The Hidden Theatres of the Marche, Ian Arnott, Italy Architecture Book, Italian Architecture

The Hidden Theatres of the Marche

Architectural Publication by Ian Arnott, Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland

29 May 2013

Italian Theatre Publication

by Ian Arnott

Ian Arnott examines the concentration of theatres in a small region in Italy, in The Hidden Theatres of the Marche

A hidden heritage or just a load of old teatri?

How did a tiny, isolated, backward area of Italy come to have over 100 theatres? Many of them are architectural gems and still in working order today. What drove almost every small town or village to demand and get its own theatre?

Award-winning architect Ian Arnott discovered a small region of great character and beauty, 100 miles by 50 miles, little known even to the rest of Italy, which, in the eighteenth century, with a population of less than a million, had 113 functioning theatres. This legacy was truly unique and, it seemed, largely unknown outside the Marche. But why and how did it happen? Why theatres? How did they manage to build all of them?

image from publisher

Ian was given a Sir William Gillies Award from the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture RSA to find out, and he presents these findings in this fascinating and entertaining book. He examines the origins of the Marche’s theatre boom and analyses the historic, social and architectural significance of this remarkable theatre heritage from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century and examines the factors which led to such an explosion of theatre building in this relatively isolated area of Italy. Joseph Farrell, Professor Emeritus of the University of Strathclyde and an eminent authority of Italian theatre, provides a foreword for the book.

Curiosity drove Ian to explore the Marche’s unique heritage and create this book. He writes, The Hidden Theatres of the Marche seeks to uncover some explanation for such a wonderful phenomenon, and in so doing, make the precious theatre legacy of the Marche a little better known.

If the value and originality of Arnott’s work lies in his detailed research and multi-angled approach, its charm derives from his patent enthusiasm and ability to convey that enthusiasm. Professor Emeritus Joseph Farrell IANARNOTT, RSA RIBA FRIAS, is an architect, retired from the practice of Campbell and Arnott. He is an Academician of the RSA and winner of their Gold Medal for Architecture, in addition to many other awards in his career as architect and planner.

PUBLICATION DATE: 1st June 2013
ISBN: 9781780885360
Price: £15.95

Italian Architecture

Theatre Buildings