Teatro Arena del Sole, Municipal theatre in Roccabianca, Italy.
Teatro Arena del Sole is a theatre in Roccabianca with a rectangular floor plan and contemporary interior design. The auditorium holds about 324 seats without balconies and is lined with nine concrete statues depicting opera characters.
The open-air arena was built by Dr. Enzo Tomasinelli near the Rocca dei Rossi and inaugurated on 29 September 1946 with Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. Nine concrete statues by Ettore Ximenes, salvaged from the bombed Verdi monument in Parma, were placed beside the rectangular seating area. The hall was later covered and turned into a cinema-theatre, closed in 1995, bought by the Comune in 2006 and reopened on 25 April 2009.
The name Arena reflects its original open-air layout, which remains central to local cultural life today. Regular performances here bring together residents and visitors for shared theatrical experiences.
The foyer was carved out of the original hall during the renovation and is reached by crossing an entrance gallery opened in the building in front. The rectangular hall has no boxes and seats 324, with the nine Ximenes statues on tall pedestals along the sides. A ridotto occupies the upper floor above the foyer.
The nine concrete statues lining the walls are by sculptor Ettore Ximenes and depict opera characters in an asymmetrical arrangement. Six statues line the left side while only three decorate the right, creating an unusual artistic balance in the room.
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