COMEDY FRANCEZE(La Comédie Française; the official name is Théâtre Français), the French national theater, one of the oldest theaters in Paris. Founded in 1680 by decree of Louis XIV.
By the 17th century the French national theater has not yet fully formed, despite the surge in the development of drama (P. Corneille, J. Racine, J.-B. Molière) - the general aesthetic system of the professional theater (as at the same time in England) was undergoing a period of formation. The Renaissance, which had a huge impact on the development of the theater, came to France a century and a half later than to Italy, and the French theater was under the influence of secular and clerical authorities. Regulation at this time was experienced by all types of French art, this was emphasized by the creation of Academies. The situation was complicated by the fact that Louis XIV was a theater lover, so that the patronage of the authorities turned into strict control. This is confirmed by the tragic life story of J.B. Molière, who managed, maneuvering between the demands of the king and the ambitions of the troupe, to keep his theater at a high professional level. After his death in 1673, the French theater fell on hard times. The former troupe of Molière, which united with the troupe of the Theater Marais and settled on the stage of the Hotel Genego, competed with the troupe of the Burgundy Hotel, competing for the favor of the king. The life of the two Parisian theaters consisted of intrigues and strife, audience interest was catastrophically reduced.
To preserve the national theater on August 18, 1680, Louis XIV signed a decree ordering the merger of the troupes "Genego" and "Hotel Burgundy". Only the best actors moved to the new theater. The decree granted the theater the monopoly right to show performances in Paris. The Theater of French Comedians (original name) received a royal subsidy of 12,000 livres and management - superintendents appointed by the king, who determined the repertoire, the composition of the troupe and creative issues. Already on August 25 in the updated line-up were played Phaedra Racine and Orleans carriages La Chapelle.
The troupe included 15 actors and 12 actresses, including M. Chanmele, M. Baron, P. Poisson, Ch. Lagrange, N. Oterosh, K. Rosimon, A. Bejart and others. it was an acting partnership (société). Incomes were divided into 24 shares (the distribution of shares was handled by management); the main participants in the partnership, societers, were entitled to receive a share or part of it. The troupe included the so-called. boarders - actors who were invited to individual roles.
This organizational structure of the theater was preserved almost all the time of the existence of the theater. It changed only once, for several years, during the French bourgeois revolution of the late 18th century. Adopted by the Constituent Assembly in January 1791 Decree on Freedom of Theaters renamed the Comédie Francaise the Theater of the Nation and abolished its royal privileges and subordination to the court. In 1792, the political struggle within the theater led the troupe to a division into royalists and republicans. The actor F.J.Talma, who professed the ideas of revolutionary heroism and citizenship of theatrical art, together with a group of his like-minded people (J.B.Dugazon, F.M.R.Vestris, etc.), left the Comédie Francaise and organized the Theater of the Republic. In 1793, the actors of the Theater of Nations were arrested by the Jacobin authorities for staging reactionary drama and were sentenced to the guillotine. They were saved from death by an amateur actor Labussière, but they were released in 1794, after the overthrow of Robespierre. And in 1799 both parts of the troupe were reunited; The theater was given back its original name. The status and structure of the Comédie Française was confirmed in the "Decree of Moscow" by Napoleon, signed in 1812, during a military campaign against Russia. This decree emphasizes the importance of theatrical art (including its ideological component) for the formation and strengthening of statehood.
In the 17th century the monopoly of work in Paris and the royal subsidy gave the theater huge financial advantages. However, the creative and everyday life of the theater was strictly regulated. 40 statutory rules determined the weekly meetings of the troupe with the obligatory presence of each actor, the obligation of societers to take part in performances daily, the inability to refuse the assigned role, etc. For disrespectful attitude towards colleagues and the use of vocabulary "not accepted among noble people", members of the troupe paid fines that benefit the poor. Fines were also imposed for being late.
In addition to the troupe and senior administrative staff (treasurer, secretary and controller, nominated by societers from among their staff and performing their duties on a voluntary basis), the theater had a large staff of hired employees: a concierge, a cashier, an illuminator, a printer who made posters, a porter, etc.
Since 1802, the theater has been based on Rue Richelieu in the Palais Royal area. Comédie Francaise found himself in the room where Molière worked. Here, the theater had a main stage with a hall for 750 seats and a smaller hall, about 300 seats - the Theater of the Old Dovecote, as well as a small hall with 100 seats in the Louvre.
The second, almost official, name of the theater is the House of Moliere, which is often called the Theater of the Word (Théâtre du Mot). This emphasizes the creative tendencies followed by the collective: reliance on high drama, in-depth attention to language, speech, revered as a national treasure.
The privileged position of the theater made it possible to attract the best actors of France to the troupe. Almost all the names of French actors who have gained world fame over the past three hundred years are somehow connected with the Comédie Francaise: M. Duclos, A. Lecouvreur, A. Lequin, M. Dumesnil, I. Clairon, J. B. Brizard, Mars, C.Duchenois, Georges, E.Rachel, S.Bernard, J.Mounet-Sully, K.Coquelin and others. As well as the best French playwrights - J.F. F. Voltaire, D. Diderot, P. Beaumarchais, V. Hugo, E. Scribe, A. Dumas-son, V. Sardou and others.
The theater experienced a certain crisis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during a period of radical transformation of the world theater. The formation of the director's theater, which forced the whole world to reconsider the basic principles of theatrical productions, came into conflict with the original traditions of the theater, when societers also performed the functions of a director, selecting dramaturgic material primarily from the point of view of winning their roles. So, shortly before the creation of the Moscow Art Theater, K.S. Stanislavsky declared the artists of the Comédie Francaise "the biggest enemies of Molière", opposing the pseudo-performing traditions with a fresh directorial reading of dramaturgy.
The first attempt to turn the tide was made by the satirist playwright E. Bourdais, who was appointed in 1936 to the post of general administrator. He invited the brightest avant-garde artists to the theater: J. Copeau, L. Jouvet, C. Dullen and G. Bati. Both in new productions and in work on old performances, they filmed the archaic style, trying to create a creative ensemble from a formal meeting of star actors. However, all four directors did not set themselves the task of radically reshaping the existing organism, they were “outsiders” and did not consider this theater as “their own”. It could be about individual successes of individual performances.
The general reform of the theater is associated with the name of J. Meyer, a student of Jouvet and a graduate of the Paris Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, an educational institution under the auspices of the Comédie Francaise. He staged his first performances in 1944, and in 1946, after J.L. Barro left the theater, he was appointed director of classical productions. Meyer worked in the theater for about twenty years, planting a new aesthetic, educating and teaching young actors inside the theater, without interrupting live stage practice. His performances were accompanied by audience success, his work was highly appreciated by critics, linking Meyer's performances with the revival of the national theater. But the desire for unity of creative leadership led to a conflict between the director and the committee of societers, which eventually forced Meyer to leave the theater. However, this period did not pass without a trace; it is believed that today the theater is almost the only classical theater of national scale in the world that does not shy away from experiments. So, in the 1970s, even the productions of the absurdists E. Ionesco and S. Beckett were included in the repertoire. Indirect confirmation of this can be considered an invitation to the theater to the productions of such Russian directors as A. Vasiliev ( Masquerade, 1992 and Amphitryon, 2002) and P. Fomenko ( Forest, 2003).
Today the theater retains its organizational structure. It is managed by the general administrator (now it is M. Bozonne), whose work is controlled by societers (there are no longer 27, but 40). In addition - 20 boarders. According to Bozonnet, "there is no such boarder who would not dream of becoming a societer." Not everyone succeeds - at the annual meeting, at least 21 societers must vote to change the status of the actor. The transition to societers entails changes in the creative status and in the financial situation: their income exceeds the earnings of boarders by 2–3 times. The committee of societers also decides on the transfer of actors to retire.
The theater toured in Russia in 1954, 1969, 1973 and 1985. In 2005, Comedy Francaise became a participant in the Moscow International Chekhov Festival, where he brought the performance Forest staged by P. Fomenko.
Tatyana Shabalina
Comédie Francaise is the oldest theater in Europe, located in the capital of France. Founded in the second half of the 17th century by order of Louis XIV. The theater has been operating for more than three centuries and is a famous landmark of the capital. The official name is Theatre-Française.
In Paris, the Comédie Francaise is the only one that operates at the expense of the state budget. It is located in the heart of the French city - in the Palais Royal. Informally, this cultural institution is called the "House of Molière", since before its formation, his troupe held concerts in the mansion.
History of creation
After the death of the famous playwright Molière, there were two drama theaters in Paris. These were the Genego Hotel and its competitor, the Burgundy Hotel. By decree of the king in 1680, the drama theaters were united. At the end of August of the same year, a troupe was already performing on the Francaise stage, which included the most famous actors in France. All the works of the great Jean-Baptiste Molière were presented at the theater stage.
Thanks to the merger, the new French theater began to receive an annual allowance from the king, which made it possible to present performances by foreign authors. Monopoly existence and receipt of funds from the state allowed the house of theatrical art to gain unprecedented popularity throughout the world.
Comedie Francaise today
The House of Molière is one of the few drama theaters in Europe where you can see performances from various times - from antiquity to the present. In addition to plays by French playwrights, you can see the works of foreign authors. Directors from all over the world are invited to the Moliere house.
So in 2006, Russian director P. Fomenko staged A. Ostrovsky's comedy "The Forest" here. Also from foreign plays in the house of Moliere were shown "The Cherry Orchard" by A. Chekhov, "The Marriage" by N. Gogol and others. But still, most of the theatrical performances are in French. The theater practices showing performances in films. The new season will present the works of the great classics: Molière, Shakespeare, Racine, Marivaux.
Practical information
Comédie Francaise is located in the central part of Paris on Rue de Richelieu, opposite the Louvre. It will not be difficult to get to it - many bus routes go through the Palais Royal. Française can also be reached by metro to the Palais Royal – Musee du Louvre station.
Ticket prices range from 6 to 42 euros. It is possible to buy a ticket for the performance on the official website - https://www.comedie-francaise.fr/, as well as at the theater box office.
If you did not purchase a ticket on time, then some time before the start of the performance, you can go to the box office and find out if there are empty seats. It is possible that someone returned the ticket to the box office.
Young people under the age of 28 can attend a theater performance free of charge on the first Monday of the month.
COMEDY FRANCEZE(La Comédie Française; the official name is Théâtre Français), the French national theater, one of the oldest theaters in Paris. Founded in 1680 by decree of Louis XIV.
By the 17th century the French national theater has not yet fully formed, despite the surge in the development of drama (P. Corneille, J. Racine, J.-B. Molière) - the general aesthetic system of the professional theater (as at the same time in England) was undergoing a period of formation. The Renaissance, which had a huge impact on the development of the theater, came to France a century and a half later than to Italy, and the French theater was under the influence of secular and clerical authorities. Regulation at this time was experienced by all types of French art, this was emphasized by the creation of Academies. The situation was complicated by the fact that Louis XIV was a theater lover, so that the patronage of the authorities turned into strict control. This is confirmed by the tragic life story of J.B. Molière, who managed, maneuvering between the demands of the king and the ambitions of the troupe, to keep his theater at a high professional level. After his death in 1673, the French theater fell on hard times. The former troupe of Molière, which united with the troupe of the Theater Marais and settled on the stage of the Hotel Genego, competed with the troupe of the Burgundy Hotel, competing for the favor of the king. The life of the two Parisian theaters consisted of intrigues and strife, audience interest was catastrophically reduced.
To preserve the national theater on August 18, 1680, Louis XIV signed a decree ordering the merger of the troupes "Genego" and "Hotel Burgundy". Only the best actors moved to the new theater. The decree granted the theater the monopoly right to show performances in Paris. The Theater of French Comedians (original name) received a royal subsidy of 12,000 livres and management - superintendents appointed by the king, who determined the repertoire, the composition of the troupe and creative issues. Already on August 25 in the updated line-up were played Phaedra Racine and Orleans carriages La Chapelle.
The troupe included 15 actors and 12 actresses, including M. Chanmele, M. Baron, P. Poisson, Ch. Lagrange, N. Oterosh, K. Rosimon, A. Bejart and others. it was an acting partnership (société). Incomes were divided into 24 shares (the distribution of shares was handled by management); the main participants in the partnership, societers, were entitled to receive a share or part of it. The troupe included the so-called. boarders - actors who were invited to individual roles.
This organizational structure of the theater was preserved almost all the time of the existence of the theater. It changed only once, for several years, during the French bourgeois revolution of the late 18th century. Adopted by the Constituent Assembly in January 1791 Decree on Freedom of Theaters renamed the Comédie Francaise the Theater of the Nation and abolished its royal privileges and subordination to the court. In 1792, the political struggle within the theater led the troupe to a division into royalists and republicans. The actor F.J.Talma, who professed the ideas of revolutionary heroism and citizenship of theatrical art, together with a group of his like-minded people (J.B.Dugazon, F.M.R.Vestris, etc.), left the Comédie Francaise and organized the Theater of the Republic. In 1793, the actors of the Theater of Nations were arrested by the Jacobin authorities for staging reactionary drama and were sentenced to the guillotine. They were saved from death by an amateur actor Labussière, but they were released in 1794, after the overthrow of Robespierre. And in 1799 both parts of the troupe were reunited; The theater was given back its original name. The status and structure of the Comédie Française was confirmed in the "Decree of Moscow" by Napoleon, signed in 1812, during a military campaign against Russia. This decree emphasizes the importance of theatrical art (including its ideological component) for the formation and strengthening of statehood.
In the 17th century the monopoly of work in Paris and the royal subsidy gave the theater huge financial advantages. However, the creative and everyday life of the theater was strictly regulated. 40 statutory rules determined the weekly meetings of the troupe with the obligatory presence of each actor, the obligation of societers to take part in performances daily, the inability to refuse the assigned role, etc. For disrespectful attitude towards colleagues and the use of vocabulary "not accepted among noble people", members of the troupe paid fines that benefit the poor. Fines were also imposed for being late.
In addition to the troupe and senior administrative staff (treasurer, secretary and controller, nominated by societers from among their staff and performing their duties on a voluntary basis), the theater had a large staff of hired employees: a concierge, a cashier, an illuminator, a printer who made posters, a porter, etc.
Since 1802, the theater has been based on Rue Richelieu in the Palais Royal area. Comédie Francaise found himself in the room where Molière worked. Here, the theater had a main stage with a hall for 750 seats and a smaller hall, about 300 seats - the Theater of the Old Dovecote, as well as a small hall with 100 seats in the Louvre.
The second, almost official, name of the theater is the House of Moliere, which is often called the Theater of the Word (Théâtre du Mot). This emphasizes the creative tendencies followed by the collective: reliance on high drama, in-depth attention to language, speech, revered as a national treasure.
The privileged position of the theater made it possible to attract the best actors of France to the troupe. Almost all the names of French actors who have gained world fame over the past three hundred years are somehow connected with the Comédie Francaise: M. Duclos, A. Lecouvreur, A. Lequin, M. Dumesnil, I. Clairon, J. B. Brizard, Mars, C.Duchenois, Georges, E.Rachel, S.Bernard, J.Mounet-Sully, K.Coquelin and others. As well as the best French playwrights - J.F. F. Voltaire, D. Diderot, P. Beaumarchais, V. Hugo, E. Scribe, A. Dumas-son, V. Sardou and others.
The theater experienced a certain crisis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during a period of radical transformation of the world theater. The formation of the director's theater, which forced the whole world to reconsider the basic principles of theatrical productions, came into conflict with the original traditions of the theater, when societers also performed the functions of a director, selecting dramaturgic material primarily from the point of view of winning their roles. So, shortly before the creation of the Moscow Art Theater, K.S. Stanislavsky declared the artists of the Comédie Francaise "the biggest enemies of Molière", opposing the pseudo-performing traditions with a fresh directorial reading of dramaturgy.
The first attempt to turn the tide was made by the satirist playwright E. Bourdais, who was appointed in 1936 to the post of general administrator. He invited the brightest avant-garde artists to the theater: J. Copeau, L. Jouvet, C. Dullen and G. Bati. Both in new productions and in work on old performances, they filmed the archaic style, trying to create a creative ensemble from a formal meeting of star actors. However, all four directors did not set themselves the task of radically reshaping the existing organism, they were “outsiders” and did not consider this theater as “their own”. It could be about individual successes of individual performances.
The general reform of the theater is associated with the name of J. Meyer, a student of Jouvet and a graduate of the Paris Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, an educational institution under the auspices of the Comédie Francaise. He staged his first performances in 1944, and in 1946, after J.L. Barro left the theater, he was appointed director of classical productions. Meyer worked in the theater for about twenty years, planting a new aesthetic, educating and teaching young actors inside the theater, without interrupting live stage practice. His performances were accompanied by audience success, his work was highly appreciated by critics, linking Meyer's performances with the revival of the national theater. But the desire for unity of creative leadership led to a conflict between the director and the committee of societers, which eventually forced Meyer to leave the theater. However, this period did not pass without a trace; it is believed that today the theater is almost the only classical theater of national scale in the world that does not shy away from experiments. So, in the 1970s, even the productions of the absurdists E. Ionesco and S. Beckett were included in the repertoire. Indirect confirmation of this can be considered an invitation to the theater to the productions of such Russian directors as A. Vasiliev ( Masquerade, 1992 and Amphitryon, 2002) and P. Fomenko ( Forest, 2003).
Today the theater retains its organizational structure. It is managed by the general administrator (now it is M. Bozonne), whose work is controlled by societers (there are no longer 27, but 40). In addition - 20 boarders. According to Bozonnet, "there is no such boarder who would not dream of becoming a societer." Not everyone succeeds - at the annual meeting, at least 21 societers must vote to change the status of the actor. The transition to societers entails changes in the creative status and in the financial situation: their income exceeds the earnings of boarders by 2–3 times. The committee of societers also decides on the transfer of actors to retire.
The theater toured in Russia in 1954, 1969, 1973 and 1985. In 2005, Comedy Francaise became a participant in the Moscow International Chekhov Festival, where he brought the performance Forest staged by P. Fomenko.
Tatyana Shabalina
Comédie Francaise is not only the most famous French theater, but also the only state-funded repertory theater in the country. It is located in the city center, near the Palais Royal.
King Louis XIV stood at the origins. An avid theatre-goer, he issued a decree uniting the two leading Parisian troupes in the Théâtre des Comedians Française and granting him the exclusive right to show performances in Paris. The theater received financial support and a superintendent who determined the repertoire and composition of the troupe.
The court theater was a partnership of actors (“suck”). Incomes were divided into shares due to the members of the partnership (“societers”). This structure was preserved all the time, except for the period of the French Revolution. Then the Constituent Assembly renamed the Comédie Francaise the Theater of the Nation and abolished all its privileges. The troupe immediately split into royalists and republicans. The Republicans created the Theater of the Republic. The Jacobins arrested all those who remained in the troupe and sentenced them to the guillotine. Those condemned to death were saved after the overthrow of Robespierre.
The creative life of the theater was regulated in detail by the charter approved by Napoleon during his stay in Moscow. Forty rules of the charter required weekly meetings of the troupe, the obligation of socéters to play on stage every day without the right to refuse a role. This structure remains to this day, except that there are more societers. In addition to them, guest actors, “boarders”, play on the local stage. Each boarder seeks to move into the status of a societer - such a transition thoroughly increases earnings.
The unofficial name of the theater is the House of Moliere: the troupe of the great comedian played at the Palais Royal from 1661 to 1673. The theater keeps the chair in which Molière allegedly died during the performance of The Imaginary Sick (in fact, he died already at home).
Sarah Bernhardt, Jeanne Samary, Jean Marais played on the stage of the Comédie Francaise. The traditions of the theater include the invariable adherence to high dramaturgy, emphasized attention to speech and language. Today, the Comédie Francaise is perhaps the only classical theater on a national scale in the world, boldly going for creative experiments.
Comedie Francaise is the oldest drama theater in France. The building was built according to the project of Louis at the end of the 18th century. In the 19th century, the theater was reconstructed under the direction of Chabrol and Fontaine. The Comédie-Française troupe was created by Jean-Baptiste Molière himself, and almost all of his plays were performed in the theater. The name of Comédie Française is associated with the activities of such great French playwrights as […]
- the oldest drama theater in France. The building was built according to the project Louis at the end of the 18th century. In the 19th century, the theater was reconstructed under the direction of Chabrol and Fontaine.
The Comédie-Française troupe was created by Jean-Baptiste Molière, and almost all of his plays were shown in the theater. With name Comedy Française associated with the activities of such great playwrights of France as Beaumarchais, Diderot, Voltaire, Racine.
During the French Revolution, the theater was called Theater of the Nation. At the end of the 18th century, it was renamed back to Comédie-Française. In the 19th century, the repertoire included performances of works Victor Hugo, Ogier, Dumas son and many other famous writers and playwrights. In the 20th century, the theater is influenced by reformist ideas. Antoine who enriched the repertoire with the best works of world and French dramaturgy.
The building also houses Comédie-Française Museum. Next door to Richelieu street was the house where he died Molière, and in house number 69 on Richelieu Street (now it is a modern building), Stendhal worked on his famous novel "Red and Black".
During the Soviet era, the Comedy-Française Theater was on tour four times.
Place Colette, 75001 Paris, France
comedie-francaise.fr
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