Theatre and societies in revolutionary France

Abstract

The theatre, a very often-frequented place from the 1770s, is at the junction of several socie-ties: that of the shareholders who own the auditorium and privileges; that of the artists; that of the spectators; that of amateurs who are formed in bourgeois circles and then in patriotic dramatic societies. Commercial freedom, activist investment, the wars born of the French Revolution, emigration, indeed, upset theatrical structures. Halls and troops then multiply, and dramatic practices gain previously unfamiliar spaces for entertainment. Theatre becomes not only an economic issue, but also a political one, posing and addressing long term issues of profitability, social order, and public order. Theatre enables social reconversions, but professional troops are also sometimes divided by the artists’ political choices. They are challenged by amateurs whose commitments are more in line with the wishes of the successive regimes.