Bouffes du Nord
Encyclopedia
The Bouffes du Nord is a theater at 37 bis, boulevard de la Chapelle in the 10th arrondissement of Paris located near the Gare du Nord
. It is registered as a historic monument.
The theater's fortunes were revived briefly in 1885 by the arrival of Abel Ballet as the director. In 1896 Abel Ballet left the direction of Bouffes North. The two actors Emmanuel Clot and G. Dublay succeeded him. In 1904 the theater, under the direction of its directors, was entirely restored, repainted, and equipped with electricity. The theatre was renamed the Théâtre Molière and authors such as Arthur Bernède
and Gaston Leroux
were assembled to write plays for the newly-named theater. In August 1914 the Théâtre Molière, like other theatres, closed its doors. Until 1974 the theater was inhabited by a number of theater companies, none of which were able to afford the repairs and maintenance needed for it to conform with security regulations.
British director Peter Brook
took over the theater in 1974 as the home for his theater company. In 2008, Brook announced that he would slowly hand the reins over to Olivier Mantei, deputy head of the Paris opera company Opéra-Comique
and head of the musical programming at the Bouffes du Nord, and Olivier Poubelle, a theatre entrepreneur specialising in modern music.
Gare du Nord
Paris Nord is one of the six large terminus railway stations of the SNCF mainline network for Paris, France. It offers connections with several urban transportation lines, including Paris Métro and RER...
. It is registered as a historic monument.
History
Founded in 1876, it had an erratic existence and seemed that it would never get off the ground. In its first decade it had no fewer than fifteen artistic directors, the most notorious being Olga Léaud who fled the theater after her production had failed, taking the contents of the theater safe with her.The theater's fortunes were revived briefly in 1885 by the arrival of Abel Ballet as the director. In 1896 Abel Ballet left the direction of Bouffes North. The two actors Emmanuel Clot and G. Dublay succeeded him. In 1904 the theater, under the direction of its directors, was entirely restored, repainted, and equipped with electricity. The theatre was renamed the Théâtre Molière and authors such as Arthur Bernède
Arthur Bernède
Arthur Bernède was a French writer, poet, opera libretist, and playwright.He was born in Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine department, in Brittany....
and Gaston Leroux
Gaston Leroux
Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux was a French journalist and author of detective fiction.In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel The Phantom of the Opera , which has been made into several film and stage productions of the same name, notably the 1925 film starring Lon...
were assembled to write plays for the newly-named theater. In August 1914 the Théâtre Molière, like other theatres, closed its doors. Until 1974 the theater was inhabited by a number of theater companies, none of which were able to afford the repairs and maintenance needed for it to conform with security regulations.
British director Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
took over the theater in 1974 as the home for his theater company. In 2008, Brook announced that he would slowly hand the reins over to Olivier Mantei, deputy head of the Paris opera company Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
and head of the musical programming at the Bouffes du Nord, and Olivier Poubelle, a theatre entrepreneur specialising in modern music.
External links
- Guardian article, 17 December 2008, 'Peter Brook to hand over Paris's Bouffes du Nord theatre", accessed 23 February 2011
- Guardian article by Angelique Chrisafis, 17 December 2008, 'Peter Brook says a long goodbye to his Paris theatre", accessed 23 February 2011
- The Bouffes du Nord Theater in Paris Illustration of Bouffes du Nord