Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Théâtre de la Ville, originally called Théâtre-Lyrique, was designed by architect Gabriel Davioud between 1860 and 1862 as part of the Haussmannian transformations in Paris. It replaced the former Theatre-Historical Hall of Temple Boulevard and was built on the site of several medieval streets, opposite the Châtelet Theatre. With a capacity of 1,000 seats, he welcomed major works by Gounod, Bizet and Berlioz as soon as he opened, while programming foreign composers such as Verdi and Wagner. The fire of 1871, during the Commune, completely destroyed the building.

Reconstructed in 1874 (excluding interior design), the theatre successively took the names of Théâtre-Lyrique-Dramatice, Théâtre-Historique, and then Théâtre des Nations in 1879. Sarah Bernhardt obtained his lease in 1898 and placed his mark on it until 1923, when he was renamed Sarah-Bernhardt Theatre. During the occupation, he was renamed the Théâtre de la Cité (1941-1947), before returning to his original name. A major renovation in 1967-1968, led by architects Valentin Fabre and Jean Perrottet, radically transformed its interior (disappearance from the hall to the Italian) while preserving its façade, classified as a historic monument in 1990.

From the 1980s, under the direction of Gérard Violette, the City's theatre became a pillar of contemporary world dance, revealing choreographers like Pina Bausch, Maguy Marin and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. In 1996, a second 400-seat room was opened at the Abbesses (18th arrondissement), rehabilitated by architect Charles Vandenhove. Closed for renovation between 2016 and 2023 due to underestimated lead pollution, the theatre reopened with a free annual festival, the Place Festival, and a multidisciplinary program accessible (10 to 30 € per square).

The theatre is indissociable from figures such as Jean Mercure (1968-1985), who developed gestual theatre there, or Emmanuel Demancy-Mota, director since 2008. He also played a key role in the diffusion of world music, welcoming artists such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or Cesária Évora. Managed by the City of Paris, it is governed by a joint board of directors (elected, Ministry of Culture) and receives an annual budget of 13 million euros, including 10.7 million municipal grants. His bimonthly newspaper, Le Journal du théâtre de la Ville, informs about its programming and current affairs.

Ranked among the major contemporary dance venues with La Monnaie (Brussels) and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York), the theatre has co-produced hundreds of performances since the 1980s. He has also innovated in terms of cultural action, as with the poetic consultations in hospital (convention with AP-HP since 2020). Its history reflects the evolution of the living show, from the lyric repertoire of the 19th century to the current choreographic avant-garde.

Future

Since the early 1980s, the City's theatre has become a major place for the promotion and international recognition of contemporary dance and its young creators.

Since 1996, it has also had a second theatre in northern Paris, the Théâtre des Abbesses.

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