The theatre was not originally named after Francesco Morlacchi. It only happened after the big renovation of 1874, by Guglielmo Calderini. The internationally famous Perugian musician had died a few decades earlier. Born in 1784, Francesco Morlacchi immediately showed a special talent for composition which he perfected with his studies in Naples during the first years of the XIX Century. After a string of successes in Central Italy he was awarded with the title of Chapel Master of Urbino, his fame grew exponentially also abroad and he was appointed Chapel Master of Italian Opera in Dresda, at a time of political turmoil when the Deutsche Opera was establishing itself and its circulation was also of particular political interest. For this reason Morlacchi was often targeted by the critics, who saw him as the embodiment of an outdated style that did not have the progressive character required by the times. He died of illness in Innsbruck in 1841, while travelling to Perugia. His role as Kapellmeister was filled by Richard Wagner.
It was thanks to the fame and prestige he accrued if the Perugian Academy decided to dedicate the renovated theatre to his memory.
Teatro Morlacchi was built a century earlier, opened in 15/08/1871 with the name Teatro Civico del Verzaro and a capacity of 1200 seats. It was commissioned by the city Bourgeoisie, almost as a response to the erection of Teatro del Pavone by the local aristocracy. It was designed by the architect Alessio Lorenzini, who had to use all his skills to adapt the structure to the small space he was given: a former cloister.
The theatre started working at full speed immediately, hosting several prominent actors, such as Irma Gramatica and Oreste Calabresi. The fascist regime and the heavy censorshp that followed caused a serious decline in the cultural activities of the theatre and things got even worse during the German occupation, when the building was exclusively used to entertain the Reich troopers with trivial representations. When the Accademia managed to take back control of the theatre, in 1942, they had to deal with the significant damage that was caused to the structure, so they decided to donate the theatre to the local administration which paid for a full renovation in 1950.