Théâtre Montparnasse
Encyclopedia
The Théâtre Montparnasse is a theater at 31, rue de la Gaîté in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.
From 1930 to 1943, the theatre was directed by Gaston Baty
and as a result became known as the Theatre Montparnasse-Gaston Baty. From 1944 to 1964 the theatre was directed by Actress Margaret Jamois.
In 1965, Lars Schmidt bought the theater and appointed Jerome Hullot artistic director. Schmidt and Hullot introduced many English talents to the French stage, including such authors and actors as Harold Pinter
, Peter Schaffer, Noel Coward
, Arnold Wesker
, and Murray Schisgal
. Then in 1979 they created the smaller Petit Montparnasse theatre on the site of a former warehouse.
In 1984, Schmidt retired and was succeeded by Myriam Colombi who renovated the theatre and added a bar-restaurant. The current capacity of the main theatre is 715 seats.
In 1998 renovation and expansion of the Petit Montparnasse began and it become a hall with two hundred seats, finally reopening in November 2003.
The Théâtre Montparnasse-Gaston Baty was designated a historic monument on April 3, 1984.
History
The present structure was built in 1886 on a site that had been dedicated to theatre since 1817. The building was designed by architect Charles Peigniet who also helped to create of the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty in New York.From 1930 to 1943, the theatre was directed by Gaston Baty
Gaston Baty
Gaston Baty , whose full name was Jean-Baptiste-Marie-Gaston Baty, was a French playwright and director. His stage adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary was presented in an English translation on Broadway in 1937. Constance Cummings played the title role...
and as a result became known as the Theatre Montparnasse-Gaston Baty. From 1944 to 1964 the theatre was directed by Actress Margaret Jamois.
In 1965, Lars Schmidt bought the theater and appointed Jerome Hullot artistic director. Schmidt and Hullot introduced many English talents to the French stage, including such authors and actors as Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
, Peter Schaffer, Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
, Arnold Wesker
Arnold Wesker
Sir Arnold Wesker is a prolific British dramatist known for his contributions to kitchen sink drama. He is the author of 42 plays, 4 volumes of short stories, 2 volumes of essays, a book on journalism, a children's book, extensive journalism, poetry and other assorted writings...
, and Murray Schisgal
Murray Schisgal
Murray Schisgal is an American playwright and screenwriter.Native New Yorker Schisgal won his first recognition for the 1963 off-Broadway double-bill The Typists and The Tiger, which won him the Drama Desk Award. His 1965 Broadway debut, Luv, earned him Tony Award nominations for Best Play and...
. Then in 1979 they created the smaller Petit Montparnasse theatre on the site of a former warehouse.
In 1984, Schmidt retired and was succeeded by Myriam Colombi who renovated the theatre and added a bar-restaurant. The current capacity of the main theatre is 715 seats.
In 1998 renovation and expansion of the Petit Montparnasse began and it become a hall with two hundred seats, finally reopening in November 2003.
The Théâtre Montparnasse-Gaston Baty was designated a historic monument on April 3, 1984.
Productions by Gaston Baty
- 1930: The Threepenny OperaThe Threepenny OperaThe Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...
by Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the... - 1930: The Doctor in Spite of Himself by MolièreMolièreJean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
- 1930: Le Sourd ou l'auberge pleine by Pierre-Jean-Baptiste Choudard-DesforgesPierre Jean Baptiste Choudard DesforgesPierre-Jean-Baptiste Choudard-Desforges was a French dramatist and man of letters.He was born in Paris, the natural son of Dr. Antoine Petit. He was educated at the College Mazarin and the College de Beauvais and, in accordance with his father's wishes, began the study of medicine. Dr...
- 1931: Wasteland by Jean-Victor Pellerin
- 1931: Danube red by Bernard Zimmer
- 1932: Bifur by Simon Gantillon
- 1932: Café-Tabac by Denys Amiel
- 1932: As You Desire Me by Luigi PirandelloLuigi PirandelloLuigi Pirandello was an Italian dramatist, novelist, and short story writer awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934, for his "bold and brilliant renovation of the drama and the stage." Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written...
- 1933: Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky
- 1934: Round trip from Jacques Chabannes
- 1934: Prosper by Lucienne Favre
- 1935: Hotel masks by John Albert
- 1935: Les Caprices de MarianneLes caprices de MarianneLes caprices de Marianne is a two-act opéra comique by Henri Sauguet with a French libretto by Jean-Pierre Grédy after Alfred de Musset. It was first performed at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 1954, with the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire conducted by Louis de Froment with...
by Alfred de MussetAlfred de MussetAlfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.Along with his poetry, he is known for writing La Confession d'un enfant du siècle from 1836.-Biography:Musset was born on 11 December 1810 in Paris... - 1936: Madame BovaryMadame BovaryMadame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert's first published novel and is considered his masterpiece. The story focuses on a doctor's wife, Emma Bovary, who has adulterous affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life...
by Gustave FlaubertGustave FlaubertGustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,... - 1937: The Failures by Henri-René LenormandHenri-René LenormandHenri-René Lenormand was a French playwright. He was born on May 3, 1882 in Paris. His plays, steeped in symbolism, were recognized for their explorations of subconscious motivation, deeply reflecting the influence of the theories of Sigmund Freud. He was the son of a composer, and was educated at...
- 1937: FaustGoethe's FaustJohann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts: and . Although written as a closet drama, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages...
by Goethe - 1937: Madame Capet by Marcelle Maurette
- 1938: Arden of Feversham by Henri-René LenormandHenri-René LenormandHenri-René Lenormand was a French playwright. He was born on May 3, 1882 in Paris. His plays, steeped in symbolism, were recognized for their explorations of subconscious motivation, deeply reflecting the influence of the theories of Sigmund Freud. He was the son of a composer, and was educated at...
- 1938: Dulcinea Gaston BatyGaston BatyGaston Baty , whose full name was Jean-Baptiste-Marie-Gaston Baty, was a French playwright and director. His stage adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary was presented in an English translation on Broadway in 1937. Constance Cummings played the title role...
- 1939: Manon Lescaut of Marcelle Maurette by the Abbe Prevost
- 1940: PhèdrePhèdrePhèdre is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Jean Racine, first performed in 1677.-Composition and premiere:...
by Jean RacineJean RacineJean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition... - 1940: A boy at Very by Eugene Labiche
- 1941: Mary Stuart by Marcelle Maurette
- 1941: The Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"... - 1942: MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"... - 1944: The Grand Poucet by Claude-André Puget
- 1944: Emily BronteEmily BrontëEmily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
by SimoneSimoneSimone is a female given name derived from Simon, Hebrew Simeon, meaning "one who hears". It first appears in Iberia from the 10th century, as Jimena, Ximena, feminine eponym of Jimeno II of Pamplona, founder of the Jiménez dynasty... - 1945: LorenzaccioLorenzaccioLorenzaccio is a French play of the Romantic period written by Alfred de Musset in 1834, set in 16th-century Florence, and depicting Lorenzino de' Medici, who killed Florence's tyrant, Alessandro de' Medici, his cousin. Having engaged in debaucheries to gain the Duke's confidence, he loses the...
by Alfred de MussetAlfred de MussetAlfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.Along with his poetry, he is known for writing La Confession d'un enfant du siècle from 1836.-Biography:Musset was born on 11 December 1810 in Paris... - 1947: The Love for Three Oranges by Alexandre Arnoux
Productions by Marguerite Jamois
- 1943: Hedda GablerHedda GablerHedda Gabler is a play first published in 1890 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play premiered in 1891 in Germany to negative reviews, but has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theatre, and world drama...
by Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre... - 1946: Mourning Becomes ElectraMourning Becomes ElectraMourning Becomes Electra is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932...
by Eugene O'NeillEugene O'NeillEugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish... - 1949: Snow by Marcelle Maurette and Georgette Paul
- 1951: Dangerous LiaisonsDangerous LiaisonsDangerous Liaisons is a 1988 drama film based upon Christopher Hampton's play, Les liaisons dangereuses, which in turn was a theatrical adaptation of the 18th-century French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos....
by Pierre Choderlos de LaclosPierre Choderlos de LaclosPierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos was a French novelist, official and army general, best known for writing the epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses .... - 1955: The Teahouse of the August MoonThe Teahouse of the August MoonThe Teahouse of the August Moon is a 1956 American comedy film satirizing the U.S. occupation and Americanization of the island of Okinawa following the end of World War II in 1945. The motion picture starred Glenn Ford and Marlon Brando....
by John Patrick - 1956: The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert HackettAlbert HackettAlbert Maurice Hackett was an American dramatist and screenwriter most noted for his collaborations with his partner and wife Frances Goodrich.-Early years:...
External links
- Historic Monuments, Theatre Montparnasse-Gaston Baty, (in French)