The entrance to the Social Theater is devoid of porticoes or colonnades because the narrowness of the street it overlooks does not allow for imposing constructions, but the result is equally surprising: as you cross the entrance, you will enter a magical, elegant but cozy environment, warmed by the wood of the parapets and ceiling beams.
The vertical development of the boxes, arranged in three tiers and topped by a fourth gallery, visually represents the hierarchies in force among the aristocratic classes of the time. This structure is requested from designer Leonardo Pollack expressly by the group of nobles financing the opera, as if to crystallize and emphasize the class differences of the time.
Because the Teatro della Società, that was the original name, was born as a response to a challenge: to stem the gradual and steady loss of the Upper City’s primacy to the suburbs of lower Bergamo.
But while magnificent, it will not be enough to reverse the course of history.
The Teatro della Società, now called Teatro Sociale, opened in 1808 with the aim of countering the rise of the Riccardi Theater, now Donizetti, located in lower Bergamo.
However, the Sociale will not succeed in preventing commercial, political and cultural activities from migrating outside the Walls within a few years.
Designer Pollack’s master was none other than the illustrious architect Piermarini, who designed La Scala in Milan. The floor plan of the stalls is not horseshoe-shaped, as was the custom in those days, but traces an elegant oval shape. The combination with the vertical development of the 86 boxes constitutes perhaps the most original aspect of the design; the wooden parapets of the boxes follow a continuous line, as Piermarini had done for La Scala, which gives the overall shape of the hall a harmonious uniformity with a classical feel.
Around 1900 and in the first decade of the century, the Sociale hall also hosted new genres such as operetta or even shows with the gramophone (1898) and the cinematograph (from 1908). Despite some good seasons in 1915 and the early 1920s, it closed in 1932.
After several changes of ownership, the building was purchased by the City of Bergamo in 1974 and secured in the following years.
Between 2006 and 2009, it was completely recovered in its role as a theater: the foyer floors were redone, walls, ceilings and the new entrance door were restored.
The first three tiers of boxes, with a total of about 500 seats, were restored by inserting a steel structure to reinforce the existing wooden one; for the fourth tier, the gallery, consolidation was planned to make it available for public access in the future.
Finally, a modern stage machine was set up, with a new stage and trellis, while the orchestral pit was equipped with a three-level elevating mechanical platform.
Today, the Social Theater is fully in operation, with a schedule full of interesting offerings, from prose to contemporary paths and music; it is possible to visit it on days when there are no mounts or special events, with prior reservation.