Le théâtre de la marquise de Montesson

Charlotte-Jeanne Béraud de la Haye de Riou, Marquise de Montesson
Born	1743
Died	1816
Occupation(s)	Playwright, actress, theatre director

The theatre of the marquise de Montesson

Charlotte-Jeanne Béraud de la Haye de Riou, Marquise de Montesson (1738-1806) ran a much popular and well-reputed theatre. Madame de Montesson was not only the director of the theatre, but wrote many of the plays herself and was known to be a talented actress and singer.

In 1757, nineteen years old, she married the much older Jean Baptiste, Marquis of Montesson, who passed away in 1769. Having been introduced to noble circles through her husband, she used her artistic skills (acting, singing, playing the harp etc.) to nurture these relations and climb on the social ladder. From 1766 she participates in the performances organised by the duc d’Orléans in his theatres in Bagnolet and Villers-Cotterêts, and starts writing her own plays. From 1773 she became the morganatic wife of the duc d’Orléans. She soon started to organise performances in her own private theatre at Chaussée d’Antin, while also entertaining a literary salon. Many of the works performed in her theatre 1776-1784 were her own plays; Marianne, L’Heureux Échange, Roberts Sciarts, L’Amant romanesque, La Marquise de Sainville, L’Aventurier, L’Héritier généreux, La Fausse Vertu, L’Homme impassible, La Comtesse de Bar and Agnès de Méranie, are performed regularlyalongside some popular,  contemporary works.

In 1785 she has a work performed on the public stage of the Comédie Française, La Comtesse de Chazelles, but it is not well received. Later the same year, the Duc d’Orlean dies and Madame de Montesson stops writing. During the Reign of Terror in 1793 she is imprisoned, and released after the fall of Robespierre in the following year. Thanks to her being friends with Joséphine de Beauharnais, she reopens her salon in 1801 with the support of Napoléon.

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Sources

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_de_Montesson#cite_note-Siefar-1

’Madame de Montesson; Notice’, in Théâtre de femmes de l’Ancien Régime, vol IV, xviii^e siècle, series eds; Evain (Aurore), Gethner (Perry), Goldwyn (Henriette), in collaboration for vol IV with eds. Kulessa (Rotraud von), Plagnol-Diéval (Marie-Emmanuelle), Simonin (Charlotte), Verdier (Gabrielle).

Plagnol-Diéval, Marie-Emmanuelle, Charlotte-Jeanne BÉRAUD DE LA HAIE DE RIOU, marquise DE MONTESSON’, Le Dictionnaire universel des Créatrices , https://www.dictionnaire-creatrices.com/fiche-charlotte-jeanne-montesson

Plagnol-Diéval, Marie-Emmanuelle, Le Théâtre de société : un autre théâtre. (Paris, 2003)

Plagnol-Diéval, Marie-Emmanuelle, « Mise en scène de soi et du groupe. Les théàtres de société», Société Française d'Étude du Dix-Huitième Siècle, « Dix-huitième siècle », 2017/1 n° 49, p. 89-101.

Trott, David, Théâtre du XVIIIe siècle : Jeux, écriture, regards (Montpellier, 2000)