The Municipal Theater is a theater located in Pietrasanta, in Versilia.
The first plant of a theater in Pietrasanta, probably a rectangular room with a stage, dates back to 1652 and was built on the area occupied by two salt warehouses.
In 1779 a group of citizens who formed the Accademia degli Aerostatici decided to demolish the first hall and to rebuild a theater more suitable for performances of comedies and carnival. The new theater, horseshoe-shaped with three tiers of boxes, was inaugurated in 1784 and remained in that form until its renovation in 1937. On that occasion, according to Andrea Bibolotti’s project, instead of the three tiers of boxes a gallery structure was built on two levels supported by columns.
The activity of the theater from the second half of the 19th century to the early 1900s, as far as prose was concerned, favored drama with strong human and social hues such as La sepolta viva, La famiglia del fabbro, Le due orfanelle. However, there were also works by Goldoni, Alfieri and Shakespeare. Opera and operetta were also widely represented and very successful.
Further changes were made in 1960: the room became rectangular, a new gallery was built and the ceiling was covered with soundproofing panels.
In 1991 the renovation, expansion and adaptation to current regulations were completed as part of the FIO regional plan for the recovery of historic theaters, based on a project by the engineer Ivano Bellandi. With this intervention, in addition to improving the visibility of both the hall and the gallery, realizing the systems according to the safety regulations in force, redoing the floors and walls, and renewing the stage equipment, we also proceeded to create, in an adjacent building , new dressing rooms for the artists.
In 1991 the theater was reopened to the public by a concert by the Tuscan Regional Orchestra.
Home to an important Winter Theater Season of Prose, the Cinema-Theatre has been administered by the La Versiliana Foundation since 2010.
