Audioguide

1. The History: from 1740 to 1936

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Welcome to the Teatro Regio Torino, one of the oldest opera houses in Italy. The origins of the theatre date back to the beginning of the 18th century, when Vittorio Amedeo II, the first king of the Savoy dynasty, commissioned architect Filippo Juvarra to design and construct a grand new theatre as part of the more general urban reorganization of Piazza Castello and the city of Torino.

The intention, however, was realised only a few years later by Carlo Emanuele III (crowned king in 1730) who, after the death of Juvarra, chose to entrust the project to architect Benedetto Alfieri, with the request to design a theatre of great prestige. The «Regio Teatro» of Torino, built in the record time of two years, was inaugurated on 26 December 1740 with Arsace by Francesco Feo. It immediately became an international reference point because of its capacity – about 2,500 seats counting the stalls and the five tiers of boxes and balcony –, the magnificent decorations in the auditorium with the vault painted by Sebastiano Galeotti, the impressive scenes and the technical equipment, as well as the quality of the performances. 

Each season began on 26 December, concluded with the end of Carnival and included two new opere serie written expressly for the Theatre. During the 18th century such celebrated Italian composers as Galuppi, Jommelli, Cimarosa and Paisiello wrote for the Regio, as did foreign composers like Gluck, Johann Christian Bach and Hasse. Moreover, the most famous castrati and prima donna of the period sang there, contributing in a decisive way to the success of the performances. Arousing no less interest were the dancers, who appeared in the two entr’acte ballets and in the final choreographic action that was part of each opera. 

After being closed for five years (1792-1797) the Regio changed name several times, reflecting the changes in historical events: in 1798 it became «Teatro Nazionale», in 1801 «Grand Théâtre des Arts» and in 1804 «Théâtre Impérial».

Napoleon attended performances on three different occasions, and top-ranking artists, including soprano Isabella Colbran, tenor Nicola Tacchinardi and choreographer Salvatore Viganò came to Torino.

The Savoys regained possession of the theatre with the Restoration. At the time of Carlo Felice, a great music lover, virtuosi like Giuditta Pasta and Domenico Donzelli performed on stage at the Regio, but in the nineteenth century Torino became lost importance in comparison to Milan, Naples and Venice.

Under Carlo Alberto the auditorium received a Neo-classical imprint. In the middle of the century a few changes were introduced in the programming: the season was extended to the period of Carnival-Lent, and included five or more mainly repertoire operas (and no longer those written expressly for the Theatre). Furthermore, beginning with Rossini’s Barber of Seville (1855), the Regio began performing opera buffa.

New renovations by Angelo Moja in 1861 gave the auditorium a Neo-baroque appearance.

In 1870 the City of Torino took over ownership of the Regio. In those years the history of the Theatre interwove with that of the Civic Orchestra and the Popular Concerts conceived by Carlo Pedrotti, who brought important novelties to the repertoire by introducing the music of Wagner and Massenet in the programming. The debut of Arturo Toscanini at the Theatre was also in the name of Wagner. The Maestro collaborated with the Orchestra from 1895 to 1898 and on 26 December 1905, after the renovations supervised by Ferdinando Cocito, inaugurated the new auditorium with Siegfried.

Other important composers in the history of the Regio are Giacomo Puccini, who christened Manon Lescaut (1893) and La bohéme (1896) in Torino, and Richard Strauss, who in 1906 conducted Salome in the Italian première. The last great première hosted by the old Regio was Francesca da Rimini by Riccardo Zandonai, on the libretto by Gabriele D’Annunzio. After being closed during the wartime period, the Theatre dedicated itself to repertoire operas. 

During the night of February 8^th and 9^th, 1936, the Theatre was destroyed by a terrible fire and it would take almost forty years to rebuild it.

 

2. From 1936 to the present day

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After the fire of 1936, there was the problem of deciding who should be in charge of the project of reconstructing the Theatre. The announcement of competition published in 1937 was won by the architects Aldo Morbelli and Robaldo Morozzo della Rocca. 

Their project, however, was never fully realised: in 1965, in fact, the city administration proposed a new solution by entrusting the work to architect Carlo Mollino and engineer Marcello Zavelani Rossi. The work began in early September 1967 and was completed in the early months of 1973.

The new Teatro Regio was inaugurated on 10 April 1973 with Giuseppe Verdi’s opera I vespri siciliani, directed by Maria Callas and Giuseppe Di Stefano. Since that date productive activity has been progressively increasing, right up to the occasions that have left their mark on the history of the Regio’s recent years: in 1990 the 250th anniversary of its founding, in 1996, live on television, the centennial of the  premiere of La Bohème, in 1998 the 25 years of the new theatre (with an important acoustic restoration), in 2006 the extraordinary adventure of the XX Winter Olympic Games and the Cultural Olympics.

The Opera and Ballet Season, which provides for at least ten titles from October to June, is joined by many other activities: symphonic-choral and chamber concerts that see the involvement of the Teatro Regio Orchestra and Chorus; a series of shows staged at the Piccolo Regio and intended for a new audience and for families; events like Torino Settembre Musica, Torinodanza, RegioneInTour, Punto Verde Giardini Reali and others that are organized in collaboration with  local institutions; The Opera School, a full calendar of activities and shows for children and teens; and also conferences, guided tours and exhibits. All of these are events that Teatro Regio places at the centre of the artistic and cultural life of Torino, projecting the theatre onto the international scene.

 

3. The Genius of Mollino

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On 25 March 1965, the city administration promoted a new solution, entrusting the work to the engineer Marcello Zavelani Rossi and the architect Carlo Mollino, professor of architectural composition at the Politecnico of Torino and the architect of the Rai Auditorium and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts building. The work got underway at the beginning of September 1967.

The work was designed with totally modern criteria, having prevailed, after long and heated debate, the current of thought that believed it necessary to face the problem of reconstruction not on the basis of earlier models but on new architectural, urban and social orientations.  
Mollino had to face numerous problems, especially tied to the fact that the new Theatre not only had to be made part of a pre-existing urban context of considerable historical-architectural importance, but that it was necessary to integrate it with Alfieri’s surviving austere façade.

The extraordinary personality of Mollino thus led him to give vent to his imagination by suggesting the old Baroque progenitor through the use of curved lines and sinuosity, an idea as original as it was inspired. The stylistic constant that more than any other characterizes the external and internal feature of each part of the new Teatro Regio – of which Mollino designed every detail, from the doorknobs to the lights, from the stairways to the structures in reinforced cement – is precisely the curved line. 

The exterior of the Theatre is characterised by the use of materials that integrate very well with the surrounding buildings. In addition to the brick, the rusticated cement and the Luserna stone that also covers part of the fly tower, two large windows lighten the external “flanks”, creating a suggestive exchange of vistas between the interior and exterior. 

Carlo Mollino was unable to enjoy his masterpiece for long: in fact, he died in August 1973, soon after the inauguration of the Theatre, his artistic-professional testament.

 

4. Architecture and Technology

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The roof of the Theatre, in the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid shell, was created by engineer Felice Bertone. By now it is a part of the Torino skyline, like the Mole Antonelliana.

The Teatro is arranged over 8 floors, 4 subterranean and 4 above ground, from a depth of –12,50m to a maximum height of +32m. The offices are in the Alfieri wing towards piazza Castello, while the modern structure accommodates the foyers, the auditorium, the stalls and the stage, as well as all the technical services of the Theatre, including, among other things, two modern rehearsal halls for the chorus and orchestra, a large directing studio, the dance studio, the costume workshop, the cafeteria and another theatre, the “Giacomo Puccini” Piccolo Regio, which has a capacity of 380 seats. 

The technical workshops (sets, woodworking and carpentry), once housed in the underground heart of the edifice, are now situated in decentralized locations.

The advanced technology of the structures, constantly modernized to meet increased production needs, place the Teatro Regio in the vanguard internationally: the stage, one of the largest and most mechanized in Europe, makes it possible to accommodate stage sets of considerable complexity, even more than one at a time.

 

5. The façade

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The façade of the Theatre is the only architectural element remaining from the former building constructed by Count Benedetto Alfieri and destroyed in the fire of 1936: it occupies part of the East side of  Piazza Castello and hides the new Regio from view. Carlo Mollino used this façade to create a building for the administrative offices (the “Palazzina Alfieri”), connected to the new structure by way of the Galleria Tamagno.

 

6. Side walls

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The side walls of the building, of a particular curvilinear form going back to the Baroque period, are lined partly in terra cotta and partly in glass. In elegant contrast, corresponding to the maximum curvature of the walls, are the large windows that converge on the connecting points with the former building. Instead, the rustication of the sections in terra cotta create the form of an eight-pointed star, another reference to Baroque style in Torino and an explicit reproduction of the decoration in the courtyard of Palazzo Carignano, the famous work of Guarino Guarini.

 

7. Venues

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Seen from above, the plan of the Theatre recalls the hips of a woman, while the stalls look like a partially opened shell. The foyers are covered in vermilion-coloured upholstery and carpeting,  adorned with mirrors and finished with quality materials including bronze and marble, and crowned by bare reinforced cement that shows off the originality and modernity of the supporting structures. Two symmetrical escalators, placed with great emphasis against the windows of the Tamagno Gallery, have an extraordinary scenographic effect. This luxury in the use of materials and in the grandiosity of the foyers, refined and unequivocal, was justified by Mollino himself with the need to provide Torino with a meeting place of absolute prestige to celebrate with due prominence the great events of city life.

The new Teatro Regio is hidden from view for visitors coming from Piazza Castello: this is due to Mollino’s decision, which proved successful, to conserve the façade of the former building, the only part to survive the fire and thus allow for its reutilization.

 

8. The Foyer

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The foyer of a theatre is the area outside the auditorium where audiences can congregate before performances, during intermissions and after performances. Inside the Teatro Regio di Torino, this zone is an open space without divisions by floor, distributed over four levels. In his design, Carlo Mollino resolved the problem of the relationship with the previous architecture of Alfieri and Castellamonte by keeping the buildings adjacent to the Theatre in view. The Foyer is composed of different areas and is characterised by visible architectural elements and by the predominance of the colour red. Its 4,000 sq meters allow the public to move comfortably in the available space.

 

9. The ceiling and windows

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The ceiling of the Foyer looks like a succession of geometric shapes in exposed concrete, bent and creased in conformity with polyhedral shapes that give load-bearing capacity and rigidity to the structure.

The large windows in crystal glass allow for maximum use of the natural light and a reciprocal exchange of internal-external perspective, enabling one to view the architecture facing the Theatre, in particular the State Archive, designed by Filippo Juvarra, on the side of the Piazzetta Mollino. The movement lent to those surfaces frees the rigid layout of a narrow passage that would otherwise have been created with the parallel walls of the adjacent buildings.

 

10. The main entrance

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The main entrance consists of a series of twelve double doors in burnished crystal, separated by granite partitions but connected visually by a sequence of elliptic openings. The solution, defined as comb-like, allows for an orderly distribution of the public as it enters the building.

A precise architectural choice identified Sardinian granite as having the best coloration to be placed alongside the green Roya stone.

 

11. Cloakroom

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Facing the main entrance, the cloakroom is constituted by a fan-shaped counter that is 30 metres in length so as to allow the public to spread out and to facilitate rapid service. At the sides of the cloakroom are two elliptic-shaped rooms where a closed-circuit television permits the viewing of the performance for the benefit of latecomers.

 

12. Chandeliers

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The chandeliers in the foyer, with their pattern repeated outside the Theatre, were designed, like all the architectural and decorative details, by Mollino himself. They are made up of illuminated globes arranged in clusters of various dimensions, similar in style to the illumination of nineteenth-century opera houses.

The globes, distributed around the foyer, thus create lighting compositions of different shapes  which are also found in pairs in the auditorium, near each box.

 

13. Staircases

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Two staircases intertwine in a spiral around a central body enclosing the lifts;  two other staircases branch out at the ends of the foyer along the perimeter of the auditorium and lead to the entrances to the boxes, the two higher entrances to the auditorium and the floor where the bars are located.

The four staircases rest on exposed concrete structures jutting from the perimetrical cylindroid of the auditorium, and mirror the structure of the boxes. To these two pairs of staircases are added the two symmetrical escalators overlooking the Galleria Tamagno.

 

14. Passageways and bars

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At a height of 7 metres, two passageways with walls of crystal connect both physically and symbolically the modern building with the old one.

On the passageways there are two bars with elliptic-shaped marble counters. This is the best place for viewing at the same time the architecture of the State Archive designed by Castellamonte and the inside of the wing of Palazzo Alfieri. 

 

15. The “Musical Odyssey” gate

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The gate, erected in 1994 to close the Galleria Tamagno, is an abstract work by the sculptor Umberto Mastroianni. It is opened only on the occasion of performances and is composed of two bronze elements placed on sliding tracks, subdivided in squares and panels of varying dimensions representing the theme of music.

 

16. Galleria Francesco Tamagno

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The large atrium – dedicated to the famous tenor from Torino, the first ever to sing the title role of Verdi’s Otello – accommodates the audience while it waits for the doors to open. Here, you can find, besides the main entrance, access to the Piccolo Regio “Giacomo Puccini” below.

Until 1997, when it was dedicated to Francesco Tamagno, the gallery was called “Atrio delle Carrozze” [Carriage Atrium]: in fact, in old theatres this was an area allocated to the transit of carriages transporting members of the audience. Besides accommodating the audiences before or after performances at the Theatre, it can also be utilized for organizing exhibits or hosting temporary shows.

 

17. Foyer del Toro

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The Foyer del Toro is a large hall – created inside the Palazzina Alfieri – that owes its name to the large marble mosaic representing a stylised rampant bull, the symbol of the city. This hall, the total area of which is 750 sq m, looks out on both Piazza Castello and the new building through a play of windows and mirrors, made even more seductive by the elegant illumination of globes. The false ceiling is created by a metallic grid containing a series of illuminating bodies. 

 

18. Hyperbolic paraboloid

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This is the precise name of the structure in concrete that rises above the building communicating with the auditorium, the structure that is normally referred to as “saddle-like”. An external terrace runs along the structure and makes it possible to admire from every angle the elegant sinuosity of its lines. On the north side of the terrace there are air vents, from where the air is aspirated and then conveyed to the purification system, at a depth of -12.50 m.

 

19. Sala Maria Callas

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The Sala Maria Callas is located close to the Foyer del Toro and is the junction of the old branch of Palazzo Reale with the State Archives. It was formerly called the Sala del Caminetto to signal the presence of an old marble hearth, a rare relic of the former Theatre, where the royal box was situated, saved from the fire of 1936.

The hall, which can hold up to 150 people, hosts conferences and didactic activities.

 

20. Auditorium and stalls

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The auditorium has the shape of a partially opened shell, its lines visibly converging on the stage. The descending stalls and the single tier of boxes allow a total capacity of 1,592 seats. The stalls, restored in 1996 to improve the acoustics, are composed of 29 descending rows and have a capacity of 1,398 seats.

The seats in the stalls, also involved in the restoration, are upholstered in red velvet, and the backs, like the walls and floor of the auditorium, are in beech wood.

 

21. Chandelier and ceiling

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The chandelier looks like an enchanting golden cascade laid out in a seemingly random way on a vast area of the vault. Composed of 1,762 stems equipped with light spots and 1,900 reflective stems in Perspex of various lengths, it has a total power of 70.5 KW, while each single light bulb is 40 W.

The auditorium is covered by a wooden dome in the shape of a shell. It has an original chromatic gradation that goes from ivory streaked with pale indigo to dark indigo.

The ceiling, being the principal element responsible for the acoustics of the auditorium, was studied in every minimum structural detail by engineers specialised in acoustical physics. It is supported by a system of metal cables connected to the external structure in concrete.

Between the ceiling of the auditorium and the concrete roof is an air space: a surreal ambient composed of cables and metallic cat walks. An entangled net of steel suspensions holds up the wooden dome and an amazing intersecting of cat walks reaches every corner of the airspace, making it possible to carry out any necessary maintenance work to the electrical, air and fire protection systems, avoiding direct contact with the delicate structure underneath.

From certain openings in the dome pass beams of light from large spotlights, called “occhi di bue”, from which strong cones of light are emitted which, crossing the length of the auditorium, hit specific points of the stage to throw objects or characters into relief.

 

22. Boxes and lighting control booth

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Along the circumference of the auditorium there is a tier of 31 descending boxes. The largest, with a capacity of 18 chairs, is in the middle, situated at the highest point. The side boxes have room for 6 or 4 chairs, for a total of 194 seats.

The entrance to the boxes is mediated by the presence of a back area furnished with a mirror and coat rack. The descending line of boxes towards the stage allows complete visibility, facilitated by the slight displacement of the parapets, which turn progressively more towards the stage. 
 
The oblong window of the lighting control booth is placed in the area under the central box. From here, using a computerised system, the lighting circuits of the stage are regulated. The booth is equipped with a mixer for special effects and two light mixers of 512 channels.

During performances, the lighting technician is in contact via audio with a musical collaborator backstage: in fact, even if the lighting effects are memorised during special rehearsals, the succession of lighting changes cannot be completely automated because musical tempos can change from performance to performance.

 

23. Orchestra pit, proscenium and curtains

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The orchestra pit is the space reserved for the orchestra and the conductor, and is composed of a section which is stationary – situated at a depth of 3 metres – and of a mobile floor which can be regulated to different heights, depending on the requirements of the stage.

For concert performances the floor of the orchestra pit is raised to stage level. The orchestra pit measures 8 x 19 meters. The proscenium, also involved in the acoustical restoration of 1996, forms the structure that connects the auditorium to the stage. It is a square constituted by mobile elements that make it possible to frame the stage in different ways.

The present proscenium, superimposed on Mollino’s original structure, is made up of two lateral mobile towers and the architrave above (arlecchino).

There are three types of curtains: the Grand Curtain (red, opening horizontally), the Imperial or tableau curtain (green, opening towards the upper corners) and the safety curtain (white), which weighs 29 tons.

 

24. Stage

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One of the largest in Europe, the stage of the Teatro Regio of Torino is a complex structure built on the Latin cross plan.

Dominated by the imposing fly tower, it is made up of the central stage, with its six lifts, two side stages and the rear stage.

The central stage and lifts

The central or “action” stage is the only part of the stage that is visible to the audience. It has both fixed and mobile parts, capable of recreating the most varied types of staging. There is no doubt that it represents the true heart of the theatre, at least for the audiences, who see dramas, passions and comedies consumed there.

The command post, however, is located far from the eyes of onlookers: on the second bridge of the fly tower, at a height of more than 7 metres! Each lift measures 19m x 2.25m; the total course is 7.2 meters: from 3.6 meters above stage level to 3.6 meters below. The static load of each lift is 14.7 tonnes.

 

25. Fly tower and side stages

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The fly tower dominates the central stage from its 32 metres of height. With its remarkable containment and load capacity, it can hold numerous pieces of machinery and backdrops, as well as wings and lights, which, thanks to the many fly bars, can be raised and hidden from the audience’s view.

The fly bars are long metal rods on which sets, lights and various mechanisms are connected. There are 64 in all, controlled both electrically and manually. For stage lighting, there are 512 circuits and 800 spotlights for a total power of 2,000 KW.

The side stages are two areas positioned symmetrically to the left and right of the central stage where sets and props are kept, allowing precious time to be saved during scene changes. They are equipped with modular slip stages that are utilised during every scene change: an operation that must be fast, organised and totally silent.

Singers, stagehands, prop men and wardrobe staff run back and forth frantically in the semi-darkness. Overseeing everything, the watchful eye and able direction of the stage manager.

 

26. Rear slip stage and set lift

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The rear slip stage is a sort of platform of large dimensions which permits rapid scene changes. To its left, instead, we find the set lift: a real elevator for sets. Thanks to these two enormous machines and other stage machinery, it is possible to build the most complex sets and realise the most daring scene changes.

Next to the set lift is the store-room for tools and implements used by the stage technicians. Between the main stage and the back slip stage, there is another safety curtain, which isolates acoustically the two zones, allowing at the same time a rehearsal on the slip stage and staging work on the main stage (or vice versa).

 

27. Sound laboratory

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The sound laboratory is the technological heart that makes it possible to broadcast the audio of a performance in progress to the technical areas and foyer (for the benefit of late-comers). On particular occasions, specific audio effects are realised here.

Inside this room – situated on the right side of the stage and elevated 3.5 metres from the floor – we find an excellent sound system made up of various professional mixers, different types of recorders, as well as computerised systems for audio/video elaboration and digital equalisation.

In addition, there are three service communication systems: a wired system, via radio and via two-way radios, allowing the technicians to communicate with each other from different locations. In addition, the sound laboratory is responsible for the closed circuit television system with fixed cameras (one in the auditorium to film the stage and another in the orchestra pit to film the conductor) that also transmits images to the foyer.

 

28. The subterranean area: rehearsal halls and service areas

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On the subterranean floors of the Theatre there are rooms of dimensions that are unthinkable for anyone who has never seen them. They are used as rehearsal halls, and include the dance studio, the directing studio and the twenty practice rooms; there are also storerooms and workshops (for costumes, make up and wigs).

Obviously, there are also dressing rooms, located under the artists’ entrance, and technological services such as the heating plant, the ventilation plant and the fire protection water tank, etc.

 

29. Dressing rooms

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These are 22 rooms where the artists get ready, located in an area under the stage.

Nearby is the orchestra room, where orchestra members prepare before going into the pit, and obviously, the makeup room. Besides the twenty-two dressing rooms situated under the stage, there is one dressing room on stage near the central stage.

 

30. Lift area

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Under the stage, at a depth of – 6.8 metres, there is a large space that allows for the movement of the lifts; the motors, instead, are situated at a level of – 12. 50 m.

 

31. Directing studio (Sala Regia)

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The directing studio is where staging rehearsals are held when the stage is unavailable. The rehearsals take place without the orchestra, which is substituted by a piano.

During these rehearsals the director works with the singers on aspects of acting and the use of the space on stage; it is therefore very important that the dimensions of the room be similar to those of the stage. In fact, this room extends over an area of 240 square metres.

 

32. Dance studio (Sala ballo)

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The dance studio makes use of an area of 180 sq m (15 x 12 metres) and its walls are completely covered with mirrors. The floor is covered with a dance carpet in PVC.

It is equipped with a piano, a stereo system and a video recorder.

 

33. Costume workshop

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The costume workshop, located on the second subterranean floor, is where stage costumes are prepared according to the needs of the artists appearing at the Regio. Contributing to the creation of the characters are also the makeup room, the shoe workshop and the wig workshop.

The work of the workshop staff is not limited to the work of preparation: their presence is also essential during performances to dress the artists, realise quick changes and for any emergencies. 

 

34. Piccolo Regio “Giacomo Puccini”

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Foyer

The foyer of the Piccolo Regio can be reached through two glass doors facing the Galleria Francesco Tamagno. The elegant staircases in white marble lead to the padded surroundings below. The foyer, like the auditorium of the Piccolo Regio, was completely restructured in 1988 to adapt to the new fire-protection laws, and the original green carpeting that lined the floors, walls and ceilings was replaced by mirrors and metallic elements. The new carpeting on the floor repeats, with different colours, Mollino’s original design, found in the Regio foyer. 

A second foyer area is dedicated to the display of documents belonging to the historical archives of the Theatre. Here, you can find costume figurines, libretti, sketches of the old curtains and a volume of the 1772 edition of the Encyclopédie by Diderot and D’Alembert containing Benedetto Alfieri’s projects. There is also a reproduction of the painting by Giovanni Michele Graneri representing the inside of the Teatro Regio during a performance; the original, painted around 1750, is part of the collection of the Civic Museum of Ancient Art of Palazzo Madama. 

 

35. Auditorium and Stage 

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The auditorium is made up of only stalls (seating capacity 380), from which an excellent view of the stage can be enjoyed regardless of the position. Like the foyer, there is pink and green pastel carpeting. On the walls, six panels by Lele Luzzati stand out (produced in 1981 for Il Matrimonio Segreto by Cimarosa), representing in an ironic and naïf way the atmosphere of eighteenth-century theatre boxes.

The stage of the Piccolo Regio has a reduced proscenium, but is highly considered, being equipped with suitable facilities for different types of performances. It has five lifts of  9 metres in width by 1 in depth, with a range of movement with respect to the level of the auditorium of 0 to +1 m. The stage has a maximum height of  3.8 metres.

 

36. Technological services

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Besides the areas that are visible, the theatre is equipped with numerous technological services – situated at more than 12 metres below ground and out of view – that include  the heating and air conditioning systems, the data centre and the emergency services.

The heating plant is composed of three water boilers, a steam boiler for the use of the stage (the vapour serves to settle the dust that is present after scene changes) and another steam boiler to humidify the air. There are two ventilation systems, made up of various units to treat the air, which can then be conveyed to the different areas of the building.

The fire protection water tank is located on the fourth subterranean floor and is part of the complex fire protection system. Emergency lights are guaranteed by three independent emergency light battery systems. The data centre, a sophisticated computerised system, is the central control and command panel for all the facilities of the theatre.

Finally, the sets workshop, where sets for new Teatro Regio productions are built, is located on the outskirts of Torino. The large shed, provided with ample space for construction, is also suitable for storing the sets produced by the Regio.