Comedie Française

By on 20/08/2009 in Attractions, Paris

Theatre Français Paris France

Street View of Comedie Francaise

Street View of Comedie Francaise

The Comedie Française or Theatre Français is one of the few state theaters in France. It is the only state theater to have its own troupe of actors. It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris.

The theatre has also been known as the Theatre Nautique and as the theatre de la Republique. The best-known playwright associated with the Comedie Française is Moliere. He was considered the patron of French actors; however, he died seven years before the birth of “la maison de Molière“, as the Comedie-Française is often styled.

History

The Comedie Française was founded by a decree of Louis XIV on 24 August 1680 to merge the only two Parisian acting troupes of the time, the troupe of the hotel Guenegaud and that of the hotel de Bourgogne. The repertoire at that time consisted of the collection of theatrical works by Moliere and Jean Racine, along with a few works by Pierre Corneille, Paul Scarron and Jean Rotrou. Its first building was housed at the Hotel de Guenegaud.

On 3 September 1793, during the French Revolution, the Comedie Française was closed by order of the Committee of Public Safety for putting on the allegedly seditious play Pamela, and the actors were imprisoned. On 31 May 1799, the new government made the salle Richelieu available and allowed the actors to reconstitute the troupe.

The Comedie Française today has a repertoire of 3,000 works and three theaters in Paris (salle Richelieu, next to the Palais Royal; theetre du Vieux-Colombier; Studio-Theetre).

Theater buildings

The Comedie Française has had several homes since its inception. In 1689, it was established across from the cafe Procope. The Odeon was designed by architects Marie Joseph Peyre (1770–1843) and Charles De Wailly (1730–1798). Since 1799, the Comedie-Française has been housed in the salle Richelieu (architect Victor Louis) at 2, rue de Richelieu. This theater was enlarged and modified in the 1800s, then rebuilt in 1900 after a severe fire. (Text Source: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia)

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Comedie Française is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. So, you may want to see;

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