Eleonara Duse theater was built in 1827, from the architectural change of the chapel connected to the monastery of the Terziarie Francescane nuns.
The aim of the community was to have a theater, combined to the decision of the duchess Maria Luigia d’ Austria, moved to change this specific space. The theater is located in the little town of Cortemaggiore.
The building
The facade has a neoclassical style, it has three main entrance doors. On the first floor three windows separated by pillars are visible. The tympanum is characterized by neoclassical decorations with the municipal coat of arms at the center.
The entrance hall is decorated with some ‘grottesche’ in renaissance style and a stone staircase, used to reach the boxes of the second floor. The main room, with its horseshoe shape, has two floors of boxes and a fake gallery, garlands decorated.
The opening of the Eleonara Duse theater
The hall of the theater was opened in 1827, with the Opera “Edoardo and Cristina” by Gioacchino Rossini, which was followed by ” Tancredi” (1828) and “Cenerentola”(1830). In 1927, after many renovation works, the municipal theater was titled to Eleonora Duse, who had played inside between 1868 and 1869. Later the theater wasn’t used from 1945 until 1975.
Recently it was renovated with the help of the region, it was modified, increasing the capacity; lately it was used mainly for theater plays, meetings, symposium and cultural events.
