Théâtre de la Reine

About

The Théâtre de la Reine, or Théâtre de Trianon, is a theatre built for Queen Marie-Antoinette by architect Richard Mique from June 1778 to July 1779. It is located in the domain of the Petit Trianon, in the park of the Palace of Versailles, hidden between the charmilles of the French Garden and the tall trees of the Alpine Garden. The exterior of the building, with the appearance of an outbuilding, contrasts with the sophisticated decoration of its interior, adorned with blue silk and velvet and golden sculptures, yet all of them false-like.

It was inaugurated in 1780, ten years after the opening of the "Grand Théâtre", as it was then called the Royal Opera of the Palace of Versailles. This little comedy hall is for the Queen a secret place, far from the court of Versailles and its torments. She comes to play comedy herself, within a troupe reduced to her intimate entourage, in memory of her taste, since childhood, for theatre and declamation.

It interprets fashionable authors, some of whom, such as Beaumarchais, are even forbidden in court. The scene, twice as large as the room, as well as the complex and modern machinery, are the work of the machinist...