17th Century French Theatre

1. 17th Century French Theatre

2. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, public theatrical productions in Paris were under the control of guilds. • During the last decades of the 16th century, only one of these continued to exist; although les Confrères de la Passion no longer had the right to perform mystery plays ( since 1548 • In 1599 the guilds abandoned its privilege, which permitted other theaters and theatrical companies to operate in the capital. In addition to public theaters, plays were produced in private residences, before the court and in the university. • In the first half of the 17th century the public, had a diversity of tastes; for example, while the tragicomedy was fashionable at the court during the first decade, the public was more interested in tragedy.

3. Early theaters in Paris were often placed in existing structures like tennis courts; their stages were narrow, and facilities for sets and scene changes were often non-existent (this would encourage the development of unity of place). • Eventually theaters would develop systems of elaborate machines and decors.

4. In the early part of the 17th century, theater performances took place twice a week, starting at two or three o'clock. • Theatrical representations often encompassed several works: • they began with a comic prologue • then a tragedy or tragicomedy • then a farce and finally a song.

5. Nobles sometimes sat at the side of the stage during the performance. • Since it was impossible to lower the house lights the audience was always aware of each other, and spectators were notably vocal during performances. • The place directly in front of the stage, without seats—the parterre—was reserved for men, but since these were the cheapest tickets the parterre was usually a mix of social groups. • Elegant people watched the show from the galleries (.

6. Princes, musketeers and royal pages were given free admission. Before 1630, an "honest" woman did not go to the theater. • Unlike England, France placed no restrictions on women performing on stage; however, the career of actors of either sex was seen as morally wrong by the Catholic Church. • Actors typically had stage names referring to typical roles or stereotypical characters.

7. In addition to scripted comedies and tragedies, Parisians were also great fans of the Italian acting troupe who performed their Commedia dell'arte, a kind of improvised theater based on types. • Outside Paris, in the suburbs and the provinces, there were many wandering theatrical troupes. • The great majority of scripted plays in the 17th century were written in verse.