Opéra-Comique (Paris, France)
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra Comique was founded in 1714 under the reign of Louis XIV. It is one of the oldest French dramatic and musical institutions along with the Opéra de Paris and the Comédie-Française.
Its history was alternately turbulent and prestigious until it was listed on the register of national theaters in 2005. In 2015 the Opéra Comique is celebrating its tricentennial.
From 1783 onward, the seasons of the company were presented in a theater named after the famous librettist Charles-Simon Favart. The Salle Favart burnt down twice and was rebuilt on the same site.
Opéra comique as a genre is represented by the Opéra Comique company. The term "comique" does not mean that laughter is compulsory. Rather, sung lines are interspersed with spoken drama. Opéra comique stands in contrast with opera, which is sung throughout, and its specificities were taught until 1991.
The third oldest French dramatic institution after the Opéra de Paris and the Comédie-Française, the Opéra Comique produced a repertoire that spread throughout France and abroad in the Age of Enlightenment. However, unlike the other two institutions it has never been able to either centralize or process its archives. Today they are scattered in various places.
Jérôme Deschamps has been the director of the institution since 2007 with the purpose of inviting the public to recapture the Opéra Comique in a historical perspective.