The Teatro Contavalli was an

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

and theatre located at Via Mentana #2, in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Long since utilized as a theater, the site is now occupied by offices for the ''Centro Italiano di Documentazione sulla Cooperazione e L' Economia Sociale''.

History

The theater was inaugurated on 3 October 1814, under the patronage of doctor and entrepreneur, Antonio Contavalli, in a lot that once formed part of the Carmelite convent affiliated with the church of San Martino. The engineer was

Giovanni Battista Martinetti Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

and the architect was Giuseppe Nadi. The entrance was the stairwell entrance to the monastery, but the three-story newly built hall, seating up to 800 attendees, and the theater curtain were decorated with paintings by

Antonio Basoli Antonio Basoli (1774–1848) was an Italian painter, interior designer, scenic designer, and engraver, active mostly in Bologna. Biography He was born in Castel Guelfo. His first teacher was his father, Lelio Andrea Basoli. His education was mo ...

. Other portions were decorated by

Pietro Fancelli Pietro Fancelli (18 May 1764 – 22 January 1850) was an Italian painter and set-designer. Biography Pietro was born in Bologna to Petronio, a quadraturista, and Orsola Benedelli. Petronio moved the family to Venice in 1774, and his son worked ...

, Luigi Cini, Ridolfo Fantuzzi, and Mauro Berti. The stucco work was by Pietro Trifoglio. The style of the decoration was described as

Pompeian Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

(19th-century interpretation of Ancient Roman motifs) in style. The initial premiere featured ''Matilde ossia la Selvaggia'' by Carlo Coccia. Soon after the theater premiered the opera, ''

L'Italiana in Algeri ''L'italiana in Algeri'' (; ''The Italian Girl in Algiers'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli, based on his earlier text set by Luigi Mosca. It premiered at the Teatro San ...

'' by

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

and sung by Maria Marcolini, proved to be successful, and moved to the Teatro Comunale and the Teatro al Corso. In 1816, the opera house put on a performance of '' Barbiere di Siviglia'', also by Rossini; and this house was often used to present plays by Rossini in Bologna, such as '' Matilde di Shabran o sia Bellezza e Cuor di ferro''. In 1824, the ''Accademia Filodrammatica'', led by the Marquis Massimiliano Angelelli, decided to focus on classic theatrical performances. This caused dissenting members to form a faction opposed to the purists, with the support of the Cardinal Legate, they formed the ''Società dei Concordi'', which patronized modern works, often with controversial political overtones, at the Contavalli. In 1876, a new production company, the ''Accademia Filodrammatica Albergati'' was formed under marchese Gioacchino Napoleone Pepoli, and affiliated with this theater. In 1888

Alfredo Testoni Alfredo Testoni (1856–1931) was an Italian playwright and poet known for his work in the Bolognese dialect. In 1888 he established his own company at the Teatro Contavalli in Bologna. Amongst his best known plays is ''Cardinal Lambertini'', a 1 ...

, with the help of the ''Società del Dottor Balanzone'', who was affiliated with the Contavalli, formed a company dedicated to performances in local dialect and vernacular. Among the players were Argia and Guglielmina Magazzari, Augusto Galli, and Carlo Musi. The first work they sponsored was a comedy in Bolognese dialect titled ''Pisuneint'' (Pigionanti) by Testoni. By 1909, Testoni had joined the theater company with Goffredo Galliani, and they performed ''Acqua e ciacher'' in the then-refurbished Contavalli theater. It presented many performances by Angelo Gandolfi. However, the theater company was soon splintered by acrimony between the actors. The theater continued under Galliani until 1938, when it became a movie theater, until 1979, when it was functioning as a cinema for pornographic films (cinema a luci rossi). The theater hall no longer exists.Biblioteca Salaborsa
description of the Contavalli theater history.

References

{{authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1814 Contavalli Buildings and structures demolished in 1979 1814 establishments in Italy Theatres in Emilia-Romagna Buildings and structures in Bologna Theatres completed in 1814 Music venues completed in 1814