMX/Ethernet conversion is supported by 20 Obsidian EN4/EP4 mobile gateways. Given the size of the network and for greater stability, transmission is based on the sACN protocol in parallel with DMX. The distribution system is both flexible and scalable.

When wireless DMX transmission is needed, technicians have at their disposal 10 stable, multi-channel CITY THEATRICAL 5900 Multiverse transmitter and receiver sets, while communication checks
and hand-held control of fixtures are made possible by two CT DMX CAT testers.

Control is rounded off by PS TEATR’s proprietary SPECTRE system, which integrates power circuit management and the house lighting of the halls. It can remotely lock the control panels at the hall entrances and the stage manager’s panel during performances. Large touch-screen monitors in the control booths show the status of circuits in real time and provide reliable, convenient control over the entire power and house lighting system.

The sets of GUIL stands supplied by PS TEATR (ALT-34, TF07, FC02R, ELC740) allow fixtures to be positioned at various heights above the stage floor, while a set of CONTESTAGE UNO-H modular H-frame ladders is dedicated to rigging fixtures in the space.

STAGE MACHINERY

A fully-fledged theatre cannot exist without a system of fly bars, bridges and stage lifts that allow, among other things, scenery and actors to be changed and moved quickly. As a prestigious institution, the Żeromski Theatre has also modernised its stage machinery to make work more comfortable and to significantly expand its staging possibilities. Manually operated systems were replaced with central touch-screen control desks that integrate all machinery components of a given stage within a single, coherent safety system. These desks allow precise control of stage machinery individually or in groups, storing and recalling presets and movement along a defined ramp profile, and they display the current position of each device and signal overloads.

The stage mechanics system, implemented in collaboration with MIKOR Engineering, includes 2 audience lighting bridges, 6 stage lighting bridges (including two in the side pocket), an audience speaker bridge designed for immersive sound needs, 28 decorative rods, a main curtain rod and a portal bridge. As part of the lower mechanics, the theater has a proscenium hatch, a single-level hatch and 6 two-level hatches equipped with a bolt system (adapted for transporting goods and actors).
A remotely controlled revolving stage with a diameter of 5 m can also be lowered into the first set of stage lifts. In addition, each lift can take one of 6 scenery wagons (the wagons are the same size as the lift platforms – 6 m × 1.5 m – and can be remotely controlled or follow a magnetic tape track autonomously). The large wagons also have smaller counterparts – 6 units measuring 2 m × 1 m – which are battery-powered and controlled with a dedicated handheld controller. All the wagons and the revolving lift structure can also rotate 360 degrees on the spot.

An interesting solution is also a single hatch, which has the shape of a mobile elevator with a working area of 1 m x 1 m. It can be installed on the lower level of any of the two-level hatches. Then the actors can suddenly appear on the stage and just as quickly (up to 0.5 m/s) disappear from it below the floor level. The full range of big stage mechanics is complemented by permanent portal towers and auditorium balcony lighting rails.

The Main Stage was also fitted with a comprehensive stage drapery system, including the main curtain, side legs, borders, tormentors and cyclorama drapes.

In terms of machinery, the Small Stage has two movable 6 m × 6 m lighting grids and a lighting bridge above the gate leading to the courtyard.

The rehearsal rooms are fitted with fixed lighting grids and rails as well as rails for hanging drapery, while work in the paint shop is supported by a dedicated movable bar with a gantry mechanism.

ELECTROACOUSTIC SYSTEMS

As with the other technical disciplines, the electroacoustic systems designed for the venue fully support the Żeromski Theatre’s programme with top-class equipment.

The Main Stage of the Żeromski Theatre boasts an immersive sound system that surrounds the audience with three-dimensional sound and transports them into the very heart of the world created on stage. The system is based on SPECTRA 212W full-range main arrays, Spectra 212N subwoofers, a range of effect loudspeakers and an immersive sound processor, all from KLING & FREITAG.

An actor’s current position on stage can also be detected and sent to the immersive sound and lighting systems via the TTA StageTracker 3D tracking system.

In addition to the immersive sound system, PS TEATR, in cooperation with ABLO GROUP, equipped the venue with a comprehensive package of electroacoustic and stage management systems, including digital audio consoles, monitor speakers, wireless systems (including SHURE AXIENT DIGITAL), microphones and stage accessories, recorders and players, as well as systems for audio signal distribution (based on the DANTE protocol), wireless and intercom communication (RTS ODIN), show relay, public address, a network of digital clocks, “Silence” signs and an assistive listening system for the hard of hearing.

STUDIO COMPLEX

Located in the theatre’s basement, the studio complex consists of a recording room, a control room and a lounge area. It is connected to the building’s digital audio network, allowing 128 audio channels from that network to be recorded simultaneously. The complex’s equipment allows multitrack recording, mixing and mastering, as well as monitoring in 2.0, 2.1 and 5.1 formats.

MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS

The multimedia systems include an audience information system dedicated to each hall, which displays predefined graphics such as the current repertoire, as well as a video monitoring system and a video presentation system.

The installed video monitoring system includes, among other things, a set of monitors (SDI and DVB-T) and a number of fixed and PTZ cameras, located in areas of the building critical for running performances and for communication. The central point of the installation is formed by SDI video matrices (80 × 80 and 40 × 40), complemented by various signal converters (SDI to HDMI, fibre to SDI).

In contemporary theatre, traditional scenery is often supplemented or even entirely replaced by multimedia projection and dynamic mapping. Projection has become one
of the key means of expression. On the Main Stage, this task is handled by two projectors – a BARCO UDM W30 4K and an EPSON EB-PU2116W. A second, identical EPSON projector forms the basis of projection on the Small Stage. Each stage has its own dedicated production position with a media server (RESOLUME ARENA 7 + vMix Pro software) and a Blackmagic Design ATEM Television Studio 4K8 vision mixer.

STRAIGHT INTO DEEP WATER

The Żeromski Theatre’s calendar is packed with well-known plays adapted for its stage as well as new premieres that often break with convention. There are also workshops, meetings with artists, panel discussions, staged readings and many other theatre-related events. During the renovation, the theatre rented space from the Regional Cultural Centre so that it could continue its programme, albeit in a slightly reduced form. The return of the Żeromski Theatre’s actors and staff to their renovated home coincided with the 6th Kielce Theatre Festival.

“It was a real test for the artistic and technical crews as well as for the installed technology itself. The amount of information that had to be absorbed about operating the individual technical subsystems in such a short time was enormous – and on top of that, visiting technical teams from various countries had to be familiarised with their capabilities and configuration,” said Dominik Drobisz, MSc Eng., who supervised the work on behalf of PS TEATR and provided technical support during the Festival. “Companies from various parts of Poland, Iceland, Germany and France rated the technology and the cooperation with the theatre’s technical crew very highly – they really are a team of specialists with great experience and skills. From my own perspective, I can say that both during the ongoing consultations at the implementation stage and during commissioning, I could always count on their professional approach,” adds Dominik Drobisz.

completion

The elegance and prestige of the modernised building can be seen at every turn – when strolling along Sienkiewicza Street and admiring the richly decorated façade with its four muses, when waiting for a performance in the exclusive interiors of the foyer, or when being transported into the heart of the action thanks to state-of-the-art technology. After 145 years, the historic building has regained its former splendour, worthy of the vision of its founder, Ludwik Stumpf.

The project was aptly summed up by the Mayor of Kielce, Agata Wojda: “Modernity and a new quality have entered the building on Sienkiewicza Street. At the same time, the theatre has not lost what matters most – the extraordinary atmosphere of a place people visit not only for entertainment, but above all for emotion and reflection.”