Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Humanities, Psychology and Social Sciences
Year: 2024
DOI:
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A Brief Overview of Theatrical Practice in Europe, Culminating in the Transformation of the Jeu De Paume into the Salle Des Machines
Raquel Medina Cabeças
ABSTRACT:
In the same vein as other European countries, French theatre practice was originated at the Court, with Italian-style comedies and tragedies, reproducing the scenography apparatus used in the shows, considered by Daniel Rabreau to be the art of the court. There were venues of choice: the Hotel de Bourgogne, which rivalled the Theatre du Marseille. With the Theatre du Marais, a theatre that was originated from the reconstruction of a Jeu de Paume, whose configuration allowed them to be easily adapted into rooms, preferably large rectangular spaces with overlapping galleries. The Jeu de Paume du Maretz, relatively close to the Hotel de Bourgogne, was adapted and opened in 1635. Destroyed by a fire in 1644, it reopened the same year with new staging techniques and an enlarged audience, composed of entrances, a performance hall, a stage and associated services. The Comédie-Française, a royal theatre company that marked the evolution of Italian theatre in France, was founded on the initiative of Louis XIV. The Salle des Machines is another example of a royal theatre with an important architectural structure, where the Comédie-Française performed. Built between 1660 and 1662, it owes its name to the theatrical machines used on stage during performances, with visual effects such as the use of smoke cloud machines, or others that allowed the characters to descend onto the stage. Let’s see how was the French theatre and how European theatre relates with it.
keywords: European theatre, 17th century, Jeu de Paume, Salle des Machines, France