Accademia dei Filodrammatici

The Accademia dei Filodrammatici is a historic Milanese institution that manages both the School for Actors and the Teatro Filodrammatici, allowing for a valuable exchange between the two realities.

Its history began in 1796 at the initiative of a group of young people who sought to spread the ideas of the French Revolution through theatre.

The first article of its Statute still states: “The Accademia dei Filodrammatici aims to foster the development of dramatic art and literature through courses of study, performances, and awards.”

The School, private and always free of charge, offers an intensive two‑year program preparing students for the acting profession.

The Theatre, rebuilt in the 1970s by Luigi Caccia Dominioni, is part of the network of theatres affiliated with the Municipality of Milan and is supported by the Lombardy Region and the Ministry of Culture.

The Accademia houses a Library that collects approximately 10,000 titles dating from 1500 onward, exclusively devoted to theatre. All titles can be consulted through the OPAC of the National Library System (SBN) and the Lombardy Region, as well as at https://accademiadeifilodrammatici.it/biblioteca/.

In 2019, Franca Valeri, a member of the Accademia dei Filodrammatici since the 1960s, donated her personal archive to the institution; it was declared of historical interest by the Ministry of Culture.

The materials are preserved within the Accademia’s Library. The collection includes photographs, scripts, letters, drawings and sketches, playbills, honors, and much more, covering the entire chronological span of the artist’s professional activity, from 1947 to 2019.