Gualtieri Theatre - Teatro Sociale
Since 1775, the north wing of Bentivoglio Palace has housed a theatre. In 1905, the municipal administration and the Società Teatrale (Eng. Theatre Society) of private boxholders joined forces to restore and enlarge the space: this gave birth to Gualtieri’s Teatro Sociale. It soon became a place of entertainment, culture and community gatherings, and later also functioned as a cinema.
In 1979, the building was closed for major construction works to address serious structural issues. To make room for scaffolding, the stage was demolished. However, once the structure was secured, work came to a halt due to lack of funds, leaving the theatre abandoned amidst debris and missing parts. Thirty years later, the story of the Teatro Sociale began anew. In 2006, a group of young twenty-somethings committed themselves to reopening the theatre to the public while also developing a permanent cultural project within it. In 2009, the first new season of live performances was inaugurated.
Today, the Teatro is a cultural landmark recognized at both regional and national levels, dedicated to contemporary performance arts. A distinctive feature of the theatre is its reversed space: where once the stalls stood, the show now takes place; and where the stage once was, the spectators now sit.
