Théâtre de Paris

Théâtre de Paris

Nouveau-Théâtre (1891–1918 ) Théâtre Réjane (1906–1918) Théâtre Moderne Petit Théâtre de Paris
Address	15 rue Blanche Paris France
Coordinates	48°52′43″N 02°19′53″E / 48.87861°N 2.33139°E / 48.87861; 2.33139
Type	theatre
Capacity	1,100 (plus 300)
Opened	1891
Website
www.theatredeparis.com

The Théâtre de Paris (French pronunciation: [teɑtʁ də paʁi]) is a theatre located at 15, rue Blanche in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It includes a second smaller venue, the Petit Théâtre de Paris.

The first theatre on the site was built by the

In 1811, the Folie-Richelieu was transformed into a park, then demolished completely in 1851 in the redevelopment under

The first director of the Nouveau-Théâtre, was Aurélien Lugné-Poe, who, from 1888 to 1890, had been an actor in the Théâtre Libre company founded by André Antoine. After fulfilling four months of military service in early 1891, Lugné-Poe joined Paul Fort's eclectic Théâtre d'Art, which, from 1890 to 1892, presented poetry recitations, dramatic work by Marlowe, Shelley, and Hugo, as well as new plays by Rachilde, Paul Verlaine, and especially Maurice Maeterlinck (The Intruder, The Blind). When Fort left the enterprise at the start of 1893, Lugné-Poe assumed control, renamed it the Théâtre de l'Œuvre, and pursued aggressively Symbolist programming to rival Antoine's more Naturalistic offerings. Although Antoine had been the first to introduce Paris audiences to the modern drama of Henrik Ibsen (Ghosts, 1890; The Wild Duck, 1891), and Fort had produced The Lady from the Sea in 1892, starring Lugné-Poe as Wangel, it was Lugné-Poe who would make Ibsen his specialty in Paris theatre, premiering (and often starring in) nine Ibsen plays between 1893 and 1897.

Like Paul Fort before him, Lugné-Poe never had a permanent theatre to serve as his company's home stage for the entire run of its initial art-theatre experiment. The Théâtre de l'Œuvre debuted with Maeterlinck's

In 1906, the actress Gabrielle Réjane bought the theater, renovated it and gave it a new name, the Théâtre Réjane. She produced among other works the French premiere of Maeterlinck's L'oiseau bleu in 1911 and successfully played her signature role of Madame Sans-Gêne by Victorien Sardou at the theatre.

The producer Léon Volterra bought the hall in 1918, and on 12 August 1919, he inaugurated the Théâtre de Paris, Réjane having stipulated in the sales contract that the theater could not retain her name. Volterra ran the theatre until 1948, when it was taken over by Marcel Karsenty and the comedian Pierre Dux. The actress and director Elvira Popescu took over in 1955 along with Hubert de Mallet, managing it for ten years, before she left to the Théâtre Marigny.

Under Alain de Leseleuc (1965–1975) and Robert Hossein (1975–1990) the theatre specialized in musical works, particularly

• 1892: Rabelais, play by Oscar Méténier
• 1894: Nos bons chasseurs, vaudeville by
  Michel Carré
• 1897: Brouillard du matin, play by Jacques Copeau
• 1906: Le Réformateur, play by
  Edouard Rod

(Notable premieres at Nouveau-Théâtre, presented by Lugné-Poe's Théâtre de l'Œuvre)

• 1894: Le Père, tragedy in three acts by August Strindberg
• 1895:
  Śūdraka
• 1895: Intérieur by Maurice Maeterlinck
• 1895: Brand, play in five acts by Henrik Ibsen
• 1896:
  Les Soutiens de la Société, play in four acts by Henrik Ibsen
• 1896: Peer Gynt, drama in five acts by Henrik Ibsen
• 1896: Ubu Roi, drama in five acts by Alfred Jarry
• 1897: John Gabriel Borkman, drama in four acts by Henrik Ibsen