The Teatro comunale Ebe Stignani is the most important theatre in Imola. It is named after the opera singer Ebe Stignani (1903-1974) and hosts seasons of drama and music of national standing.
What to see
In 1782 performances were held in the «Teatro dei Cavalieri Associati», built by Cosimo Morelli, which burned down on 1 February 1797 during the invasion of the French republican troops. In 1810 the upper church of San Francesco, in a building on the via Emilia, was suppressed; the property was bought by some citizens of Imola, who decided to make a place for shows out of it, to a design by the architect Giuseppe Magistretti, with painted decorations by Felice Giani. In 1812 the theatre took the name «Teatro dei Signori associati» and was dedicated to the Roman goddess Ceres; it was inaugurated on 4 August with the drama I riti di Efeso by Giuseppe Farinelli, in its world premiere. In 1815, with Imola's return under the Papal States, Pope Pius VII had it closed, because the façade was still that of the old church; in 1832 Gregory XVI authorised theatrical use on condition that the façade lose every sacred connotation, and the bell tower was lowered to roof level. In the years 1832-1845 Rossini opera took hold in Imola, with Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola and Semiramide, and in 1845 Giuseppe Verdi's Ernani was staged.
In 1846 the «Signori associati» sold the theatre to the Comune. After restoration, with the façade altered by Luigi Ricciardelli and each of the 56 boxes decorated differently, the theatre was inaugurated on 26 December 1855. Closed in 1931 because it did not meet the new safety rules and badly damaged in 1944, it was rebuilt and reopened on 18 April 1974 with Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, keeping the structure and in part the mid-nineteenth-century decorations; on 20 December 1977 it was named after Ebe Stignani. After a restoration costing over twelve million euros, with asbestos removal and a new steel and glass element, it was officially reopened on 6 April 2010. The Sala Grande holds at most 468 seats; in the foyer, with 99 seats, a large screen lets you follow the shows.
Visiting
The theatre is in the centre of Imola, on the via Emilia. The sources consulted give no visiting hours: the programme and any guided visits should be checked with the theatre, which has an official website.
Our editors' tip
On 22 April 1804 Gioachino Rossini gave a concert in the provisional theatre of the Napoleonic period: a hall with a single scene, without a curtain and without lights.
