The Theatre > History

The latter third of the 19th century was devoted to questions of comfort and safety: the stage and auditorium were heated by installing two huge warm-air furnaces; the foyers were adorned with portraits of actors, busts and medallions, and an audience evacuation area was built. Paul Porel was a man of the theatre, with extensive skills and charisma, and in his hands the theatre triumphed. 1885 brought "L'Arlésienne" by Alphonse Daudet to music by Georges Bizet, performed by the Edouard Colonne orchestra.

In 1892, the Odéon which Porel handed back to the State was fully renovated, and complete with an audience, repertoire and Réjane as the triumphant artiste. 1888 saw the advent of electricity, first used in March, on stage, in the auditorium and throughout the annexes. In September, electric light revealed the new ceiling by Jean-Paul Laurens. In 1896, a brief appearance was made by Antoine who ran the theatre for seventeen days, joining the Firmin Gémier theatre company which then went with him to premises on the boulevard de Strasbourg. Paul Ginisty was an intelligent but cautious man of letters, interested in keeping the public authorities happy and was in charge of the theatre, by himself, for ten years.