The Early Public Theatre in France

Between 1580 and 1630 the theatre in France became a profession; acting companies began to be patronized by aristocrats and church dignitaries. In Paris, the unsavory theatrical quarter; the Théâtre du Marais, most famous of the converted jeux de paume (indoor tennis courts); the properties, the players, the plays and the audience—all were part of a theatrical metamorphosis whose history is here treated in a book for the first time with a wealth of detail furnished by little-known memoirs and archives, contemporary engravings and maps. A requisite for students of French history and literature, it will appeal to anyone who admires the culture of France.