FRENCH THEATRE

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The Public Theatre in Paris before 1595

STATUS.

OCCASIONAL DRAMAS.

SURVIVALS.

POPULARITY.

LEASE ON HOTELS DE BOURGOGNE.

THE PUBLIC THEATRE IN PARIS BEFORE 1595

o FRENCH DRAMA STILL A CONSEQUENCES.

o CHANGES IN DRAMA.

o ARRIVAL OF VALLERAN.

o SHARING PLAN.

o WOMENS INCLUDED.

o MUSIC.

o OBSTRUCTION IN PLAYS.

PUBLIC THEATRE 1595-1625

Public Theatres 1625-1660

The Public Theatres : 1625-1660

The major public theatres of Paris between 1625-1660 were the hotel de Bourgogne and the theatre du Marais.

The first theatre du Marais which was converted from tenis court in 1634.

When it burned in 1644, it was replaced immediately with more elaborate structure which remained in use until 1673.

The new marais measured about 115 feet in length, 38 feet in width and 52 feet in height.

The pit, for standing spectators, was 61 feet by 38 feet, the side walls had three galleries, the 1st two divided into boxes.

The third given the over to paradis, The rear of the auditorium

the stage raised about 6feet above and sloped upward towards the back.

Scenic Practices in Public Theatres

1625-1660

Scenic Practices in the Public Theatres1625-1660

Scenic Practices

Documented in ‘Le Memoire de Mahelot, Laurent, et des Autres Decoraeurs’

○ Scenic Practices : 1622-1635

○ Italian Ideal in Scenery: 1640-1660

Scenic Practices : 1622-1635 71 Notices (scenic requirements), 47

designs

DesignsCompiler : Laurent MahelotMajor Scenic Designer: George Buffequin

Unity of Place – Not common

(Number locales represented by a mansion)

Machines (Boats, Gods, and Furniture)

Italian Ideal in Scenery: 1640-1660

Cardinal Richelieu had the architect, LeMercier construct first theatre in France – Palais Cardinal.Stage: 59 feet Wide x 46 feet DeepAuditorium: 59 feet Wide x 65 feet DeepTwo undivided gallaries surround the hallOpen with MirameCalled Palias Royal after the Death of Cardinal

Richelieu (Theatre came under the control of the Crown)

French Drama1660-1700

Tragedy Noted Playwrights –

Thomas Corneille

Pierre Corneille

Jean Racine○ Tragedy reached its peak○ Phedre – Acknowlegded masterpeice○ Long Decline of Tragedy after Racines retirement○ One comedy, The Litigants

Scene from Racine’s Berenice:

Pierre Cornielle’s Polyeucte

Comedy Reached its Peak in 1660s and 1670s

Noted Playwright and dramatist – MoliereHeld a Court position Formed ‘Theatre illustre’, Which then Merged with

Charles Dufresne – Moliere was elected as head of the troop.

Also wrote comedy ballets – ○ The Bores○ The Forced Marriage○ Princess of Elide

Also attempted serious drama – Don Garcie de Navarre

Great acheivements are in comedies of character and manners:The School for HusbandsThe School for WivesThe Learned Ladies

Plays either in Verse or Prose

Directed his own plays and played the leading role himself

Plays set in drawing rooms

Theatre Architecture and Scenic Practices

Molièreo Jean-Baptiste Poquelin o (stage name - Molière).o One of the best French playwrighto and actor at his time.o considered to be one of the greatest

masters of comedy in Western literature.o Preference for tragedy, but became

famous for his farces.o Public theatres in Paris remain unchanged

from the 1640s until Molière’s death.

Théâtre du Palais-Royal The Palais-Royal was originally known as the Palais-

Cardinal. Residence of Cardinal Richelieu. In 1637 Richelieu asked his architect Jacques Le Mercier to

begin work on the theatre, which opened in 1641.  Upon Richelieu's death in 1642, he left the property to King

Louis XIII, and it became known as the Palais-Royal. The theatre was used by the troupe of Molière from 1660 to

1673 and as an opera house by the Académie Royale de Musique from 1673 to 1763, when it was destroyed by fire.

It was rebuilt and reopened in 1770, but again was destroyed by fire in 1781 and not rebuilt

Plan of the Palais-Royal in 1679 with the location of the first theatre in blue.

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française has had several homes since its

inception. In 1689 it acquired a new home, the Etoile tennis court. Remodeled by the architect Francois D’Orbay at the cost

of 200,000 livres which put the company in debt for many years.

D’Orbay ignored the exterior walls of the

tennis court and constructed a horse-shoe shaped

auditorium inside.

Architecture of Comédie-Française

• On the ground floor was a standing pit backed by an amphi-theatre raised about 6 feet.

• Along the walls were two levels of 19 boxes surmounted by an undivided gallery.

• Total capacity was about 2,000.

• Stage was 41 feet deep by 54 feet wide but available acting area was restricted by 5 rows of benches on each side of the stage.

• Stage was equipped for flat wings & shutters but since changes of scene were rarely required, the machinery was minimal.

Scenic Practices Main changes indicated a trend towards simplicity. Most settings represented a single place and were

composed of flat wings. Shutters may have been pierced by doors, since

entrances from the sides were impossible due to onstage spectators.

A shutter or curtain was opened to reveal another place behind the one previously shown.

The typical setting at the Comédie-Française supplied a suitable though neutral background, which placed less emphasis upon illusion and focused upon the actor.

Typical backgrounds included: palais à volonté - a neutral setting suited to the

action without particularized details. Might represent a street, a square, or palace. A variation showed tents near a battlefield, often with a sea or city in the background.

chambre à quatre portes (room with four doors) – domestic architecture, usually interior, less formal as compared to palais à volonté.

Backgrounds

DECLINE OF THE FRENCH THEATRE

By 1700, two Parisian troupes with monopolistic privileges had divided the whole range of drama between them.

The vigor of the early years had been replaced with a spirit of conservatism.

After the battle of the ancients and Moderns in 1688, attempts to maintain the glory of the 17th century stagnated and died.

All of these were reflections of political and social development.

A lot of revenue was spent on building the city of Versailles and conduction a series of wars which led to a huge drain in the country’s economy.