Nel 1821, commissioned by Duchess Maria Luigia, Nicola Bettoli began the construction of the New Ducal Theatre in the area of the Convent of S. Alessandro. The theatre was completed in 1828 and inaugurated on May 16, 1829, with the opera Zaira composed for the occasion by Vincenzo Bellini.
The theatre, later named Regio, still represents a significant example of the numerous and impressive public works carried out by the Duchess. It arose in the heart of the city, structured in a central body and two side wings connected to the Ducal Palace and the Church of S. Alessandro, thus becoming a reference and gathering place in the life of the city itself, according to G.B. Niccolosi, for whom “no less than scenic performances, theatrical architecture should be appropriate to the times and customs” (G. B. Niccolosi, 1829, p. 10). The neoclassical façade features a portico with Ionic columns surmounted by two bands. In the first are five pedimented windows corresponding to the intercolumns below, in the second a thermal window flanked by two elegant images of Fame in flight, bas-reliefs by Tommaso Bandinelli, as well as the decoration with lyre and masks that modulates the pediment crowning the building. The two lateral bodies are recessed and resolved in only two orders.
The square vestibule of the theatre features a coffered ceiling supported by Ionic columns and introduces the horseshoe-shaped stalls with four tiers of boxes, each equipped with their respective dressing rooms, and a gallery. The stage is large and well equipped, particularly elegant is the foyer covered by a vault painted by G. B. Azzi, who depicted Harmony with bacchantes and cupids, complemented by the stuccoes and ornaments by P. Piazza, G. Smit, G. Gelati, T. Bandini, and C. Rusca. On the walls are the fake bas-reliefs on mythological subjects by S. Campana. Originally, the hall had refined neoclassical decoration, as documented by the Toschi engravings. Each tier of boxes had different stucco decorations: at the bottom were aligned military trophies, then the story of Psyche, medallions with portraits of poets, garlands of flowers and fruits. The proscenium boxes were more richly decorated with images of Fame holding acanthus trophies and portraits of illustrious men; in the proscenium arch, a light clock was placed among the attributes of Phoebus and Minerva.
The transformation of the hall began, by order of Charles III of Bourbon, in 1853; the architects Luigi Montecchi and Luigi Bettoli and the set designer Girolamo Magnani, appointed that year as painter and director of the theatre, worked on it.
The neoclassical ornaments of the hall were replaced with richer and more lavish ones, and in the ceiling, already painted by Giovan Battista Borghesi, who had depicted the protagonists of the ancient and modern scenes flying against a starry sky background, a purple band and a frieze with golden frames were inserted. Instead, the beautiful curtain by Giovan Battista Borghesi, still existing, depicting the triumph of Pallas, remained intact. After electrification, introduced in 1907, and the creation of the mystic gulf in 1926, the theatre did not undergo substantial modifications until 1983, the year when necessary restoration and conservation works began, carried out “with the theatre open,” that is without interruption of activity, throughout the nineties.
The overall project, developed by the Municipal Technical Office, achieved, in successive phases, the structural consolidation of the walls of the vaults and roofs; the renovation of the ancient set designers’ room and the spaces of the stage tower; the restoration of the boxes, balconies, foyer, and smoking room. Other interventions concerned the recovery of spaces for artists and crew, as well as the upgrading of safety systems.
