“In order to be able to produce cutting-edge art, there is also an inevitable need for ‘production activity,’meaning that clean costumes, props, andconstruction for stage design are required in order to put on a high-quality show. It has been a big question mark for probably all visitors to the City Theater where the City Theater has done all this so far because their existing space in the Old Town is quite tight,” said Gerd Müller,Chairman of the Management Board of Nordecon AS. "The friendship between Tallinn City Theater and Nordecon has been going on for a long time – with this construction contractwecan help the City Theater start using production facilities that will alleviate the existing space shortage as quickly as possible."
Raivo Põldmaa,Director of Tallinn City Theater, commented on the event as follows: “This production complex is essential for the future operation of the theater. This is an important step for the City Theater to be able to move forward with its dream- a renovated theater house in the 9th quarter of the Old Town. While so far the theater has manufactured decorations in the basement of the theater house, so-called "jerry-rigged it", in the new production complex, employees will have all the modern working conditions and tools, the theater will finally storeits decorations, props,andcostumes in heated premises, and all the preparation work for the production can be done in one place, from designs all the way to settingup the scene. This will make the technicalwork in the theater more professional and efficient.”
The production and warehouse complex will accommodate a warehouse for costumes, props, decorations, furniture and finished goods, a metal and wood workshop; decorations assembly room; color room; props workshop; painting hall; garages; laundry room (care of costumes); technical rooms; staff rooms, meeting rooms and lounges.
The contract covers the demolitionof the existing gable hall and fences at Suur-Sõjamäe 44d, construction of a new building and establishment of utility networks, roads and squares, landscaping, andfencing necessary for servicing the production complex. The total area of the registered immovable is 4,663 square meters; the registered immovable is designed to accommodate a production complex with the closed net area of 3463.7 square meters. Construction will begin in August 2019 and will continue until July 2020.
The Suur-Sõjamäe production complex of Tallinn City Theater is part of the plans for the renovation of the theater building, the design of the building complex on Lai Street is underway and the preparations for the Salme Cultural Center, which will serve as a replacement space during the construction period, have begun. Construction on Lai Street is scheduled to begin in 2020. In March 2018, the Tallinn City Property Department and Tallinn City Theater in cooperation with the Estonian Association of Architects organized an idea competition for the construction of the new building of Tallinn City Theater. The winner of the design competition for the new building was the design of Salto Architects. According to the design, a new 350-seat Hell Stage and a smaller 130-seat hall of Tallinn City Theater are to be built at Lai 23, anda 500-seat outdoor stage is planned for the courtyard.
