The Biondo Theatre (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: Teatro Biondo, complete name Teatro Biondo Stabile) is a neoclassical and Art Nouveau-style theater building located on Via Roma #258, corner with Via Venezia, in the ancient quarter of Castellamare of central Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. Diagonally across Via Roma is the ancient church of

Sant'Antonio Abate Sant'Antonio Abate ( nap, Sant'Antuono) is a ''commune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 30 km southeast of Naples. Sant'Antonio Abate borders the following municipalities: A ...

and a stairwell descending into the warrens of the Vucciria Market.

History

By the start of the 20th century, the main performance halls in Palermo were the Teatro Santa Cecilia, the Teatro Bellini, and the Teatro Garibaldi. Three institutions were built in the following, each with a different spectacle in mind. The

Teatro Massimo The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele is an opera house and opera company located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily. It was dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II. It is the biggest in Italy, and one of the largest of Europe (at the time of its i ...

for opera, the Teatro Politeama for popular concerts and spectacles, and the Biondo for dramatic performances. The Biondo brothers, Andrea, Eugenio and Luigi, were wealthy entrepreneurs and a lawyer and owned a prominent publishing house in Palermo. Andrea, the lawyer commissioned the design from engineer Nicolò Mineo, who collaborated with Giacomo Nicolai and Antonio Lo Bianco. Starting in June 1902, construction lasted for 16 months. The interior is richly decorated with polychrome marble: yellow from Segesta, pink from Castellammare, and white from Carrara. The fresco and stucco decoration were mainly led by Salvatore Gregorietti, with contributions by Carmelo Giarrizzo, Francesco Padovano, Francesco La Cagnina, Onofrio Tomaselli. On 15 October 1903 it was inaugurated by the theater company of

Ermete Novelli Ermete Novelli (5 March 185130 January 1919) was an Italian actor and playwright. Born in Lucca, the son of a prompter, Novelli made his first appearance in 1866, and played character and leading comedy parts in the best companies between 1871 ...

, performing the play of ''Papà Lebonnard'' by

Jean Aicard Jean François Victor Aicard (4 February 1848 – 13 May 1921) was a French poet, dramatist, and novelist. Biography He was born in Toulon. His father, Jean Aicard, was a journalist of some distinction, and the son began his career in 1867 wit ...

. It was followed by plays such as ''Il burbero benefico'' of Goldoni, ''The Merchant of Venice'' by Shakespeare, and ''Luigi XI'' by Jean-François Delavigne. At the end of the 1920s, the financial crisis led the Biondo family to use the theater for motion picture. The theater remained in the Biondo family till 1980s, when a larger group, including the provincial and municipal government established a collaborative ownership. It still remains an active house for dramatic performances.Teatro Biondo history

External links

Official site
Biondo Neoclassical architecture in Palermo Art Nouveau architecture in Italy {{Italy-struct-stub