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Rome's Globe Theatre stairs collapses after school show, students injured

By: Wanted in Rome

Date:

22 Sep, 2022

Globe Theatre in Villa Borghese hosts Shakespearean festival.

A timber staircase at Rome's Globe Theatre, in the central Villa Borghese park, partially collapsed at lunchtime on Thursday at the end of a show for schools.

Around 10 people were left injured, none of them seriously, and taken to hospitals in Rome after being rescued by fire fighters, according to news reports.

#Roma, crollo parziale di una scalinata del Globe Theatre a Villa Borghese durante l’esodo a fine spettacolo. Coinvolti lievemente alcuni ragazzi soccorsi dai #vigilidelfuoco. In corso le operazioni di messa in sicurezza dell’area [#22settembre 13:50] pic.twitter.com/nJKqLN8UOu
— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) September 22, 2022

An investigation is underway into the incident which occurred as students were leaving the theatre after attending a show.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri said that the staircase had undergone maintenance this summer and that the theatre would now remain closed indefinitely as a result of the incident.

Rome's Globe Theatre was named after Gigi Proietti last year.

Rome's annual Shakespearean festival is underway at the theatre which is a full-scale timber reproduction of Shakespeare’s Globe, copied from the original oak and thatch designs, and almost identical to the one that stands on London’s South Bank.

Built in just three months, the theatre was the result of an idea by the late Rome actor and comedian Gigi Proietti who directed and performed in the Shakespearean festival every year until his death in 2020 aged 80.

Last year the Globe Theatre was renamed after Proietti who was succeeded as artistic director by the Oscar-winning Italian composer Nicola Piovani.

Photo Vigili del Fuoco

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