Description

La Città del Teatro was born from the recovery of an industrial area in disuse: a machinary factory for wood manufacturing, built in the 50’s in Cascina, known as the city of furniture. Today it is a state of the arts cultural centre, born thanks to the commitment of a group of artists and a community who understood and made the initiative its own. The project was made possible thanks to a financing from the European Union. La Città del Teatro is managed by the Fondazione Sipario Toscana, the theatrical company that conceived and executed the project, as well as providing its identity and content. Sipario Toscana is a public-private foundation, established between the Province of Pisa, the Town of Cascina, the Town of San Giuliano Terme and the cooperative Sipario. It has been aknowledged by the Ministry for Heritage and Culture as well as the Tuscan Region. Sipario Toscana originated from the evolution of the Teatro delle Pulci and of Sipario Stregato, initially devoted to the production of theatre for children and young audiences, branch that currently represents a minor part of its own activity. Today, Sipario Toscana’s policy is to produce and promote cutting edge art’s theatre.

La Città del Teatro, also known as Villagio Globale, besides presenting the productions of Sipario Toscana, hosts evening and daytime seasons, the Festival Metamorfosi, a music live club, open air cinema during the summer, and a Research and Training Department that collaborates with the University of Pisa. Fondazione Sipario Toscana has been entrusted with the artistic programming of the Teatro Rossini in the nearby town of San Giuliano Terme. La Città del Teatro’s restaurant and live club is managed in association with the musical promoter Metarock. A context open to relationships, La Città del Teatro is a centre of artistic production in permanent evolution, addressed to quality, generational exchange and innovation.

Former use : machinary factory for wood manufacturing
Total surface of the site : over 5000 square meters
Architect of the rehabilitation : Stefano Pupeschi
Location : city suburb; recovery of an industrial area in disuse
Foundation year of the centre : 1993
Type of occupation : free-lending contract
Owner of the building : Municipality of Cascina

Infrastructures / Facilities

La Città del Teatro is a building of over 5000 square meters, completely devoted to the theater, to the performing arts, to the research and production of artistic and cultural work. It includes three venues of various stage dimensions, among which a Politeama with 700 seats, an outdoor arena, various workshops, two rehearsal rooms, a recording studio, a gym, a restaurant and live club, an open air cinema during the summer, a research and training department, classrooms, storage space and an office building besides other covered and open air facilities in the process of being restructured.

Social and artistic disciplines

La Città del Teatro is a centre of research, production, training and programming in the fields of theatre, dance, music, performing arts and multidisciplinarity. A venue devoted to performing arts and contemporary arts forms, space of ideation and projects conception that operates in collaboration with public and private institutions, on local, national and international field.

¸ RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION

 Studies for production and scenic actions of contemporary theatre
 Production experimentations and workshops on discomfort, childhood and new generations
 Projects for artistic residencies and co-productions

¸ PROJECTS

 Festival of contemporary theatre, metamorfosi festival
 Forum on disorder of the arts
 Project of relationships with artists, people and cultures from Africa and Asia, direzione sud/est

¸ RESEARCH AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT

 Research and professional training
 University of Pisa: master post-degree in theatre and communication
 Workshop with national and international artists from the performing arts
 Meetings, training and educational activities for schools and local communities
 Consultation and documentation centre
 Publishing

¸ PROGRAMMING

 Theatre and contemporary dance
 Theatre for young generations
 Theatre and multidisciplinarity
 Music
 Cinema and video-art
 Contemporary arts exhibitions

Other structures/organisations resident on the site

 ZONEGEMMA (new technologies applied to the performing arts)
 METAROCK (music events)

Financial support

Sipario Toscana obtains annual grants from:
 Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities
 Tuscany Region
 Province of Pisa
 Cascina Municipality
 San Giuliano Terme Municipality

ANNUAL BUDGET: 2.423.100 € (2004)

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Networks

 Trans Europe Halles
 Iris