Illustre-Théâtre
The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre
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1996
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© The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information)
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Illustre-Théâtre, the company with which
Molière, drawn into it by his friendship with Madeleine
Béjart, made his first appearance on the professional stage. The contract drawn up between the first members, among whom were three of the Béjart family, is dated 30 June 1643, and was modelled upon that of the
Confrérie de la Passion. In essentials, it has remained the basic constitution of the
Comédie-Française ever since. The company played for a time in the provinces, possibly at Rouen, opening in 1644 in Paris, but without much success. By 1645 the Illustre-Théâtre had come to an ignominious end, and vanished without leaving a trace in contemporary records. Its repertory included plays by Corneille,
Du Ryer, and
Tristan L'Hermite, and some specially written by a member of the company, all of which had the word
illustre in the title.
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