Audin (Or Odin), Monsieur

Audin [Or Odin], Monsieur (fl. late 18th century), scenic designer. Little is known about the personal life of this artist, who, except for Charles Ciceri, was probably the finest set designer of his day. His most productive years seem to have been spent in Charleston. In his monograph on Ciceri, Edwin Duerr noted of Audin, “He succeeded in bringing to his southern stages some of the most varied and opulent of eighteenth century American theatrical scenes. Elaborate French pantomimes were beautifully colored and costumed; processions were splendidly mounted and arranged; melodramas maneuvered before wild backgrounds . . . all under the supervision of Audin.” He was famous for transcribing well‐known paintings to the stage, such as Hogarth's drawing of the gate of Calais for a 1793 mounting of The Surrender of Calais. In The Charleston Stage in the XVIII Century, Eola Willis suggests he may have pioneered in dimming lights to effect scene changes. It is unclear whether the Audin who later worked under Ciceri at the Park Theatre in 1798 was the father or son.