Once upon a time… the Comédie-Française
Once upon a time… the Comédie-Française
The Comédie-Française is an institution of remarkable continuity, one of the few French institutions to have remained intact through passing centuries and changing political regimes. Yet it has had an eventful history, beginning with the merging of two rival troupes, as decreed by King Louis XIV in a lettre de cachet, the Ancien Régime’s strongest act of authority, which left no hope for any recourse. The revolutionary period, when the troupe was temporarily dissolved, marked the only real interruption. But the Comédie-Française was all the more strongly restored by Napoleon, who granted it the statutes by which it still operates today. It has always been closely tied to politics, as also reflected by its history, which is replete with moments when the upheavals of French society have played out on its stages.
Over the course of successes, battles and setbacks, armed with traditions and audacity, carried by its great actors, guided by its administrators, with the passion of the live performance and the danger of the stage, the Comédie-Française has spanned three tumultuous centuries of existence. The history of this theatre is rooted in the triple life of its troupe, its repertoire and its stages.
The Comédie-Française was born during the reign of LouisXIV, in a century marked by the centralising passion of a king deeply enamoured with spectacle.
Informations pratiques
Exposition réalisée par la Bibliothèque-Musée de la Comédie-Française.
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Pour tout renseignement, s’adresser à : Mélanie Petetin au 01 44 58 14 78
- melanie.petetin@comedie-francaise.org
Copyright à indiquer sous les reproductions : ©Coll. Comédie-Française
L’utilisation de ces images est strictement limitée à cette exposition. Toute autre utilisation nécessitera une autre demande auprès de la bibliothèque-musée de la Comédie-Française.
XVIIe
Les Farceurs français et italiens depuis 60 ans et plus peints en 1670, huile sur toile anonyme, 1670
Registre de La Grange, mort de Molière, 17 février 1673
Lettre de cachet signée par Louis XIV, contresignée par Colbert, 21 octobre 1680
Acte d'association des Comédiens Français le 5 janvier 1681
Pension de 12000 livres accordée aux Comédiens Français par le Roi le 24 août 1682
Feuilles d'assemblées, 20 juin 1687
Plan de coupe du Jeu de paume de l'Etoile, rue des Fossés-Saint-Germain, encre, lavis et aquarelle, [1700-1760]
Registre de La Grange, mort de Molière, 17 février 1673
After Molière’s death, upon royal decree, the Marais actors and Molière’s actors combine to form a new troupe that takes up residence at the Hôtel Guénégaud on the Rue Mazarine.
Lettre de cachet signée par Louis XIV, contresignée par Colbert, 21 octobre 1680
1680 - The death of La Thorillière, leader of the Hôtel de Bourgogne troupe, the last rival in Paris to Molière’s troupe, brings about a final merger. On 18 August, an order from the King, dispatched from Charleville, instructs the last two troupes of French actors in Paris to operate henceforth as a single company. On 25 August, the actors of the Hôtel de Bourgogne and those of the Hôtel Guénégaud – those formerly of Molière’s troupe, led by La Grange – give their first joint performance. On 21 October, a decree signed in Versailles, consecrates the creation of a single troupe composed of twenty-seven actors and actresses chosen by the King for their excellence, with the aim of “making the performance of comedies more perfect.” This single troupe, the Comédiens-Français, enjoys a monopoly over performances in French, in Paris and its outlying areas. Its repertoire includes Corneille, Molière and Racine, but also Rotrou and Scarron.
Acte d'association des Comédiens Français le 5 janvier 1681
1681 - On 5 January, in keeping with the ancient traditions of theatre companies, the Comédiens-Français bind themselves together through an act of association that thereafter will never be called into question. The newly composed troupe includes famous actors such as Armande Béjart, Catherine De Brie, La Grange, Hubert, Du Croisy, Baron, Jeanne Beauval, Mlle Champmeslé, Racine’s favourite actress, and Poisson, the creator of the character Crispin. Like those that came before them, the actors live by sharing the takings of their shows.
Pension de 12000 livres accordée aux Comédiens Français par le Roi le 24 août 1682
1682 - On 24 August, the troupe is awarded a royal pension of 12,000 livres. It therefore enjoys the benefits of royal protection, but in return is more strictly subjected to royal whims and the interferences of royal emissaries. The troupe’s motto Simul et singulis (“be together and be oneself”) and the image of the buzzing beehive are struck on the attendance chip used during its assemblies. The privileged status of the “Comédiens du Roy” (King’s actors) is often challenged by the rival troupes, the Théâtre de la Foire and especially the Comédiens-Italiens. It is in opposition to the latter that the name of Comédie-Française comes to be widely adapted.
Feuilles d'assemblées, 20 juin 1687
1687 - The actors are ordered to leave their theatre, the Hôtel Guénégaud, whose proximity to the new Collège des Quatre-Nations (today the Institut de France on Quai Conti) is a source of alarm to ecclesiastics.
Plan de coupe du Jeu de paume de l'Etoile, rue des Fossés-Saint-Germain, encre, lavis et aquarelle, [1700-1760]
1689 - After a period of homelessness, the troupe takes up residence in the Rue des Fossés-Saint-Germain (no. 14 of the present Rue de l’Ancienne-Comédie). On 18 April, the theatre built by the architect Francois d’Orbay opens its doors. The repertoire features the actor-authors Champmeslé, Dancourt and Poisson, in the company of Dufresny, Regnard and Crébillon, among others. Despite a number of successes, the troupe struggles during these years of crisis at the end of Louis XIV’s reign.XVIIIe
Comédiens François, gravés par Joannes Micaël Liotard d'après le tableau original peint par Watteau, [1720-1721]
Lekain en Gengis Khan ("L’Orphelin de la Chine" de Voltaire), par Fesch et Whirsker, 1770-1788
Mlle Clairon, huile sur toile de Carle Van Loo, [1757-1759]
La salle des machines aux Tuileries
Préville en Figaro ("Le Barbier de Séville" de Beaumarchais), buste en bronze d'après Lucas de Montigny
Le couronnement de Voltaire à la Comédie Française, gravure de Laguillermie, d’après Moreau Jeune, [1778]
Coupe transversale du théâtre de la Comédie-Française au faubourg Saint-Germain, par Charles De Wailly, encre, lavis et aquarelle, [1782]
"La Folle journée ou Le Mariage de Figaro" de Beaumarchais, acte II, scène 17, dessin de Saint-Quentin, 1785
Vue perspective de la place et des aménagements, dans le cadre du projet de transformation du Théâtre de la Nation en « Théâtre du Peuple », dessin de De Wailly, 1794
Plaque à la mémoire de Charles Hippolyte Labussière
Coupe transversale du Théâtre de la République, par Moreau, 1799
Comédiens François, gravés par Joannes Micaël Liotard d'après le tableau original peint par Watteau, [1720-1721]
1716 - The Regency period, marked by a return to luxury and pleasure, forces the Comédiens-Français to invoke their monopoly to keep up with the reformed Comédiens-Italiens and the prosperous Théâtre de la Foire. The renewed company makes additions to its repertoire: the first tragedies of Voltaire, the works of Destouches, Gresset, Piron, Fagan and Nivelle de La Chaussee, creator of a new dramatic genre, the “tearful comedy”. To compete with the Comédiens-Italiens, some of Marivaux’s comedies are admitted into the repertoire. The actors of the time are named Mlle Duclos, Mlle Dangeville, Adrienne Lecouvreur; followed, in the middle of the century, by Mlles Clairon, Gaussin, Vestris, and the actors Le Kain, Préville and Molé. The period of 1750-1770 is marked by a desire for reform.
Lekain en Gengis Khan ("L’Orphelin de la Chine" de Voltaire), par Fesch et Whirsker, 1770-1788
1756-1759 - Placed under the authority of the Premiers gentilshommes de la Chambre, Louis XV’s emissaries tasked with applying the new regulations introduced in 1757 and 1766 after the royal court covered their debts, the Comédiens-Français develop their theatre by building small boxes, which bring in a lot of income, and, with the support of Voltaire, rid the stage of the seats reserved for privileged spectators. Stagings, sets, costumes and acting styles evolve under the influence of Lekain and Mlle Clairon towards more naturalness and realism.
Mlle Clairon, huile sur toile de Carle Van Loo, [1757-1759]
1762-1765 - The troupe clashes with the Church during the Crébillon affair – a funeral service in memory of the tragic poet commissioned by the “excommunicated” actors, drawing the wrath of the Archbishop of Paris. The royal authorities also intervene in the Dubois affair, which ends with the incarceration of the Comédiens – those who refused to perform with their dishonest but highly protected comrade – and the withdrawal of Mlle Clairon.
La salle des machines aux Tuileries
1770 - The actors leave their old theatre and install themselves temporarily in the “Salle des Machines” of the Tuileries Palace. Larive, Dazincourt, Fleury and Mlle Contat enjoy their first public successes.
Préville en Figaro ("Le Barbier de Séville" de Beaumarchais), buste en bronze d'après Lucas de Montigny
1775 – Premiere of Beaumarchais’ "Barber of Seville" with Préville in the role of Figaro.
Le couronnement de Voltaire à la Comédie Française, gravure de Laguillermie, d’après Moreau Jeune, [1778]
1778 - Apotheosis of Voltaire : his bust is crowned on the stage in the presence of the author.
Coupe transversale du théâtre de la Comédie-Française au faubourg Saint-Germain, par Charles De Wailly, encre, lavis et aquarelle, [1782]
1782 - La troupe inaugurates its new theatre on the Faubourg-Saint-Germain (the present-day Odéon), built for it by the architects Peyre and de Wailly. Seating is introduced in the stalls.
"La Folle journée ou Le Mariage de Figaro" de Beaumarchais, acte II, scène 17, dessin de Saint-Quentin, 1785
1784 - Triumphant and tempestuous premiere of Beaumarchais’ "Marriage of Figaro", a comedy heralding the revolutionary spirit.
Vue perspective de la place et des aménagements, dans le cadre du projet de transformation du Théâtre de la Nation en « Théâtre du Peuple », dessin de De Wailly, 1794
1789 - In the wake of the political events, the Comédie-Française, takes on the name of Théâtre de la Nation. The Revolution grants actors civil rights that had been denied to them despite Louis XIII’s decree in 1641, but it also puts an end to the Comédie-Française’s special status. The royal pension is abolished, and the decrees of 1790 and 1791 end its monopoly over the French repertoire. During this period, the Comédie-Française is exposed to all kinds of dangers, including the dissidence of a group of “republican” actors who split from the troupe: led by Talma, they take up residence in a theatre known as the Théâtre de la République, recently built by Victor Louis on the Rue de Richelieu.
Plaque à la mémoire de Charles Hippolyte Labussière
1793 - On 3 September, the patriotism of the “monarchist” actors having been questioned by their repertoire choices, the Committee of Public Safety ordered the closing of their theatre at the Odéon, their arrest and the seizure of their records. The devotion of an obscure actor, Charles Labussière, an employee of the Committee of Public Safety, saves them from the guillotine. They regain their liberty with fall of Robespierre, but ruined and without a theatre, the Comédiens disperse to join short-lived troupes in Paris and the provinces.
Coupe transversale du Théâtre de la République, par Moreau, 1799
1799 - The political storm having abated, the troupe is reunited at the instigation of the writer François de Neufchâteau, who has become Minister of the Interior and then a member of the Directory. The Government grants the Théâtre Français de la République on Rue de Richelieu to the Société des Comédiens-Français. On 30 May, the new Comédie-Française opens its doors, on 11 Prairial Year VI. Napoleon becomes the protector of the Comédie-Francaise.XIXe
Nouvel acte de société des Comédiens Français, 1804
Décret de Moscou, 15 octobre 1812
Les Derniers instants de Talma, huile sur toile de Robert-Fleury, 1827
La Bataille d’Hernani, pastel d’Albert Besnard, 1909
Rachel en Camille ("Horace" de Pierre Corneille), huile sur toile d’Edouard Dubufe, 1850
Alfred de Musset, dessin d’Eugène Lami, 1841
Protestation des sociétaires contre la nomination d’un administrateur (texte imprimé envoyé aux journaux), 1849
Arsène Houssaye, huile sur toile de Charles Davesnes
Sarah Bernhardt en Berthe ("Le Sphinx" d’Octave Feuillet), huile sur toile de Philippe Parrot, 1875
Ambulance au Théâtre-Français, image de presse parue dans The Illustrated London News, 1870
Tournée de la Comédie-Française : Albert Brasseur, De Max, Adrien Bernheim, Lucien Guitry, Coquelin aîné, Coquelin cadet, Mounet-Sully, Sarah Bernhardt, caricature de Sem, « Le wagon de Thespis »
Un entracte à la Comédie-Française un soir de première en 1885, huile sur toile d’Edouard Dantan, 1886
Une lecture au Comité en 1886, huile sur toile d’Adolphe Laissement, 1886
Photographie de répétition de Thermidor de Victorien Sardou, 1891. Photographie Auguste Bert
Nouvel acte de société des Comédiens Français, 1804
1804 - On 17 April, the Comédiens-Français sign a new founding act as a society.
Décret de Moscou, 15 octobre 1812
1812 - On 15 October, the Moscow decree, signed by Napoleon, ratifies and completes the established regulations. Dominated by Talma, the new members, including Mlle George and Mlle Duchesnois, vie for the audience’s favours in tried and trusted classical plays that outshine the mediocre contemporary repertoire.
Les Derniers instants de Talma, huile sur toile de Robert-Fleury, 1827
1826 - The death of Talma deprives the troupe of its main star. In crisis, the repertoire is willing to admit the authors of the new romantic school.
La Bataille d’Hernani, pastel d’Albert Besnard, 1909
1830 - Under the stewardship of government commissioner Baron Taylor, Alexandre Dumas, Alfred de Vigny and Victor Hugo impose a new genre on the repertoire, the romantic drama, culminating with the battle of "Hernani" on 25 February 1830, in a period of modernisation for acting, staging and set design.
Rachel en Camille ("Horace" de Pierre Corneille), huile sur toile d’Edouard Dubufe, 1850
1843 - Victor Hugo’s "Burgraves" is a failure. Classical tragedy comes back into fashion, masterfully served by an exceptional tragedienne, Rachel, a genuine star in a renewed troupe.
Alfred de Musset, dessin d’Eugène Lami, 1841
1847 - Musset enters the repertoire with "A caprice".
Protestation des sociétaires contre la nomination d’un administrateur (texte imprimé envoyé aux journaux), 1849
1849 - The prince-president Louis Napoleon ends a long period of administrative and financial uncertainty by creating the function of administrator, who reports directly to the Ministry of the Interior.
Arsène Houssaye, huile sur toile de Charles Davesnes
1850 - The two first administrators appointed, successively Arsène Houssaye (1850-1856) and Baron Empis (1856-1859), make the Comédie-Française the emperor’s official troupe.
Sarah Bernhardt en Berthe ("Le Sphinx" d’Octave Feuillet), huile sur toile de Philippe Parrot, 1875
1859-1871 - Under the administration of Édouard Thierry, a solid troupe, featuring the young Sarah Bernhardt for a few months, brings about the triumph of the bourgeois comedy and consecrates actors such as Banville, Ponsard and Émile Augier.
Ambulance au Théâtre-Français, image de presse parue dans The Illustrated London News, 1870
1870 - During the siege of Paris, the foyer is converted into a shelter for the wounded.
Tournée de la Comédie-Française : Albert Brasseur, De Max, Adrien Bernheim, Lucien Guitry, Coquelin aîné, Coquelin cadet, Mounet-Sully, Sarah Bernhardt, caricature de Sem, « Le wagon de Thespis »
1871 - Edmond Got organises a first tour to London, which serves to replenish the theatre’s finances.
Un entracte à la Comédie-Française un soir de première en 1885, huile sur toile d’Edouard Dantan, 1886
1871-1885 - The new administrator, Émile Perrin, former director of the Opera, attracts the cream of Paris to the Comédie-Française. An elite troupe is formed, with Sarah Bernhardt – re-hired – Jeanne Samary, Mounet-Sully, the Coquelins and so on, performing Hugo, Dumas fils, Pailleron, Bornier, Coppée and Erckmann-Chatrian in sumptuous stagings directed by the administrator who inaugurates the system of subscriptions. Henry Becque’s "Les Corbeaux" (The Crows) introduces naturalism to the repertoire. Mounet-Sully triumphs in "Oedipus King", then in "Hamlet", Perrin’s last staging before his death.
Une lecture au Comité en 1886, huile sur toile d’Adolphe Laissement, 1886
1885-1913 - The twenty-eight years of the Claretie administration are characterised by financial difficulties, a tragic troupe that is more brilliant than the comic troupe, and a contemporary repertoire dominated by the comedy of manners (Hervieu, Brieux, Lavedan, Donnay, Porto-Riche, Bataille, Mirbeau, de Flers and Caillavet).
Photographie de répétition de Thermidor de Victorien Sardou, 1891. Photographie Auguste Bert
1891 - The controversy surrounding the production of Victorien Sardou’s Thermidor, at the height of the Boulangist crisis, puts the Comédie-Française at the centre of Third Republic political debates. The repertoire is diversified with the inclusion of Rostand, Jules Renard and Courteline.XXe
Couverture du numéro spécial du Panorama dramatique sur l’incendie de la salle Richelieu en 1900
Intérieur des théâtres : lectures de pièces, caricature d’Adolphe Best dans Le Monde dramatique, tome premier, 1835
"Le Retour d'Ulysse", film muet réalisé par André Calmettes et Charles Le Bargy
Elisabeth Nizan et René Alexandre jouent "La Paix chez soi" de Georges Courteline, à Chaude-Fontaine, le 16 juillet 1916
"Coriolan" de Shakespeare, traduction de René-Louis Piachaud, mise en scène d’Emile Fabre, 1933, 6e tableau. Photographie Manuel frères
Béatrix Dussane à la radio, vers 1936
Affiche du "Chandelier" d’Alfred de Musset, mise en scène de Gaston Baty, 1936
Répétition du "Soulier de satin" de Paul Claudel, mise en scène de Jean-Louis Barrault, 1943
La Comédie-Française, salle Luxembourg, dans les années 1950
Comité d'administration, séance du 26 janvier 1960, démission de Claude de Boisanger
Odéon, Théâtre de France, 1959
"La Fourmi dans le corps" de Jacques Audiberti, mise en scène d'André Barsacq, 1962, avec Henri Rollan, Georges Descrières, Thérèse Marney
"En attendant Godot" de Samuel Beckett, mise en scène de Roger Blin, Théâtre national de l’Odéon, 1978, avec Michel Aumont et Jean-Paul Roussillon
La Comédie-Française dans le métro, station Auber, 18 et 20 novembre 1981, représentations de "Cœur à deux" de Guy Foissy et de "Feu la mère de madame" de Georges Feydeau
Répétitions de "Félicité" de Jean Audureau, mise en scène de Jean-Pierre Vincent, 1983, avec Jean-Pierre Vincent et Catherine Samie
"Bérénice" de Jean Racine, mise en scène de Klaus-Michaël Grüber, 1984, avec Marcel Bozonnet et Richard Fontana
Jean Le Poulain, rôle d’Argan, dans "Le Malade imaginaire" de Molière, mise en scène de Jean-Laurent Cochet
Claude Winter, rôle de Madame de Saint-Genis, dans "Les Corbeaux" d’Henry Becque, mise en scène de Jean-Pierre Vincent
Antoine Vitez pendant les répétitions du "Partage de midi" de Paul Claudel, 1975
Maquette de décor de Yannis Kokkos pour "Le Mariage de Figaro" de Beaumarchais, mise en scène d’Antoine Vitez, 1989
"La Vie de Galilée" de Bertolt Brecht, mise en scène d'Antoine Vitez, 1990
"Père" de Bertolt Brecht, mise en scène de Patrice Kerbrat, 1991, avec Jean-Luc Boutté et Catherine Hiegel
"La Tragédie du roi Christophe" d’Aimé Césaire, mise en scène d'Idrissa Ouedraogo, 1991
Le Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier
Le plateau de la salle Richelieu avec la servante
La salle Richelieu
Les travaux au Studio-Théâtre
Couverture du numéro spécial du Panorama dramatique sur l’incendie de la salle Richelieu en 1900
1900 - A fire at the theatre leaves the troupe wandering from stage to stage for six months.
Intérieur des théâtres : lectures de pièces, caricature d’Adolphe Best dans Le Monde dramatique, tome premier, 1835
1901 - In a show of force against the actors, the administrator does away with the reading committee, leaving Claretie alone in charge of the repertoire. The reading committee is restored in 1910.
"Le Retour d'Ulysse", film muet réalisé par André Calmettes et Charles Le Bargy
1908 - Les Comédiens-Français, under the artistic direction of Charles Le Bargy, participate on their first films.
Elisabeth Nizan et René Alexandre jouent "La Paix chez soi" de Georges Courteline, à Chaude-Fontaine, le 16 juillet 1916
1913-1936 - Under the administration of Albert Carré (former artistic director of the Opéra-Comique) and then of the dramatist Émile Fabre, the Comédie-Française goes through a period of transition. During the war, it participates in the performances of the Théâtre aux Armées, organises fund-raising galas and stages patriotic works. Despite the post-war financial and political crises, Émile Fabre manages to welcome a new generation of dramatists (Jean-Jacques Bernard, Paul Raynal, André Obey) while celebrating the tricentennial of the birth of Molière and the centenary of Romanticism. He introduces foreign authors (d’Annunzio and Ibsen) to the repertoire, and stages the great repertoire plays, Musset and Balzac.
"Coriolan" de Shakespeare, traduction de René-Louis Piachaud, mise en scène d’Emile Fabre, 1933, 6e tableau. Photographie Manuel frères
1933 - "Coriolanus", adapted from Shakespeare and directed by Émile Fabre, sparks incidents in the build-up to the political crisis that peaks on 6 February 1934. Émile Fabre is dismissed and then reinstated.
Béatrix Dussane à la radio, vers 1936
1935 - La Comédie-Française takes part in its first radio broadcasts.
Affiche du "Chandelier" d’Alfred de Musset, mise en scène de Gaston Baty, 1936
1936 - The playwright Édouard Bourdet is appointed as administrator. He is assisted by an advisory committee composed of directors from the so-called Cartel: Jacques Copeau, Gaston Baty, Charles Dullin and Louis Jouvet. These directors bring a fresh perspective to the classics, while contemporary French and foreign authors – Giraudoux, Lenormand, Mauriac, Romain Rolland and Pirandello – are admitted to the repertoire.
Répétition du "Soulier de satin" de Paul Claudel, mise en scène de Jean-Louis Barrault, 1943
1940-1946 - During the war, Jacques Copeau and Jean-Louis Vaudoyer succeed each other as administrators, followed by Pierre Dux at the Liberation. They endeavour to preserve the integrity and prestige of the Comédie-Française, where, at the height of the German occupation, Montherlant’s "La Reine morte" (The Dead Queen) and Claudel’s "Le Soulier de Satin" (The Satin Slipper) triumph.
La Comédie-Française, salle Luxembourg, dans les années 1950
1946 - An important government decree grants the Comédie-Française the use of the Odéon – referred to as the Salle Luxembourg to distinguish it from the Salle Richelieu – triggering the departure of a group of sociétaires.
Comité d'administration, séance du 26 janvier 1960, démission de Claude de Boisanger
1946-1960 - The administrators André Obey, Pierre-Aimé Touchard, Pierre Descaves and Claude de Boisanger face various crises and increase the number of actors in the troupe.
Odéon, Théâtre de France, 1959
1959 - The running of the Odéon is withdrawn from the Comédie-Française.
"La Fourmi dans le corps" de Jacques Audiberti, mise en scène d'André Barsacq, 1962, avec Henri Rollan, Georges Descrières, Thérèse Marney
1960-1983 - Three actor-administrators are placed in charge, all from the ranks of the Comédie-Française troupe. 1960-1970 - Maurice Escande opens theatre to new actors and outside directors.
"En attendant Godot" de Samuel Beckett, mise en scène de Roger Blin, Théâtre national de l’Odéon, 1978, avec Michel Aumont et Jean-Paul Roussillon
1970-1979 - Pierre Dux continues this policy by bringing in foreign directors. The Comédie-Française is placed back in charge of the Odéon in 1971. It celebrates the tricentenary of the Molière’s death, works on administrative reform and the renovation of the theatre.
La Comédie-Française dans le métro, station Auber, 18 et 20 novembre 1981, représentations de "Cœur à deux" de Guy Foissy et de "Feu la mère de madame" de Georges Feydeau
1979-1983 - Jacques Toja succeeds Pierre Dux. 1980 - He takes over responsibility for productions and the exhibition for the tricentenary of the Comédie-Française, then celebrates the bicentenary of the Odéon (1982) by inviting many important foreign companies.
Répétitions de "Félicité" de Jean Audureau, mise en scène de Jean-Pierre Vincent, 1983, avec Jean-Pierre Vincent et Catherine Samie
1983 - The running of the Odéon is withdrawn from the Comédie-Française. 1983-1990 - The decade is marked by the mandates of four administrators. 1983 - Appointment of Jean-Pierre Vincent, former director of the Théâtre national de Strasbourg, an actor and director who is a figure of decentralisation. He intends to direct the theatre “from the boards”. His mandate marks a change in direction with the choice of new authors and the aesthetics of the new productions. The formal dress rule for Tuesday performances is abolished. Jean Audureau’s "Félicité" unsettles spectators and critics.
"Bérénice" de Jean Racine, mise en scène de Klaus-Michaël Grüber, 1984, avec Marcel Bozonnet et Richard Fontana
1984 - Klaus-Michaël Grüber’s new production of "Bérénice" marks a renewal of dramaturgy. Jean Genet enters the repertoire with "Le Balcon" (The Balcony).
Jean Le Poulain, rôle d’Argan, dans "Le Malade imaginaire" de Molière, mise en scène de Jean-Laurent Cochet
Jean-Pierre Vincent rules himself out of renewing his mandate as administrator. 1986 - Jean Le Poulain, a sociétaire of the Comédie-Française, is appointed administrator. The Théâtre national de l’Odéon is attached to the Comédie-Française. Jean Le Poulain faces opposition from part of the troupe. The classical repertoire dominates over the bold programming of his predecessor. Jorge Lavelli’s landmark production of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream".
Claude Winter, rôle de Madame de Saint-Genis, dans "Les Corbeaux" d’Henry Becque, mise en scène de Jean-Pierre Vincent
1988 - On 1 March, Jean Le Poulain dies before the end of his mandate. The doyenne, Claude Winter, steps up in acting administrator.
Antoine Vitez pendant les répétitions du "Partage de midi" de Paul Claudel, 1975
15 June 1988 - Antoine Vitez, artistic director of the Théâtre national de Chaillot, is appointed to the post of general administrator. He takes over his predecessor’s programme.
Maquette de décor de Yannis Kokkos pour "Le Mariage de Figaro" de Beaumarchais, mise en scène d’Antoine Vitez, 1989
1989 - Antoine Vitez adds Beaumarchais’ "Marriage of Figaro" to the programme to celebrate the bicentennial of the French Revolution.
"La Vie de Galilée" de Bertolt Brecht, mise en scène d'Antoine Vitez, 1990
The 1989-1990 season is marked by noteworthy productions : Jean-Paul Sartre enters the repertoire, with "Huis clos" (In Camera) directed by Claude Régy, and Bertolt Brecht’s "Life of Galileo" is premiered at the Comédie-Française in a staging by Antoine Vitez, which is to be his final production. The Odéon is once again withdrawn from the Comédie-Francaise. 30 April 1990 : Antoine Vitez dies suddenly.
"Père" de Bertolt Brecht, mise en scène de Patrice Kerbrat, 1991, avec Jean-Luc Boutté et Catherine Hiegel
On July 4, 1990, Jacques Lassalle, director of the Théâtre national de Strasbourg, is appointed as general administrator. He stages works by Marivaux, Goldoni and Molière.
"La Tragédie du roi Christophe" d’Aimé Césaire, mise en scène d'Idrissa Ouedraogo, 1991
1991 - Aimé Césaire enters the repertoire with "La Tragédie du roi Christophe" (The Tragedy of King Christophe) directed by Idrissa Ouédraogo.
Le Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier
1993 - The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier (300 seats), which has been promised to the Comédie-Française since 1988, is reopened. July 1993 - Jacques Lassalle steps down as administrator after staging Molière’s "Dom Juan" with the Comédiens-Français at the Avignon Festival. 5 August 1993 – Jean-Pierre Miquel, a director and recent head of the Conservatoire, is appointed as administrator. The classical and modern repertoires are expanded, the programming of the Salle Richelieu and the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier opens up to foreign and contemporary theatre.
Le plateau de la salle Richelieu avec la servante
1994 - A major refurbishment is undertaken to modernise the fly tower and renovate the theatre. During the work, the Comédie-Française operates from the provinces while maintaining its activity in Paris.
La salle Richelieu
1995 - The statutes are modified again. On 1 April, the Comédie-Française is redefined as a public body with industrial and commercial functions (Établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial, EPIC) under the authority of the Minister of Culture and the mandate of administrator is extended to five years, renewable for periods of three years.
Les travaux au Studio-Théâtre
1996 - A third stage, the Studio-Théâtre (136 seats) is inaugurated in the autumn in the Carrousel du Louvre. In 1998, Jean-Pierre Miquel’s mandate is renewed until 2001.XXIe
"Tartuffe" de Molière, mise en scène de Marcel Bozonnet, 2005, avec Bakary Sangaré et Florence Viala
"L’Amour médecin", "Le Sicilien ou l’Amour peintre" de Molière, mises en scène de Jean-Marie Villégier et Jonathan Duverger, 2005, avec Léonie Simaga, Loïc Corbery, Elsa Lepoivre
"Savannah Bay" by Marguerite Duras, 2002
"Papa doit manger" (Papa Must Eat) by Marie NDiaye, 2003
"Heroes’ Square" by Thomas Bernhard, 2004
"L'Espace furieux" (The Furious Space) by Valère Novarina, 2006
Muriel Mayette-Holtz
"Le Retour au désert" (Return to the Desert) by Bernard-Marie Koltès, 2007
"L'Ordinaire" (The Ordinary) by Michel Vinaver, 2009
"Mystère Bouffe 1 et 2" (Comic Mysteries and Fabulations) by Dario Fo, 2010
"A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams, 2011
Tournée du "Malade imaginaire" de Molière, mise en scène de Claude Stratz, 2011
"One Flea Spare" by Naomi Wallace, 2012
"Rituel pour une métamorphose" (Ritual for a Metamorphosis) by Saadallah Wannous, 2013
Théâtre éphémère
"Peer Gynt" d’Henrik Ibsen, mise en scène d’Eric Ruf, 2012
Eric Ruf
"Roméo et Juliette" de Shakespeare, mise en scène d'Eric Ruf, 2015
"La Tempête" de Shakespeare, mise en scène de Robert Carsen, 2017
"La Nuit des rois" de Shakespeare, mise en scène de Thomas Ostermeier, 2018
"Les Damnés", d'après le scénario de Luchino Visconti, Nicola Badalucco et Enrico Medioli, mise en scène d’Ivo van Hove, Festival d’Avignon, 2016
"La Règle du jeu", d’après Jean Renoir, mise en scène de Christiane Jatahy, 2017
Cité du théâtre, étude du projet
"Tartuffe" de Molière, mise en scène de Marcel Bozonnet, 2005, avec Bakary Sangaré et Florence Viala
4 August 2001 - The director Marcel Bozonnet, who was an actor in the troupe from 1982 to 1992 and subsequently the head of the National Theatre Conservatory, is appointed general administrator. He programmes a repertoire encompassing all eras, with the intention of drawing from the past to nourish new productions.
"L’Amour médecin", "Le Sicilien ou l’Amour peintre" de Molière, mises en scène de Jean-Marie Villégier et Jonathan Duverger, 2005, avec Léonie Simaga, Loïc Corbery, Elsa Lepoivre
2005 - The dialogue between theatre and music is revived. Premiere of Molière’s "L'Amour médecin" and "Le Sicilien ou l'Amour peintre" in co-production with Les Arts Florissants.
"Savannah Bay" by Marguerite Duras, 2002
The three stages also host contemporary French or foreign texts, including these additions to the repertoire.
"Papa doit manger" (Papa Must Eat) by Marie NDiaye, 2003
The three stages also host contemporary French or foreign texts, including these additions to the repertoire.
"Heroes’ Square" by Thomas Bernhard, 2004
The three stages also host contemporary French or foreign texts, including these additions to the repertoire.
"L'Espace furieux" (The Furious Space) by Valère Novarina, 2006
The three stages also host contemporary French or foreign texts, including these additions to the repertoire. Non-repertoire plays by Gao Xingjian, Tony Kushner, Lars Norén and Philippe Minyana are also programmed. The end of Marcel Bozonnet’s mandate is marked by the controversy surrounding the “Peter Handke affair”, the latter having been removed from the programme because of his links with Milosevic.
Muriel Mayette-Holtz
4 August 2006 - Muriel Mayette is the first woman to be appointed administrator of the Comédie-Française. An actor from the troupe as well as a director, she diversifies events around the main programme (cabarets, debates, carte blanche evenings, portraits of actors and professions, readings of the senses, etc.) and opens up the repertoire to new horizons. To serve this repertoire, since 2009 the troupe has counted on the collaboration of six student actors recruited every year from major theatre schools to spend one season at the Comédie-Française. From 2010, important audiovisual partnerships are developed: television broadcasts of performances, feature film adaptations shot on site, collaborations with directors (Mathieu Amalric, Valérie Donzelli, Arnaud Desplechin and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) to shoot original films with the troupe based on the programmed plays.
"Le Retour au désert" (Return to the Desert) by Bernard-Marie Koltès, 2007
With Catherine Hiegel, Martine Chevallier, Bruno Raffaelli
"Mystère Bouffe 1 et 2" (Comic Mysteries and Fabulations) by Dario Fo, 2010
With Comédie-Française's student actors and Hervé Pierre
"A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams, 2011
With Anne Kessler, Françoise Gillard, Eric Ruf. The first American text to enter the repertoire.
Tournée du "Malade imaginaire" de Molière, mise en scène de Claude Stratz, 2011
With Muriel Mayette-Holtz, Julie Sicard, Gérard Giroudon. Muriel Mayette brings a lot of new faces into the troupe and revives international tours : in Asia (China, Korea, Taiwan).
"One Flea Spare" by Naomi Wallace, 2012
With Catherine Sauval, Guillaume Gallienne, Félicien Juttner, Julie Sicard
"Rituel pour une métamorphose" (Ritual for a Metamorphosis) by Saadallah Wannous, 2013
With Marion Malenfant, Sylvia Bergé, Bakary Sangaré, Louis Arene, Elliot Jenicot, Nâzim Boudjenah, Laurent Natrella, Denis Podalydès, Hervé Pierre. First Arabic text to enter the repertoire.
Théâtre éphémère
2012-2013 - Following the closure of Salle Richelieu for major renovations, the troupe performs in unusual places: the Théâtre Éphémère in the garden of the Palais-Royal and the Salon d’Honneur of the Grand Palais with Ibsen’s "Peer Gynt" (directed by Éric Ruf).
"Peer Gynt" d’Henrik Ibsen, mise en scène d’Eric Ruf, 2012
2012-2013 - Following the closure of Salle Richelieu for major renovations, the troupe performs in unusual places: the Théâtre Éphémère in the garden of the Palais-Royal and the Salon d’Honneur of the Grand Palais with Ibsen’s "Peer Gynt" (directed by Éric Ruf).
Eric Ruf
4 août 2014 - Le sociétaire (comédien dans la troupe de 1993 à 2014), décorateur et metteur en scène Éric Ruf est nommé administrateur général. Il se donne notamment pour mission de faire travailler la Troupe avec de grands metteurs en scène internationaux, de revenir au Festival d’Avignon et d’entamer le chantier de la Cité du Théâtre.
"Roméo et Juliette" de Shakespeare, mise en scène d'Eric Ruf, 2015
First live broadcast of a play ("Romeo and Juliet", directed by Éric Ruf) in cinemas thanks to a partnership with Pathé Live.
"La Tempête" de Shakespeare, mise en scène de Robert Carsen, 2017
With Loïc Corbery, Christophe Montenez
"La Nuit des rois" de Shakespeare, mise en scène de Thomas Ostermeier, 2018
With Christophe Montenez, Stéphane Varupenne, Julien Frison, Anna Cervinka, Adeline d’Hermy, Georgia Scalliet, Sébastien Pouderoux, Yoann Gasiorowski
"Les Damnés", d'après le scénario de Luchino Visconti, Nicola Badalucco et Enrico Medioli, mise en scène d’Ivo van Hove, Festival d’Avignon, 2016
6 July 2016 - The Comédie-Française returns to Avignon, after a 23-year absence. First performance of "Les Damnés" ("The Damned", after the screenplay by Visconti, Badalucco and Medioli, directed by Ivo van Hove) in the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes.
"La Règle du jeu", d’après Jean Renoir, mise en scène de Christiane Jatahy, 2017
2016-2017 season - Screenplays enter the repertoire ("Les Damnés" based on the screenplay by Luchino Visconti, Nicola Badaluco and Enrico Medioli and "La Règle du jeu" after Jean Renoir).
