Škoda Auto extends National Theatre partnership to at least 2029
Škoda Auto and the Czech National Theatre have extended a partnership that began in 1998 and will now run until at least 2029.
- 1998
- at least 2029
- more than 900
- more than 500,000
What Happened
Škoda Auto has extended its partnership with the National Theatre until at least 2029, continuing a collaboration that began in 1998 and has become one of the carmaker's longest-running cultural partnerships. Alongside financial support, Škoda Auto provides mobility for the theatre: eight vehicles on long-term loan meet its day-to-day mobility needs, supporting both its operations and the work of its artistic ensembles. The partnership covers the National Theatre's work across all of its artistic disciplines and venues, and the carmaker says it engages an important target audience through the tie-up.
“Škoda Auto is proud to support the National Theatre as a globally recognised centre of Czech culture. This partnership is one way we can share our success with our home country through the arts. I'm personally pleased we can contribute to helping the National Theatre further develop its artistic work and engage audiences across generations. Our partnership now spans almost three decades, and I am delighted that it will continue.”
“Partnerships that last almost three decades are about more than cooperation between two leading institutions. They reflect mutual trust and a shared belief that culture has an irreplaceable role to play in society. We greatly value Škoda Auto's long-standing support for the National Theatre and its commitment to helping us focus on what matters most – creating high-quality art and bringing it to the widest possible audience.”
more than 900
At its own venues and on tour, attracting more than 500,000 paying audience members.
Škoda Auto's partnership with the National Theatre begins.
The National Theatre stages more than 900 performances at its own venues and on tour, drawing more than 500,000 paying audience members.
A major renovation of the National Theatre's New Stage begins and is expected to take two years.
Under the extended agreement, Škoda Auto continues to support the National Theatre and its artistic ensembles.
The National Theatre opened its 144th season a few days ago with a programme spanning drama, opera, ballet and Laterna magika, offering new productions alongside returning favourites. Highlights include the operas Rusalka and The Devil and Kate, the plays The Three Musketeers and Me and Twelfth Night, and the ballets L'Histoire de Manon and Sun, Moon and Wind. Its artistic programme is presented at its main venues – the historic National Theatre building, the Estates Theatre and the State Opera – and also includes the New Stage, where a major renovation began in March 2026.
- Preserving Czech cultural heritage and supporting its continued development have long been part of Škoda Auto's corporate social responsibility.
- For many years the carmaker has supported major cultural institutions and projects that keep Czech cultural traditions alive while bringing them to contemporary audiences.
- The National Theatre partnership is one of Škoda Auto's longest-running cultural partnerships.
Why this matters
For a carmaker, a deal like this goes beyond marketing: the source says Škoda Auto reaches an important target audience through the theatre's more than 500,000 paying visitors a year while backing Czech culture at home. The extension also keeps the National Theatre's ensembles, venues and touring activity supported and mobile through at least 2029.
Terms in This Story
- corporate social responsibility
- A company practice of supporting social, cultural or environmental causes beyond its commercial activities.
- long-term loan
- An arrangement in which a company supplies vehicles to an organisation for extended use instead of selling them.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.