For the very first time a theatre had been named after a musician who was still alive and at the peak of his career: this is what happened in 1892 in Mola’s theatre, to honour its greatest artist, Niccolò Van Westerhout. On the evening of the 18th April 1896, the famous composer from Mola performed in his theatre with the national premiere of Doña Flor, which marked the consecration of his art in honour of his hometown.
In the 1960s the theatre was almost closed to make room for public offices, but luckily the project was blocked by the Ministry for Tourism and Entertainment, with the support of the citizens: even Eduardo De Filippo got involved to defend the theatre, and because of this he was awarded honorary citizenship in 1972.