Library and collection of drama Burcardo

( Biblioteca e raCCOlta teatrale del Burcardo )

 

Founded in 1932 by the SIAE (Italian authors' and editors' society), this institution is located in the historic Palazzo del Burcardo, built between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th by the pope's master of ceremonies, Johannes Burckhardt, on land owned by the Monastery of Farfa, which lay behind the current Teatro Argentina. Its proximity to and close ties with the adjacent theatre, cultivated in the 18th century by the Cesarini family, who owned the whole block up till the end of the 19th century, explains the Municipality of Rome's decision to entrust the renaissance building to the SIAE on a permanent basis in 1929 for the creation of a National Theatre Museum and Theatre Library Indeed, the choice is particularly in line with the historical vocation displayed by the area in this direction: there was already a theatre here in Roman times, the famous Theatre of Pompey, the first brick structure of its kind in Ancient Rome.

The 15th century building had become seriously dilapidated and was subjected to a series of inappropriate additions over the years.

It was first restored in 1931 and then again in 1995, recuperating the building's original Northern-Gothic architectural and decorative features, which are virtually unique in Rome (the terraced plan, on the other hand, is typical of Roman middle class buildings of the period) and uncovering the original frescoes of views of the city.

This is the evocative setting for the library's various rich collections, which are all from the world of the theatre and include scripts, manuscripts, autographs, papers, bills, programmes and posters, in addition to paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, marionettes, costumes and an archive of images containing over 21,000 photos.

These categories were all present in the museum's original core, the collection of Luigi Rasi, actor, scholar of theatre history and former director of the Florence Acting School, which was purchased by the SIAE in 1918.

The most important nuclei are those of Petrolini (costumes, pictures, prints and sculptures), Onorati (caricatures) and Carelli (sketches for sets).

There is also a valuable collection of 94 statuettes displaying masks and an 18th century series of richly draped Chinese marionettes.

Information and Addresses

Address Via del Sudario, 44

Visiting Hours from Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 1.30 pm

Telephone 06 6819471; Fax 06 68194727

Price € 2,00; concessions € 1,00

 

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