Parade

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. Beaumarchais's first plays were parades performed at Étiolles for Madame de Pompadour’s former husband, Charles-Guillaume Lenormant d'Étiolles.

Bibliography

Jennifer Ruimi, La Parade de société au 18e siècle, une forme dramatique oubliée, Paris, Honoré Champion, 2015.