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Origin and history

The Sens Municipal Theatre, built in 1880 and inaugurated in 1882, is an emblematic building of the city, located at 21 boulevard des Garibaldi. It replaces an old show hall built in 1793 in the left wing of a building owned by Jean-Louis Guyot, a fripier merchant, and acquired by the city in 1824. This first theatre, which was modest and often renovated, was deemed insufficient in the 1870s, pushing the municipality to commission a new project.

In 1879, the architect Horace Lefort designed an ambitious expansion: a new room perpendicular to the old, with an enlarged scene, artists' lodges, and a public fireplace. The first stone was laid in 1881, and the inauguration took place on 16 July 1882. The theatre, in Italian style, features a U-shaped room with two galleries, a ceiling painted by Diost, and studded decors. Its inscription in the Historical Monuments in 1975 marks its heritage recognition.

The theatre almost disappeared in the 1960s, threatened with demolition to give way to a bank or bus station. Saved by a local mobilization, it reopened in 1981 after a major renovation. Today, it offers varied programming (theatre, opera, dance, humor) and also hosts school and community shows. Its architecture, blending stone and limestone, and its history reflect the evolution of cultural practices in Sens.

The origin of the site dates back to the ancient cemetery of the Hotel-Dieu, moved in 1758. The first hall, built by Guyot between 1793 and 1799, was a simple dance hall with gallery, transformed into a theatre in 1808. Acquired by the city in 1827, it was renovated several times (1832, 1843) before being considered obsolete. The works of 1880-1882, led by the entrepreneur Adolphe Evrat, gave birth to the present theatre, with a stone façade and a metal frame under the attic.

The theatre experienced difficult periods, such as its closure in 1963 for security reasons, or its competition with cinemas in the 1950s. Its safeguard in the 1970s, carried by Mayor André Chaussat, allowed a complete restoration (1980-1981), giving life to this cultural place. Today, with 350 seats, it remains a pillar of Senonian artistic life, mixing heritage and modernity.

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