Amateur Theatre Wiki - User contributions [en]

Beaumarchais

2025-09-08T18:07:39Z

Jennifer Ruimi:

A recognized playwright, author of the ''Figaro trilogy'' (''The Barber of Seville'', ''The Marriage of Figaro'', ''The Guilty Mother''), as well as a watchmaker and businessman, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was a multifaceted figure. He began his career by writing ''[[Parade|parades de société]]'' (short amateur comedies) for the fermier général [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Guillaume_Le_Normant_d%27%C3%89tioles Lenormant d’Étiolles], the first husband of Madame de Pompadour.

His sister, Julie, also wrote for private theatre and likely performed roles in these amateur productions.

To read his ''théâtre de société'' : https://classiques-garnier.com/beaumarchais-pierre-augustin-caron-de-theatre-complet-tome-i.html

Beaumarchais

2025-09-08T18:06:17Z

Jennifer Ruimi: Created page with "A recognized playwright, author of the ''Figaro trilogy'' (''The Barber of Seville'', ''The Marriage of Figaro'', ''The Guilty Mother''), as well as a watchmaker and businessman, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was a multifaceted figure. He began his career by writing ''parades de société'' (short amateur comedies) for the fermier général [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Guillaume_Le_Normant_d%27%C3%89tioles Lenormant d’Étiolles], the first..."

Parade

2025-09-08T17:59:36Z

Jennifer Ruimi:

A '''parade''' was, in the 17th century, a short comic piece performed outside fairground theatres to attract passersby before announcing the show inside.

By the 18th century, the parade, firstly played on Fair theatres' balconies, then evolved, and was adopted by high society mocking popular speech and manners.

Writers such as [[Thomas-Simon Gueullette]] and [[Charles Collé]] were prominent in this genre. Collections like ''Théâtre des Boulevards ou Recueil de parades'' (1756) gathered pieces by various authors, though many leaned closer to farces and vaudevilles. [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Augustin_Caron_de_Beaumarchais Beaumarchais]'s first plays were parades performed at Étiolles for Madame de Pompadour’s former husband, [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Guillaume_Le_Normant_d%27%C3%89tioles Charles-Guillaume Lenormant d'Étiolles.]

'''Bibliography'''
[[File:A French 'parade' in the 18th century - Pougin 1887 p581.jpg|thumb]]
Jennifer Ruimi, ''[https://www.honorechampion.com/fr/editions-honore-champion/9027-book-08532861-9782745328618.html La Parade de société au 18e siècle, une forme dramatique oubliée]'', Paris, Honoré Champion, 2015.

Thomas-Simon Gueullette

2025-09-08T17:58:48Z

Jennifer Ruimi:

'''Thomas-Simon Gueullette''' (June 2, 1683, Paris – December 23, 1766, Paris) was a French '''playwright, storyteller, jurist, bibliophile, and man of letters'''.

== Biography ==
A lawyer at the Châtelet and later deputy prosecutor, Gueullette witnessed key judicial events of mid-18th-century Paris, including the exile of parliamentarians (1753–54), the execution of Damiens (1757), and the trials of Calas, Sirven, and La Barre. Fascinated by criminal cases, he collected judicial records, making him a kind of historian of crime and punishment.

He was also a passionate bibliophile and collector. His extensive research on the Théâtre-Italien, preserved in manuscripts, was used by the Parfaict brothers in their ''Histoire de l’ancien Théâtre Italien''.

Gueullette is best remembered for his oriental-and exotic-themed fairy tales, such as ''Soirées bretonnes'' (1712), ''Mille et un Quarts-d’heure, contes tartares'' (1715), ''Aventures merveilleuses du mandarin Fum-Hoam'' (1723), ''Sultanes de Guzarate'' (1732), and ''Mille et une Heures, contes péruviens'' (1733).

He wrote over sixty plays, many staged at the Théâtre-Italien, including ''La vie est un songe'' (1717, translation), ''Arlequin-Pluton'' (1719), ''Le Trésor supposé'', and ''L’Horoscope accompli'' (1727). He also wrote numerous parades and collected them in a manuscript stolen by theatre impresario, Julien Corby, who edited under the title ''Théâtre des Boulevards ou Recueil de Parades'', Mahon, 1756.

As editor, he published works such as ''Petit Jehan de Saintré'' (1724), Montaigne’s ''Essais'' (1725), Rabelais’s ''Œuvres'' (1732), and ''Pathelin'' (1748). His manuscripts are preserved in the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal, and his grandson Charles later reissued his parades

Thomas-Simon Gueullette

2025-09-08T17:57:53Z

Jennifer Ruimi: Created page with "'''Thomas-Simon Gueullette''' (June 2, 1683, Paris – December 23, 1766, Paris) was a French '''playwright, storyteller, jurist, bibliophile, and man of letters'''. == Biography == A lawyer at the Châtelet and later deputy prosecutor, Gueullette witnessed key judicial events of mid-18th-century Paris, including the exile of parliamentarians (1753–54), the execution of Damiens (1757), and the trials of Calas, Sirven, and La Barre. Fascinated by criminal cases, he col..."

'''Thomas-Simon Gueullette''' (June 2, 1683, Paris – December 23, 1766, Paris) was a French '''playwright, storyteller, jurist, bibliophile, and man of letters'''.

== Biography ==
A lawyer at the Châtelet and later deputy prosecutor, Gueullette witnessed key judicial events of mid-18th-century Paris, including the exile of parliamentarians (1753–54), the execution of Damiens (1757), and the trials of Calas, Sirven, and La Barre. Fascinated by criminal cases, he collected judicial records, making him a kind of historian of crime and punishment.

He was also a passionate bibliophile and collector. His extensive research on the Théâtre-Italien, preserved in manuscripts, was used by the Parfaict brothers in their ''Histoire de l’ancien Théâtre Italien''.

Gueullette is best remembered for his '''oriental-and exotic-themed fairy tales''', such as ''Soirées bretonnes'' (1712), ''Mille et un Quarts-d’heure, contes tartares'' (1715), ''Aventures merveilleuses du mandarin Fum-Hoam'' (1723), ''Sultanes de Guzarate'' (1732), and ''Mille et une Heures, contes péruviens'' (1733).

He wrote over sixty plays, many staged at the Théâtre-Italien, including ''La vie est un songe'' (1717, translation), ''Arlequin-Pluton'' (1719), ''Le Trésor supposé'', and ''L’Horoscope accompli'' (1727). He also wrote numerous parades and collected them in a manuscript stolen by theatre impresario, Julien Corby, who edited under the title ''Théâtre des Boulevards ou Recueil de Parades'', Mahon, 1756.

As editor, he published works such as ''Petit Jehan de Saintré'' (1724), Montaigne’s ''Essais'' (1725), Rabelais’s ''Œuvres'' (1732), and ''Pathelin'' (1748). His manuscripts are preserved in the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal, and his grandson Charles later reissued his parades

Parade

2025-09-08T17:43:18Z

Jennifer Ruimi: Created page with "A '''parade''' was, in the 17th century, a short comic piece performed outside fairground theatres to attract passersby before announcing the show inside. By the 18th century, the parade, firstly played on Fair theatres' balconies, then evolved, and was adopted by high society mocking popular speech and manners. Writers such as [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas-Simon_Gueullette Thomas-Simon Gueullette] and Charles Collé were prominent in this genre. Collectio..."

A '''parade''' was, in the 17th century, a short comic piece performed outside fairground theatres to attract passersby before announcing the show inside.

By the 18th century, the parade, firstly played on Fair theatres' balconies, then evolved, and was adopted by high society mocking popular speech and manners.

Writers such as [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas-Simon_Gueullette Thomas-Simon Gueullette] and [[Charles Collé]] were prominent in this genre. Collections like ''Théâtre des Boulevards ou Recueil de parades'' (1756) gathered pieces by various authors, though many leaned closer to farces and vaudevilles. [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Augustin_Caron_de_Beaumarchais Beaumarchais]'s first plays were parades performed at Étiolles for Madame de Pompadour’s former husband, [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Guillaume_Le_Normant_d%27%C3%89tioles Charles-Guillaume Lenormant d'Étiolles.]

'''Bibliography'''
[[File:A French 'parade' in the 18th century - Pougin 1887 p581.jpg|thumb]]
Jennifer Ruimi, ''[https://www.honorechampion.com/fr/editions-honore-champion/9027-book-08532861-9782745328618.html La Parade de société au 18e siècle, une forme dramatique oubliée]'', Paris, Honoré Champion, 2015.

Charles Collé

2025-09-08T17:24:56Z

Jennifer Ruimi:

[[File:Charles Collé recadré.jpg|thumb]]
'''Charles Collé''' (1709–1783) was a French songwriter, playwright, and member of the convivial ''Société du Caveau''. Originally trained in law, he built a career in business while gaining fame for witty, often risqué songs and light comedies. His patriotic song ''La Prise de Port-Mahon'' (1756) earned him a royal pension, and his theatrical works for the Duke of Orléans earned him the nickname ''“the Corneille of the parade.”''

His most celebrated play, ''La Partie de chasse de Henri IV'' (1762, staged publicly in 1774), includes the enduring song ''Vive Henri IV''. Other notable works include ''Dupuis et Desronais'' (1763) and collaborations with composers like Rameau and Monsigny.

Posthumously, his ''Journal historique ou Mémoires littéraires'' (1807) revealed his sharp and often critical views on contemporaries such as Voltaire and Rousseau. Sainte-Beuve later regarded him as both a historical and moral witness of 18th-century France.

Charles Collé

2025-09-08T17:24:13Z

Jennifer Ruimi: Created page with "'''Charles Collé''' (1709–1783) was a French songwriter, playwright, and member of the convivial ''Société du Caveau''. Originally trained in law, he built a career in business while gaining fame for witty, often risqué songs and light comedies. His patriotic song ''La Prise de Port-Mahon'' (1756) earned him a royal pension, and his theatrical works for the Duke of Orléans earned him the nickname ''“the Corneille of the parade.”'' His most celebrated play, ''..."

'''Charles Collé''' (1709–1783) was a French songwriter, playwright, and member of the convivial ''Société du Caveau''. Originally trained in law, he built a career in business while gaining fame for witty, often risqué songs and light comedies. His patriotic song ''La Prise de Port-Mahon'' (1756) earned him a royal pension, and his theatrical works for the Duke of Orléans earned him the nickname ''“the Corneille of the parade.”''

His most celebrated play, ''La Partie de chasse de Henri IV'' (1762, staged publicly in 1774), includes the enduring song ''Vive Henri IV''. Other notable works include ''Dupuis et Desronais'' (1763) and collaborations with composers like Rameau and Monsigny.

Posthumously, his ''Journal historique ou Mémoires littéraires'' (1807) revealed his sharp and often critical views on contemporaries such as Voltaire and Rousseau. Sainte-Beuve later regarded him as both a historical and moral witness of 18th-century France.