Before the construction of the theatre, plays and amateur theatrical productions were staged in the halls and "piano nobiles" of the Knights' auberges. These were palaces constructed for the "langues" of the Order. The Langue of Italy often held such entertainment, staged by its knights in their Auberge. The records of the Langue even state that, on 2 February 1697, some Maltese gentlemen presented a play in the "Auberge d'Italie." Women were prohibited from attending these events after incidents during the Carnival festivities of 1639.