Milan's Teatro degli Arcimboldi Launches Design Contest for Dressing Rooms

Milan's Teatro degli Arcimboldi, currently closed to performances, has launched a design contest called "Vietato l'ingresso" to renovate its dressing rooms. Curated by Giulia Pellegrino, the initiative invites 17 Milan-based architecture and design studios to each adopt and redesign a dressing room as part of a broader renovation that will also include the foyer and services. Participants include Atelierzero, Park Associati, DAP Studio, Francesco Rota Architettura, Lupettatelier, and RGA Studio, among others. The renovations are supported by technical partners to avoid impacting the theater's budget. In September, during Fuorisalone, the public will be able to visit the dressing rooms and vote for their favorite. The winning studio will be commissioned to renovate the "Camerino Muti," the largest and most famous dressing room, inaugurated by conductor Riccardo Muti when the theater opened in 2002. This 40-square-meter room has hosted stars such as Roberto Bolle, the Dalai Lama, Bob Dylan, Paolo Conte, and Charles Aznavour. The theater, designed by Vittorio Gregotti (who died of COVID-19 in March 2021), has a strong architectural heritage, having been built as a temporary replacement for La Scala during its early 2000s renovation. Gregotti also contributed to the design of the surrounding Bicocca district. The contest aims to blend performance and design, engaging the public in the theater's renewal.