The Comédie-Française’s troupe of actors and their audience. On some customary practices in the 19th century
Since its foundation in 1680, the House of Molière has lived to the rhythm of specific practices that have been passed down from one generation of actors to the next, and which, for the most part, have created a unique and often privileged relationship between the company’s troupe of actors and their audience, however diverse. This paper examines the customary practices of the Comédie-Française in the 19th century, highlighting the often contradictory logic of administrators and actors, the latter group increasingly favoring their particular interests over those of the institution, which was subject to pressing political and economic imperatives. This article thus scrutinizes the participation of spectators through these practices which engage, in whatever manner, interactions between the stage and the audience, the “fourth wall” appearing at the same time as a transitional space of encounter and exchange, and a symbolic place where the most acute tensions crystallize.