The Theatre

The Teatro Grande is divided into several areas, each one with its own history.

Beyond the monumental façade overlooking Corso Zanardelli, and passing through the Sala delle Statue, visitors enter the Sala Grande and the foyer, known as the Ridotto.

From the Sala Grande, the audience can see the stage, which is reserved for the theater's technical staff and can only be visited during the Grand Tours, special tours organized during the summer season.

The entrance to the Teatro Grande is part of the older, 18th-century axis, which also includes the Ridotto and the Caffè del Teatro Grande - Berlucchi. It is difficult to observe the volume of the theater building because it is nestled between adjacent buildings. The pronaos, which overlooks Corso Giuseppe Zanardelli, is aligned, like the balustraded terrace above, with the height of the neighboring buildings that make up the volume of the porticoes. The porticoed façade, designed by Gaspare Turbini and Antonio and Bertolo Vigliani, dates back to the second half of the 18th century: the five openings are separated by four columns characterized by horizontal rustication that covers the entire façade. The entrance to the theater is via a staircase leading to three large rectangular openings that mark the beginning of the tripartite division of the subsequent entrances. To the right of the three portals, at the lowest level of the portico floor, is the entrance to the ticket office, while the door symmetrically to the left was the old entrance to the gallery. Above the central portal is a 17th-century plaque in emphatic Latin that spells out the motto of the Accademici Erranti:

Hic reparatis Hephesi ruinis
Cynthia comitata musis vallata Amazonibus
non errat errando. 
Haec si cupis intueri quis quis es
uno dempto Herostrato
ascende viator.

Beyond the entrance doors, the grand staircase continues, with allegories of tragedy and comedy painted by Gaetano Cresseri in 1914 on the side walls, leading to the next three entrance doors to the Hall of Statues.

Beyond the monumental staircase that leads visitors through the entrance of the Teatro Grande, there is the Sala delle Statue, a room completed in 1862 after numerous modifications, which serves as antechamber to the world of the theater. The current appearance of the room, enclosed by early 19th-century glass windows, consists of a peristyle with smooth stuccoed columns and Ionic capitals and four corner pillars supporting an architrave system with a balustrade surmounted by 16 plaster and plastered canvas statues by Giuseppe Luzziardi.

The restoration campaign undertaken in 2022 brought to light the ancient 18th-century coffered decoration covering the vault of this first room of the building, which is now visible again after more than 150 years of being covered.

In 1901, two bronze busts were placed on the left and right: Gerolamo Rovetta, a playwright and novelist from Brescia, and Giuseppe Verdi. Much more recent is the installation of the third bronze bust, depicting the great Maestro and pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli from Brescia, which took place on June 12, 2002, on the seventh anniversary of the artist's death. The sculpture is the work of master Gian Pietro Moretti.

The current auditorium, which follows the canons of the typical Italian theater, was built in 1810 based on a design by architect Luigi Canonica. It is arranged in a horseshoe shape, measuring approximately 22x17m, and rises to a height of five tiers of loggias (three boxes and two galleries). Until 1740, the area occupied by the theater hall was a courtyard used as a riding school by the Accademia degli Erranti. It was only then that the theater was built on this site, abandoning the space below the Accademia hall used for previous theaters.

The colors that create a wonderful visual impact as spectators enter the hall are garnet red (of the stalls, upholstery, and box seats), ivory, and gold (of the box structures and various carved wood and papier-mâché decorations). The original decoration, later replaced by the current one in 1862, is attributed to Giuseppe Teosa from Brescia. The current decoration, on the other hand, is mainly the work of Girolamo Magnani: the parapets of the various rows of boxes feature gold relief decorations on an ivory background, which differ from floor to floor: the simple lines of the ground floor give way to the richer decoration of the first order, with branches, cherubs playing music, and male profiles, alternating with gilded reliefs and frames depicting female nudes, cherubs, and musical instruments on the three subsequent orders. The proscenium arch retains almost all of its original shapes and decorations. In the center is the clock, whose frame is supported by two reclining figures.

The ceiling is decorated with golden stucco geometries and Magnani's frescoes, which stand out against the blue sky backdrop, are arranged in concentric circular crowns consisting of monochrome oval medallions with cherubs, monochrome female figures, and allegories referring to comedy, tragedy, music, and dance. In the central area, the ceiling is occupied by a hole half-covered by a grate that once supported the large chandelier, still present at the beginning of the 20th century but removed with the advent of electric lighting and to improve visibility in the gallery.

Stalls
The stalls seats are divided into 18 fixed rows plus 4 rows in the orchestra area, for a total of about 400 seats. The seats are strictly in keeping with the boxes and are on a slightly sloping floor towards the stage. The floor, renovated in 2001, is made of oak parquet planks, a material that helps to improve the acoustics of the hall. The grilles of the air conditioning system can be seen on the floor. This system was installed with the aim of increasing the comfort of spectators during their time in the theater, regardless of the seasonal weather conditions.

Boxes and galleries
The five rows of loggias that make up the theater hall are arranged in three rows of boxes, each consisting of 30 boxes divided into two sections, and two rows of galleries. The first gallery consists of 16 boxes divided into two sections in the parts closest to the proscenium, while the central part, free of partitions, is equipped with auditorium seats. The top floor is entirely used as a gallery with tiered seats. The interior of the boxes is covered with an appropriate fabric in the traditional garnet red color. The upholstered velvet covering the benches and backrests, which are of original wooden construction, is the same color. Mirror plates and coat hooks complete the furnishings.

Royal Box
According to Italian custom, the Royal Box of the Teatro Grande is located at the back of the hall, in the center, occupying the first and second tiers. The neoclassical interior decoration, the only original from 1810 and the only artistic testimony in Brescia by Giovanni Biseo, consists of a horizontal frieze with golden eagles running along the upper part of the walls and golden candelabra arranged in columns, reminiscent of Egyptian features and styles. Above the door is a lunette-shaped canvas painted by Domenico Vantini in 1810 depicting an allegory of the night. Next to the stage is the Retropalco Reale, a small sitting room nobly decorated and furnished with prestigious neoclassical armchairs in gilded wood that were used in the box during visits by sovereigns.

The quality of the stage, its lighting and acoustic capabilities are the fundamental characteristics that determine the value of a theater.
The space reserved for the stage includes, in addition to the proscenium, which is the space for the performance itself, a backstage area, a system of manual and mechanical or electric winches, as well as access to the artists' dressing rooms, the control room, and a convenient connection to the outside to allow for quick assembly and disassembly of sets and technical equipment.
In the Teatro Grande, the vast space that contains the stage equipment in every theater is structured by perimeter walls and two large inner colonnades connected longitudinally by three arches. In this area, the roof's supporting structure is visible, an interesting example of 19th-century engineering. The wooden floor of the stage and its underlying supports were rebuilt with the orchestra pit in 1984. The wooden structure blends in with the stage equipment with suspended walkways, winches, and pulleys. The clock mechanism inserted into the proscenium arch is also housed here. To allow the audience a good perspective view, regardless of their position in the hall, the stage is not perfectly horizontal but slopes slightly towards the stalls at an appropriate angle of 5%.

Inaugurated on March 22, 1772, this space was one of the main rooms of the Accademia degli Erranti, an ancient 17th-century institution that occupied this same site before its transformation into a theater. Originally designed as a meeting room for academics of the time, the Ridotto del Teatro Grande (or Foyer) is perhaps one of the most admirable examples of 17th-century architectural splendor applied to a performance venue.

The hall, which is present in all modern theaters, is adjacent to the larger theater hall itself and was mainly used, especially in the 19th century, for gambling and smoking. Nowadays, the audience waits in the Foyer before the start of performances and also spends time there during intervals, enjoying the Caffè del Teatro Grande - Berlucchi.

The architect Antonio Marchetti completed the masonry work in 1765, while the Venetian painters Francesco Battaglioli and Francesco Zugno created the ornamental decoration in 1771. The desire to expand the interior space and create a versatile destination that could be adapted to the different uses of the hall, such as meetings and conversations, ceremonies, and gambling, is evident throughout the space. Even after the decorative work carried out during the ‘restoration’ by Antonio Tagliaferri in 1894 (addition of mirrors, plaster cherubs by Francesco Gusneri, and frescoed statues by Bortolo Schermini), the hall remains one of the most interesting creations.

The Caffè del Teatro Grande – Berlucchi s a historic and cultural café located in the heart of the city, where you can enjoy breakfast, a snack, or an aperitif surrounded by unique settings: the Ridotto del Teatro Grande, the Saletta Butterfly, and the Saletta del Teosa. Every year, Friday evenings are dedicated to the beloved Aperitivi in Jazz, which enliven the Ridotto del Teatro Grande with live music.

The space that now houses the café counter was originally the headquarters of the academic regency. Shortly afterwards, due to military requirements, it was converted into a fencing school, which was run by the talented academics themselves. Only after the Academy was transformed into a theater was the space converted for the first time into a café, otherwise known as the theater's Buvette (Buffet). The spaces are decorated with ornamental paintings by the master Francesco Tellaroli in 1787.

This room, now mainly used for the activities of the Caffè del Teatro Grande - Berlucchi, owes its name to the presence of various historical memorabilia relating to Giacomo Puccini's famous opera Madama Butterfly and its performance in Brescia, which sealed its success after the fiasco of its premiere in Milan at La Scala.
The Teatro Grande hosted a revised and corrected version of Puccini's tragedy during the 1904 Opera Season, the year in which the city hosted the Brescia Exhibition in the Castle area, marking the triumph of this masterpiece.
Among the various items on display in the Hall are the large original poster from the time promoting the opera, an autographed letter by Giacomo Puccini written during the rehearsal period, a photograph of the cast (notably featuring Ukrainian soprano Solomija Krušel'nyc'ka and tenor Giovanni Zenatello in the leading roles), and the certificate of merit that the Brescia Exhibition Committee awarded to the Teatro Grande Deputation for the opera performances organized for the 1904 Exhibition.

Until 1809, this small space housed a place of worship dedicated to St. James the Apostle, part of the medieval religious complex that stood behind the current theater building, corresponding to the current porter's lodge and artists' entrance.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the room was used as a games room for the senior French officers of the Grande Armée, who were then present in Brescia following the Italian Campaign.
In 1811, the room was frescoed by the Clarense painter Giuseppe Teosa. The subjects depicted on the walls — as well as the presence of the color green, echoed in the fabrics that furnish the room — clearly refer to the theme of gaming and the nineteenth-century use of this space. The two niches on the main wall depict Wealth on the left, with a cornucopia overflowing with gold coins, and Fortune, bearing the Wheel of Fate. The central space houses a depiction of the key moment in the myth of Heracles, after the abduction of his beloved Deianira by the centaur Nessus, who had fallen in love with her. The complexity of the drama and the various machinations that punctuate it allude to the world of theater and staging. On the ceiling, some mythological figures (probably Diana and Mercury) are playing a game of dice.