Teatro Luigi Mancinelli

Mancinelli Theater The Teatro Mancinelli di Orvieto, important both from a historical and an artistic point of view, is located in the historical center of the town, at a short walking distance from the Duomo, not far from the main square. The visit is recommended for the beauty of the Theater and for its theatrical season and musical events. A certain theatrical activity in Orvieto has been registered since the 16th century, with the Accademia dei Giovani—Academy of the Youth—also nicknamed “The Confused”, who convened in the upper room of Palazzo del Popolo. But, in reality, dissatisfaction for a not-very-functional theater and ambition, forced some people to find alternative solutions to the Academy experience. In the 18th century, the family of the Gualtiero created a private theater in Villa del Corniolo, in Porano, today called Villa Paolina. But, to have a real Theater it would be necessary to wait until 1863, year of its inauguration. Designed by Giuseppe Santini, the Theater Mancinelli was inaugurated in 1863. In the same year the interior decoration of the Theater, made with the fanciful mural “grottesche” ornamentation, putti and festoons, was commissioned to Annibale Angelini, who took inspiration from the classical tradition. The artist Giuliano Corsini was engaged to execute the stuccowork, while the figurative painting was commissioned to the Roman Cesare Fracassini, who also painted the stage curtain, concluding the work in 1886. For the evening of the opening the work “Favorita e Marte”, along with the ballets “I Bianchi e I Neri” and “Pedrilla”, were staged. The audience hall floor plan—with its stalls area, four orders of boxes and an upper loggia—has the classical Italian horseshoe-shape. In 1921, the Theater was named after Luigi Mancinelli (1848-1921), famous musician from Orvieto. Today the theater features the original look and has a capacity of five hundred and sixty seats. In the cultural and civic life the theater has always played a central role, today this is reconfirmed by the versatility of its venues, where the variety of activities performed are an evidence: exhibitions, congresses, conferences and meetings with the artists, but also seminars for the study and popularization of cinematographic art.