Dancourt (playwright)

Florent Carton de Dancourt (born November 1, 1661 , Fontainebleau ; † December 6, 1725 , near Courcelles ), known to his contemporaries only as Dancourt , was a French playwright and actor .

biography

Dancourt got a good education as a nobility offspring. The first stage led him to the Jesuits in Paris to study law there. His training as a lawyer was completed at the age of 18. A short time later, he married Therese Le Noir , only 17 years old , daughter of La Thorillière . This connection brought him closer to the theater.

After first steps in the provinces, he got a chance at the still young Comédie-Française . He always played funny characters such as a complainer, a moneylender or a farmer. And Dancourt was not only important to the Comédie-Française as an actor. In 1685 his first play notaire obligeant was performed. His piece Chevalier à la Mode , written in 1687, was described as a masterpiece. Then Dancourt made his most notable appearances in his own piece Parisienne , which was performed in 1690. There he played the role of Aesop , which for him was unusual, not funny, but cold and monotonous.

Dancour's works are all in prose and consist mainly of one-act acts .

In addition, Dancourt was also a director and involved in the management. He remained loyal to the Comédie-Française as a playwright and actor until the end of his career. As comèdien du Roy he received an adequate pension of 1,000 livres .

In 1684 his first daughter Marie-Anne-Michelle Carton , called Mimi, was born. A year later, in 1685, his second daughter, Marie-Anne-Armande Carton , called Manon, was born. Both girls made their debut as child actors at the age of 10 and also became actresses.

Dancourt died in his castle, Courcelles-le-Roi , and was buried in the chapel there. He had commissioned the grave himself and supervised its construction.

Bibliographical reference

Auguste Jal found out in the Paris Register of Arms that the assumption that Dancourt's real name was d'Ancourt is wrong, but that de Dancourt is the correct spelling.

Works

• notaire obligeant , 1885
• Chevalier à la Mode , 1887
• Maison de Campagne , 1688
• Eté des Coquettes , 1690
• Parisienne , 1691
• Bourgeoises à la Mode , 1692
• Tuteur , 1695
• Vendanges de Surenes 1695
• Moulin de Javelle , 1696
• Vacances , 1696
• Charivari , 1697
• Retour des Officiers , 1697
• Curieux de Comiègne , 1698
• Mari retrouvé , 1698
• Bourgeoises de qualité , 1700
• Trois Cousines , 1700
• Galant Jardinier , 1704
• Fête du Village , 1724

literature

• Henry Lyonnet : Dictionnaire des comédiens français , Paris, Volume 1, p. 421, digitized
• Arsene Houssaye: Galerie du XVIIIe siècle. Les hommes d'esprit , p. 67ff., Paris: Hachette, 1858, digitized

Web links

• Information on Dancourt in the database of the Bibliothèque nationale de France .
• Literature by and about Dancourt (playwright) in the bibliographic database WorldCat