Chaillot National Theater

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The construction of the Palais de Chaillot or the birth of a theater

 

The initial Palais du Trocadéro was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1878 (the Eiffel Tower was not to emerge until 1889). Construction was supervised by architect Gabriel Davioud and engineer Jules Bourdais. The Trocadéro was the only building to survive the universal exhibition. Consisting of a huge rotunda, the building was home to a 5,000 seat auditorium graced with a monumental organ. With the exhibition over, the City of Paris kept the gardens and sold the hall to the State.

 

In April 1920 Pierre Rameil, the rapporteur of the fine arts budget, announced the conversion of the Trocadéro into a national people’s theater. Actor Firmin Gémier was put in charge of the place. In August 1935 the neon sign “Théâtre national populaire“ was removed due to the poor acoustics of the room and an ill-equipped stage – with no machinery, footlights or striplight, etc. The rotunda housing the auditorium was leveled to allow construction of the “second” Palais de Chaillot – which stands to this day – by architects Léon Azéma, Jacques Carlu and Louis-Hippolyte Boileau – for the Universal Exhibition of 1937. Any sign of the old theater disappeared except for the stage wall. Then excavations began. The blueprint of brothers Niemans was retained for the arrangement and decoration of the auditorium. But a string of strikes and financial scandals took a toll on the pace of construction.

 

On November 23 1937, the new hall opened to the Exhibition jury who handed out their awards there. The hall was not inaugurated until February 1939. More wide than deep, with no boxes or overhangs but with a balcony, the theater was designed with an eye to adaptability.

 

Pierre Aldebert took over from Firmin Gémier in 1941, followed by Jean Vilar in 1951,Georges Wilson in 1963, Jack Lang in 1973, André-Louis Périnetti in 1974, Antoine Vitez in 1981, Jérôme Savary in 1988, Ariel Goldenberg in 2000, Dominique Hervieu and José Montalvo in 2008, and Didier Deschamps in 2011

The Théâtre National de Chaillot is one of France’s five national theaters (public institutions whose missions are defined by the State) and the first one to carry out a project built upon and around dance. Under the double authority of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of Budget, it has been headed since 2011 by choreographer and dancer Didier Deschamps.

 

The Théâtre National de Chaillot is one of the most prestigious places in Paris, not only for its important contribution to the history of the performing arts, and in particular the great adventure of the “People’s National Theater” – created by Firmin Gémier and later championed by an iconic figure, Jean Vilar – but also to the history of France as it is here that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948.

 

Located in a unique venue at the center of the capital, the theater can accommodate every night more than 1,600 spectators in its three auditoriums. Its lobby overlooks the fountains of the Trocadéro out to the Eiffel Tower and the Champs de Mars, offering night and day one of the world’s most famous views. The theater also houses a large collection of sculptures, paintings, frescoes and pastels by the greatest artists of the time, including Paul Belmondo, Louis Billotey, Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Brianchon, Maurice Denis, Othon Friez and Édouard Vuillard.

 

Dedicated to dance and theater shows – with a focus on choreography since 2008 – the three stages of the theater have seen performances by the major artists of the last sixty years, choreographers and directors internationally acclaimed or representative of the innovative and emerging efforts of the contemporary scene. The Théâtre National de Chaillot is a place of creation that supports each year many productions, and primarily those of José Montalvo, the permanent choreographer. Finally, the theater is fully aware of the wide variety of audiences and thus conducts an active policy of artistic and cultural education through an ambitious program called “The Art of being a spectator”. 

 

The halls: Jean Vilar, Maurice Béjart, Firmin Gémier 

Other areas: Grand Foyer and Gallery Nabis

 

Getting there:  Metro # 6 or 9, stop at Trocadéro • Bus # 22-30-32-63-72-82  

 

Visitors are welcome 1:30 before shows start.

Main entrance located on Place du Trocadéro, right wing of the Palais de Chaillot.