Théâtre de la Gaîté

About

The Théâtre de la Gaîté (French pronunciation: [te-t-t-d-la-d-la--t]), a formation Parisian theatre company, was founded in 1759 on the boulevard du Temple by the celebrated Parisian fair-grounds showman Jean-Baptiste Nicolet as the Théâtre de Nicolet, or Les Grands Danseurs (pronounced [te-t-t-t-d-d-k-l-u de-d-sœ-sœ]). The company was invited to perform for the royal court of Louis XV in 1772 and thereafter took the name of Grand-Dancers du Roi (pronounced [ However, with the fall of the monarchy and the founding of the First French Republic in 1792, the name was changed to the less politically risky Théâtre de la Gaîté. The company's theater on the Boulevard du Temple was replaced in 1764 and 1808, and again in 1835 due to a fire. As a result of Haussmann's renovation of Paris, the company located to a new theater on the rue Papin in 1862, and the 1835 theater (pictured) was subsequently demolished.

Nicolet moves from the fair to the boulevard: In 1759 a new Lieutenant General of Police, Antoine de Sartine, take office, and Jean-Baptiste Nicolet, an actor who specialized in playing the role of Harlequin, and one of the foremost producers of popular interests...