Teatro Eleonora Duse, Historic theater in central Genoa, Italy.
Teatro Eleonora Duse is a performance venue in central Genoa with approximately 500 seats distributed between the main floor and an upper gallery. The interior displays classical architectural features that emphasize the intimate character of the space.
The theatre's history began with a small hall of the same name in Piazza Tommaseo, active from 1947 to 1950 under impresario Aldo Trabucco. The new building on Via Bacigalupo, next to the Politeama Genovese damaged in the 1941-42 bombings, was inaugurated in 1954 with Lope de Vega's L'amo di Fenisa. Two years later, under Ivo Chiesa, it became the seat of the Stabile di Genova; in March 2018 it joined the Teatro Nazionale di Genova.
The theatre is named after Eleonora Duse, the actress it honours. Its side programme of meetings, conferences, readings and debates earned it a reputation as a sort of "Piccolo", second only to the Milanese theatre directed by Paolo Grassi and Giorgio Strehler. Lina Volonghi, born in Genoa, staged here an adaptation of Remigio Zena's La bocca del lupo.
The building is located downtown near Piazza Corvetto and is easily reached by public transportation. The best time to visit is during the theater season, and it is wise to check the schedule in advance of your trip.
The theatre's name comes from a smaller hall on Piazza Tommaseo, active from 1947 to 1950, which housed the Dicea amateur company. The present building on Via Bacigalupo was built next to the Politeama Genovese, badly damaged in the 1941-42 bombings of Genoa.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,219 contributors worldwide.