La circulation des troupes de théâtre lyrique dans le Sud-Est (1750-1789): Un premier bilan de recherche sur un réseau de diffusion culturelle

Abstract

The circulation of theatrical troupes in 18th-century French provinces is analysed through a typology of companies and visited cities. A complex system, intuitively well-known and well-mastered by actors, determined their behaviours. It relied on such various elements as: the legal structure of companies, the logic of geographical networks, with their main and secondary cities, and the rhythm of seasons and trips. These companies, which did not produce second-rank shows, as is sometimes said, are the places from which emerged the professionalization of singers, instrumentalists and conductors. This was a slow and difficult emergence: singers had to prove their good behaviour and respectability, to convince demanding audiences, and to cleverly schedule their tours in order to avoid periods of inactivity. Showing their talent and, paradoxically, their disinterestedness, some of them could hope, at the end of the century, to gain some material wealth and, above all, the admiration of the public.