The history of the Théâtre de la Ville is a wonderful epic. The fortified castle built on the site in the early 12th century was demolished in 1802. Next, in 1860, two theaters, designed by Gabriel Davioud the architect and close collaborator of Baron Haussmann, were built; these were the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Théâtre Lyrique. During the Paris Commune, in 1871, the Théâtre Lyrique was destroyed by fire, and when rebuilt in 1875, was named the Théâtre Historique and then the Théâtre de Paris. In 1887, it was used as the theater for the Opéra Comique when the Salle Favart also went up in flames.
In 1899, Sarah Bernhardt took over the theater, named it after herself and undertook major renovations. She ran it with great panache for 24 years, until her death in 1923. When France’s left-wing Popular Front alliance came to power, it became the Théâtre du peuple, but under the German occupation during World War II, theater director Charles Dullin was ordered to change the name to the Théâtre de la Cité.
In 1949, it returned to the name of the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt, before becoming the Théâtre des Nations, a name bearing a distinctive and prestigious reputation.
In 1966, the City of Paris embarked on major rebuilding works, appointing Valentin Fabre and Jean Perrottet as architects in charge. The only original part left standing was the façade; the proscenium arch stage was destroyed and raked seating in the auditorium offered perfect sightlines for the capacity audience of one thousand. This was the Théâtre Municipal Populaire which then adopted the name it still has today, the Théâtre de la Ville. Stage director Jean Mercure was named director of the theater and developed a vision based on “art in a full range of forms: theater, choreography and music.”
In 1985, he handed over the directorship to the then administrative director Gérard Violette who had been a member of the founding team. Gérard Violette continued and extended Jean Mercure’s approach, inviting guest artists who would become internationally acclaimed names in choreography, and making the Théâtre de la Ville a key venue and beacon in the world of contemporary dance.
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