The Velvet Club was founded in 1989 by Romano Cruciani and Gianluca Celidonius, after the closing of the theater "La Scaletta", because of the eviction suffered by the headquarters in Via del Collegio Romano, after 10 years in business. The first club's headquarters were at the abandoned buildings of the old Centrale del Latte of Rome, in Via Lamarmora 28, behind Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, in the rione

Esquilino The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' ( Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...

. In 1998, the Circolo degli Artisti, had to find a new venue due to the renovation of the premises of the "old" Centrale had to make way for the new covered market in Piazza Vittorio. It moved in the current space of Via Casilina Vecchia 42, where stood premises that in post-World War II had served as laundry and that at that time housed one "junkyard", typical activities of deposit/landfill and reuse of parts of vehicles engine and machinery in general, often present and hidden in the periphery or in marginal areas of the capital. The covered premises of the Circolo degli Artisti are composed of two rooms (one set up for concerts, disco and exhibitions, and only for exhibitions and dance hall), a corner shop with the box office, and a pizzeria open all year long. Outside there is a large garden, where a permanent art exhibition of Argentine sculptor Alejandro Marmo is set up since 2005.

Theater school

The Theatre "La Scaletta", after closing, continued to live as a theater school at the Circolo degli Artisti. It organizes acting classes and workshops for arts and runs periodically small performances and stand-up comedies. Founded in 1981 by Romano Cruciani, Michele Mario Jorio, and Giovanbattista Diotaiuti "La Scaletta" has been used over the years by prestigious teachers: Gianni Diotaiuti, Antonio Pierfederici, Franco However, Ivano de Matteo, John Antonucci, Pino Manzari, Giuseppe Argirò , Giuseppe Marini, Valeria Campo, Marco Maltauro, Sabrina and Sabrina Dodaro Jorio, to name a few. Many actors trained at "La Scaletta":

Alessandro Haber Alessandro Haber (born 19 January 1947) is an italian people, Italian actor, film director and singer. Haber was born in Bologna in a Italian Jews, Jewish family of mixed ancestry (his father was a Romanian Jew and his mother Italian) and spent ...

Kim Rossi Stuart Kim Rossi Stuart (born 31 October 1969) is an Italian actor and director. Early life and career Rossi Stuart was born in Rome. His father, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Giacomo, was an actor of Italians, Italian and Scottish people, Scottish descent ( ...

, Massimo Bonetti,

Stefano Dionisi Stefano Dionisi (born 1 October 1966, in Rome) is an Italian actor. He has performed in more than sixty films since 1986. He is best known for portraying the 18th-century Italian castrato opera singer Farinelli Farinelli (; 24 January 1705 � ...

, Pino Quartullo,

Marco Giallini Marco Giallini (born 4 April 1963) is an Italian actor. Life and career Born in Rome, Giallini is the son of a housewife and a furnace labourer. After attending the Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico, he began acting on stag ...

, Edoardo Leo, Fabiola Auger, Riccardo Polizzy Carbonelli, Marco Bocci, Tiziana Foschi, Dominic Fortunato, Arianna Dell'Arti.

Some past concerts

File:Pere_Ubu-4.jpg, Pere Ubu live in 2007. File:Shellac circolo degli artisti roma.JPG, Shellac live in 2007. File:Mulatu Astatke1.jpg,

Mulatu Astatke Mulatu Astatke (; French pronunciation: Astatqé; born 19 December 1943) is an Ethiopian musician and arranger considered as the father of "Ethio-jazz". Born in Jimma, Mulatu was musically trained in London, New York City, and Boston where he ...

live in 2009. File:TosinAbasi.jpg,

Tosin Abasi Oluwatosin Ayoyinka Olumide Abasi (born January 7, 1983), is an American musician, best known as the founder and lead guitarist of the instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. He has recorded and released five albums with Animal ...

with Animals as Leaders live in 2011. File:DanBlack_Roma.JPG,

Dan Black Daniel Black (born 16 November 1975) is an English singer-songwriter and vocalist. He was a member of alternative rock band The Servant (band), the Servant, before their split in 2007. He is also a vocalist for the Italian British group Plane ...

with The Servant live in 2007.

References

External links

Official website
Music venues in Italy Nightclubs in Italy {{Italy-company-stub