Making Theatre Accessible to All

In France, the struggle for theatre to become accessible to all is as turbulent and exciting as the country’s history. The art form had to constantly adjust alongside turbulent and bloody politics to stay alive and ensure that everyone—not just the upper classes—had access to the sixième art.

Theatre: A Revolutionary Force

Before the French Revolution, theatre was a privilege reserved for nobility and the bourgeoisie. Prestigious venues like La Comédie-Française were under royal patronage, and their productions largely served the interests of the monarchy. Limited access and the high ticket costs meant that the working class were excluded from these spaces. After 1789 however, the theatre took on a new role as a public institution. The Committee of Public Instruction declared that theatre should be part of social education, and the Revolutionary government began funding drama, lowering ticket prices to make performances more accessible to the general public. The government also encouraged plays that promoted republican values, such as equality, justice, and civic responsibility. For instance, playwright Marie-Joseph Chénier received state support for his patriotic dramas, including Charles IX and L’Innocence, which critiqued monarchism and absolute power.

Turbulent Times

However the revolutionary spirit was short-lived. Just seven years after the First Republic was established, Napoleon Bonaparte seized power and crowned himself emperor. The subsequent years were marked by political instability: Napoleon was exiled in 1814, the monarchy was restored, and he briefly regained power in 1815 before being defeated at Waterloo. After his second exile, the Bourbon monarchy was reinstated, only to be overthrown 16 years later by the July Monarchy, who were eventually overthrown to republicans, creating the Second Republic. However, this republic lasted only four years before Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Napoleon's nephew, declared himself emperor.

Theatre, which had flourished under the First Republic, suffered as a result of this turbulence. Plays were banned or heavily restricted due to their ability to critique regimes and inspire social change. Economic instability also diminished the working class’s disposable income, forcing theatres to rely on wealthier audiences and raise their prices to stay afloat.

The First Theatre of the People

After Napoleon III’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the second Napoleonic Empire fell and France became a Republic again. By this point, economic inequality meant that theatre had once again become an activity reserved for the elite. A group of prominent writers and playwrights (including Maurice Pottecher, Romain Rolland, and Émile Zola) began petitioning the government for funding to make theatre accessible to the working class, backed by a leftist Jaurèsian sect of the government. When the proposals were not accepted, Pottecher took matters into his own hands, founding the Théâtre du Peuple in Bussang in 1895. It was a humble open air stage on the mountainside, with spectators standing in the meadow watching. Pottecher believed theatre should serve as both moral education and a way to foster social unity, so he kept ticket prices low while maintaining high-quality performances.

A Post-war Revival

It was not smooth sailing from there onwards. World Wars I and II ravaged the country and its economy, and theatre again took a back seat. However, the spirit of the Théâtre du Peuple endured, inspiring actor and director Jean Vilar to propose a revival of popular theatre in 1947. His proposal was accepted by the Avignon municipality, leading to the staging of three plays—Shakespeare's Richard II, Paul Claudel's Tobie et Sara, and Maurice Clavel's La Terrasse de midi—marking the birth of the Avignon Festival. Today, the festival stands as one of France's most prestigious theatre events while remaining committed to affordability.

In 1951, Vilar expanded his vision by founding the Théâtre National Populaire (TNP), enlisting some of France's finest actors, including Gérard Philipe, Maria Casarès, Jeanne Moreau, Michel Bouquet, and Alain Cuny. Vilar’s work inspired others, including his close collaborator Sylvia Monfort, who later founded the Théâtre Sylvia Monfort (originally the Carré Thorigny) in Paris. Both the Théâtre National Populaire and the Théâtre Sylvia Montfort remain active today, maintaining accessible prices, with concessions for the disadvantaged.

The Government Catches Up

In 1959, the French government responded to these emerging social movements by establishing the Ministry of Culture, which introduced state support and subsidies for a wide range of theatres. Prestigious venues like La Comédie-Française, once largely inaccessible to non-bourgeois audiences, are now heavily subsidised by the government, ensuring both high artistic standards and affordable ticket prices. The government also began to fund smaller, more experimental theatres, nurturing a diverse and vibrant theatrical landscape.

The Next Frontier

Today, the main barrier to French theatre is linguistic. While France is the most visited country in the world, only 4.2% of the global population speaks French. Additionally, opera, which is traditionally performed in Italian, remains largely inaccessible even to French audiences. The next revolution in French theatre will be technological: in the 1980s, surtitling technology was introduced to translate opera in real time, opening up the stories to a wider audience beyond those trained in opera. More recently, venues (such as the Comédie-Française) have already started using cutting-edge surtitling glasses, providing translations in English, French, and French Sign Language, without disrupting the experience for other theatre-goers. As this technology continues to evolve, the rich and storied tradition of French theatre will become even more accessible to a broader audience.

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