Since the 19th century, when Ireneo Aleandri built it as the Teatro dei Condomini over an old wooden structure and its horseshoe plan, the Feronia Theatre still preserves a wide stage, a parterre, three rows of boxes, 56 in total, characterized by elegant balconies enriched by paintings.

The balcony is similar to the boxes and their columns and arches. The arch vaults offer a sense of lightness thanks to the shape of the lunettes, by Antonio Bibbiena, whereas the proscenium arch has at its base two giant lesenes which encompass the proscenium boxes. Filippo Bigioli (1798-1878), painter from San Severino Marche, sketched the painting on the stage curtain, the paintings of the roof and the boxes. They were later realized by Raffaele Fogliardi, painter-scenographer from Ascoli.

The historic stage curtain dedicated to the Goddess Feronia, protector of slaves, represents a scene of liberation of a slave. The slave is sitting in the hall of a temple, while the goddess puts a pileus over his head as a sign of freedom.

The theatre was inaugurated in 1828 and throughout the 19th century until the beginning of the 20th century, it was the venue of important opera seasons, with great composers such as Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Mecadante, Filippo Marchetti from Camerino, Puccini and Umberto Giordano. As far as drama theatre is concerned, many plays written by great playwrights were performed there, to name some: Shakespeare, Racine, Molière, Marivaux, Beaumarchais, Goldoni, Feydeau, Gogol, Ibsen, Cecov, Oscar Wilde, Giacosa, Svevo, Joyce, Pirandello, Rosso di San Secondo, O’Neil, Brecht, Eduardo de Filippo, Durrenmatt and Dario Fo.

On December 26, 1896, the theatre held its first film screening and its use as a movie theatre lasted until 1960, when the building was deemed unusable. In 1961, the Sovrintendenza per i Beni Architettonici delle Marche (Superintendence for Architectural Heritage of the Marche Region) classified the theatre as “a historical and artistic building”. In 1969, the theatre was transferred to the Municipality free of charge, with the constraint of using the building for cultural and theatrical activities only. In 1970, the Superintendence began consolidation and restoring works, which were terminated in 1984. On March 29-30, 1985, the theatre hald a grand reopening with a concert by the Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra, directed by Kurt Woss and with the participation of soprano Katia Ricciarelli.

From that moment on the theatre held and still holds the unique position of San Severino Marche’s hub of cultural and social life.