Originally conceived as society meeting places, the historic theatres of the Marche have played an important role in developing the strong musical culture and the love of entertainment, a distinguishing trait that the tourist can still appreciate today by attending events during the series of theatrical representations and concerts that take place throughout the year. Over seventy historic theatres do in fact put on seasons of opera, classical music, dance, and plays. 

The Marche has been labelled as the region of theatres, mostly built in the 18th and 19th centuries: grandiose and splendorous such as those of Pesaro, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno; valuable because they preserve period scene changing machinery such as that of theatre at Offida. Theatres that are authentic miniature treasure chests such as that of Montegiorgio and the theatre at Rocca di Sassocorvaro. In Jesi the G.B. Pergolesi theatre is known for its decorated ceiling, the work of Felice Giani; at the Gentile theatre in Fabriano, the acoustics are the best of all the Marche theatres. The Teatro dell’Aquila in Fermo has a dedicated section that documents its history. Other theatres of note are the Le Muse in Ancona, the Misa in Arcevia, the Vittoria in Ostra, the Fortuna in Fano, the Cagli Civic theatre, in ostentatious neo-baroque style, the La Fenice in Osimo and the Mercantini in Ripatransone.