Teatro Astra, Theatre in Turin, Italy.
Teatro Astra is a theatre in Turin's Campidoglio district, built in 1928 as the Cinema Teatro Savoia to a design by Contardo Bonicelli. Its facade is protected by the Soprintendenza, and the interior keeps art deco marbles, boiseries and balustrades. The hall has 1250 seats arranged as a stepped gradinata sloping down to the stage, which sits level with the first row.
Commissioned in 1928 by the philanthropists Andrea and Margherita Verna, the building opened on 22 December 1928 as the Cinema Teatro Savoia, designed by Contardo Bonicelli. It originally held 1250 seats and in the 1940s housed the cinema management company Sagec. It took its current name in the 1950s and reopened on 28 January 2006 after restoration by architect Agostino Magnaghi.
The theatre's name changed from Cinema Teatro Savoia to Teatro Astra in the 1950s. Since 2009 it has been managed by the Fondazione Teatro Piemonte Europa (TPE), which holds its performance season there. The building belongs to the city of Turin.
The auditorium is a sloping gradinata rather than a flat stalls floor, with the stage at the level of the first row, so the front seats sit closest to the performers. The building is owned by the city of Turin and has been managed by the Fondazione Teatro Piemonte Europa since 2009.
The auditorium has no flat stalls: seats rise in a slope down to the stage, which sits level with the front row, so the usual barrier between actors and audience is almost removed. The 2006 restoration by architect Agostino Magnaghi, commissioned by the Fondazione Teatro Stabile di Torino, kept the art deco marbles, wood panelling and balustrades.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,422 contributors worldwide.