Teatro Grassi, the original location of the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, was founded in the post-war years by Giorgio Strehler, Paolo Grassi and Nina Vinchi, converting what was previously the Broletto cinema into “an arts theatre for all.”
It was the first example of a resident theatre company in Italy. It opened on 14 May 1947, staging “L'albergo dei poveri” (The Lower Depths) by Maxim Gorky, on an evening in which all Milan’s personalities from the world of culture and entertainment were present.
The theatre on Via Rovello, presently closed for refurbishment, has five hundred seats and a very small stage and has catered to needs of various performances from the 1960s. The company enlarged its premises firstly with Teatro Studio in the 1980s and later with Teatro Strehler.
From the start, the theatre’s programme was mixed in character, with international titles as well as others linked to its roots. Today, each season includes the classics, contemporary drama, dance, and children’s theatre. Productions feature famous names on the Italian and international scene: Propeller, Daniel Auteuil, Luca De Filippo, Moni Ovadia, Giorgio Albertazzi, Ronconi and, of course, Giorgio Strehler’s repertoire.
The Piccolo Teatro is considered as Italy’s first public resident theatre company. It is the founding member of UTE, Union of European Theatres.