Troupe du Marais

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The Troupe du Marais was a drama company based in the Marais district of Paris in the 17th century . It was founded by the actor Guillaume Des Gilberts (1594-1653), who was known under the stage name Mondor, Mondory or Montdory, before the year 1620 and dissolved by an orderly on June 23, 1673. This was signed by Lieutenant Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie , following an order that Colbert brought him on behalf of King Louis XIV .

The establishment of the troupe ended the drama privilege that the Confrérie de la Passion (Brotherhood of the Passion Play) had ceded to Valleran-Lecomte in 1599, together with its venue, the Hôtel de Bourgogne . He did not settle in Paris until 1628 with his "Troupe Royale", which was supported by the king.

Places of work

The comedians played in various ballrooms in the Marais district called "Jeu de Paume", the premises of which were well suited for use as a theater.

The Ballspielhaus Bertaut (1629–1632)

In 1629, the troupe, led by Mondory, settled in a ball game house by Philippe-Auguste's old city wall at the end of the cul-de-sac Bertaut. The street owes its name to the founder of the ball game house (1577), a certain Jean Bertaut. In the same year, the performance of the comedy "Mélite" by Pierre Corneille took place with great success . In 1632 the troupe moved to a neighboring ballroom.

The Jeu de Paume de la Fontaine (1632–1634)

The next place of activity of the drama troupe was the Jeu de Paume de la Fontaine, mentioned in a document in 1480, which stood on a site outside the old city wall in rue Michel-le-Comte. The theater, especially the traffic jam of the carriages in the narrow street and the naughtiness of the lackeys, aroused the disapproval of the local residents and was the cause of many complaints. The building burned down in 1634, which forced the comedians to move again.

The Jeu de Paume du Marais (1634–1673)

Towards the end of 1673 the "Troupe du Marais" took possession of the Jeu de Paume du Marais ballroom, which had existed since 1520 in the rue Vieille du Temple . There Mondory created the role of Rodriguez in Corneille's drama Le Cid in December 1636 or early 1637 , but fell ill a short time later, which resulted in a temporary relegation of the previously successful troupe. The ballroom burned down in 1643 and, after extensive renovation, was reopened in 1644 as the "Théâtre du Marais". The technical innovations introduced in the process now allowed spectacular stage effects. The company played in the new theater for 30 years until it was dissolved by royal orders in 1673. At the same time, the demolition of the theater and the merger of the company with the comedians of the recently deceased playwright Molière were decreed. So it was partly absorbed by the troupe now led by Armande Béjart and located in the Hôtel Guénégaud.

repertoire

The 23-year-old Pierre Corneille (1606–1684) put his trust in Mondory, who was 12 years his senior, and presented him with the manuscript of his first stage work "Mélite" (or "The Wrong Letters"). This was premiered in 1629 with great success by the "Troupe du Marais", which prompted Corneille to give Mondory the performance rights for his subsequent works up to the premiere of "Le Cid" (1636/37). The fact that Mondory Corneille did not want to share in an appropriate way in the profit that the troupe made from the triumphant audience recorded "Cid" sealed the collaboration between the actors and the playwright for the time being.

Comedians

The following actors belonged to the "Troupe du Marais":

  • Mondory , founder of the company, had to cease acting in 1637 due to paralysis;
  • Jodelet from at least 1620 to 1634 and from 1642 to 1659; he was one of the first actors in the company, joined the company of the Hôtel de Bourgogne in 1634 on the orders of the king, returned to the Théâtre du Marais in 1642 and settled down with his older brother François called L'Espy in the year Poached from Molière in 1659;
  • L'Espy until 1659; After playing at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, he joined the company and left with his younger brother Jodelet to play with Molière;
  • Floridor from 1638/40 to 1647; he moved with the repertoire of Corneille in the company of the Hôtel de Bourgogne, which he led from then on;
  • Du Parc and Mademoiselle du Parc from Easter 1659 to 1660; When L'Espy and Jodelet "defected" from the Théâtre du Marais to Molière, Corneille recruited the Du Parcs from him in return, but they returned to Molière a year later due to their disappointing experiences with the "Troupe du Marais". Mademoiselle Du Parc left Molière again after she was widowed in 1664, now to join the company of the Hôtel de Bourgogne;
  • La Thorillière from 1659 to 1661, changed to Molière's troop in 1661;
  • André Hubert made his debut from 1659 to 1664, the son of the then owners of the Théâtre du Marais, in the troupe of the same name, which he left in 1664 to play with Molière.
  • Monsieur de Champmeslé from 1669 to 1670, and his wife, called " La Champmeslé " from 1669 to 1669/70; Both then appeared in the Hôtel de Bourgogne and together they joined the company of Molière in 1679, which was then playing in the Hôtel Guénégaud. When these two troops were brought together a year later to found the Comédie-Française , they were among the first sociétaires of the same.

literature

  • Jacques Hillairet: Dictionnaire Historique des Rues de Paris. 2 volumes. Éditions de Minuit, Paris 1963 (10me édition. Ibid 1997, ISBN 2-7073-1054-9 ).

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ today "impasse Berthaud, 3rd arrondissement
  2. ↑ destroyed, today's house number 25
  3. ↑ destroyed, today's house number 90
  4. ↑ compare: Querelle du Cid