Drama societies in the French Revolution: from Jacobin enthusiasts to royalist amateurs
* The author is Professor of Early Modern History at the Université Blaise-Pascal (Clermont II), where he is attached to the Centre d’Histoire ‘Espaces et Cultures’. He may be contacted at phbourdin{at}laposte.net
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Abstract |
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During the French Revolution the network of Jacobin clubs was to an extent mirrored by the existence of drama societies. Encouraged by the militants who took part in them and by the government of the Year II, they knew how to stage patriotic theatre. They competed with the professional companies and reproduced their regulations concerning morality and charity, the individual sanctions on unmotivated artists and control over repertory by the municipalities. These formal measures were not necessarily a proof of quality, but members of their audiences were indulgent since they were used to amateur theatre and because they approved of the ideas being represented. Nevertheless, drama societies were the victims of political purges and, in the Year IV, these theatres of propaganda were taken over by moderates and royalists, a development which led to their closure by the Directory.