The Teatrino of the Conservatory of Baraccano is not a theatrical building, but a modular structure made of wood and painted canvas that altogether reproduces a proscenium and stage. The lack of sufficiently documented information does not allow to pinpoint precisely the period of its construction.
It was located inside the Conservatory of Baraccano, in Bologna, an architectural complex of great historical interest whose origins date back to the 15th century. Originally built as a hospital for pilgrims, after the 1527 plague it was transformed “into a refuge for those ‘girls of honest condition’ orphaned by the recent calamities” (cit. Arte e .., p. 461). From this moment, the Conservatory’s role began as a secular institution aimed at education and professional training focused on specific internal work activities.
“The continuous transformations that characterized the building history of the Baraccano conservatory culminated in radical renovations carried out according to designs by Angelo Venturoli between 1812 and 1816. In the drawings dated May 4, 1812 ‘Plan of the four floors of the Conservatory of the girls of Baraccano, situated on San Stefano public street; aiming to concentrate another Conservatory inside it along with details of the various innovations’, the layout of the large halls on the first floor used as dormitories is shown.
In the place where the teatrino was located, at the time of the Conservatory’s closure (1969), a transverse wall dividing two rooms appears. It is therefore presumed that the positioning of the teatrino, which required the demolition of this wall, can be dated to the last adaptation works carried out in the post-unification era, between the 19th and 20th centuries” (Paolo Nannelli). The structure consists of the parts making up the proscenium, in canvas, fixed on wooden frames, painted with tempera using ornamental motifs that recall the typical decorations of theater halls (musical instruments, masks) and a series of wings and harlequins made from the same material. All is designed to accommodate scenes and backdrops necessary for staging performances.
In 1980, on the occasion of the exhibition “Art and Piety,” the Baraccano hosted a section titled “Girls, Nuns, and Mothers.” At that time, the teatrino was still assembled in the hall of the former dormitory. Later disassembled, it has remained until today in the adjoining room used as storage for the furniture and artworks that furnished the many rooms of the building. The presence of seven backdrops, some painted on both sides, indicates a lively theater activity. We find indeed the most varied scenes: from images of palaces along a road leading out of the city, to a landscape with trees and hills, to interior scenes (a poor and a rich furnishing), to the depiction of the typical red theater curtain, up to the curious representation of the Palazzo d’Accursio in full view, lacking perspective depth.
The preservational condition of the teatrino suffers from the lack of maintenance and the long storage of its parts (dismantled) in the depot where it has remained to this day. An initial cleaning and consolidation intervention of the most fragile parts sets the premise for a forthcoming, desirable restoration of the structure and its scenic and decorative apparatus. (Luisa Masetti Bitelli)
