Type:

Luoghi della cultura; Oggetto fisico

Category:

Architectural Heritage; Museums

Civic Theater The Teatro Comunale of Todi is right in the historical center, behind Piazza Grande, as a reminder of the important role it played during the 19th century. In fact, on 3 September 1868, the Municipal Assembly commissioned the building of the new theater to Carlo Gatteschi, an architect from the town of Arezzo, who had already built a remarkable theater, the Teatro Signorelli of Cortona. The work of construction was terminated in 1872, but it was inaugurated four years later with the representation of the opera Un ballo in maschera—A Masked Ball—of Giuseppe Verdi. The audience hall had a horseshoe-shaped floor plan and four orders of boxes for a total capacity of about 500 seats. The stuccowork with the portraits featuring illustrious personalities was executed by the Studio Angeletti and Biscarini of Perugia, while their gilding was the work of Giosuè and Daniele Lumaconi, the fresco paintings on the ceiling and the parapet of the boxes was executed by Matteo Tassi and Alfonso Morganti. The stage curtain was painted by Annibale Brugnoli (Perugia, 1843-1915). In 1894, for the first time an early motion film picture, titled “Un bagno di ragazzi”, was shown there. After a period of decline, the theater and the rooms annexed to it were restored, from 1982 to 1992, when it was reopened to the public with a full capacity of 499 seats.