Situated inside Siena's Palazzo Comunale, the theatre was built around 1560 by Bartolomeo Neroni, known as Riccio. Having originally belonged to the Accademia degli Intronati, it was then acquired by the Accademia dei Filomati and only in 1802 by the Accademia dei Rinnovati. The theatre was rebuilt several times subsequent to unfortunate events that destroyed its original layout. Among the architects involved in its rebuilding, one who must be mentioned is Antonio Galli Bibiena, a member of the famous family of architects and set designers that, from the late 17th century up to around 1780, influenced through their achievements the concept of scenic space in Italy. Abandoning the traditional U-shape of the hall in favour of a more flaring shape, preferable for reasons of acoustics, the Bibiena family salvaged the traditional scenographic apparatus in more organic manner, providing in addition for the creation of functional spaces for the stage equipment and personnel.

In spite of subsequent modifications, carried out by nineteenth-century architects such as Agostino Fantastici and Alessandro Doveri, the theatre still conserves today its traditional bell shape with four orders of boxes, typical of the neo-classic taste that prevailed in the second half of the 18th century.