[FRENCH COMEDY] Emmanuel-Félicité de Durfort, duke of DURAS - Lot 68

Lot n° 68
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[FRENCH COMEDY] Emmanuel-Félicité de Durfort, duke of DURAS - Lot 68
[FRENCH COMEDY] Emmanuel-Félicité de Durfort, duke of DURAS (1715-1789), marshal of France and academician, director of the Comédie Française from 1757. 2 L.A. Paris, 12-31 January 1774. 2 pp. in-4. Very interesting letters on the performances at the Comédie Française and the reforms he wanted to implement to diversify the range of shows on offer. 12 January. "As the Comédie's practice had become to perform new works, especially tragedies, only twice a week, the public rightly complained that they were deprived of another tragedy on Mondays. One cannot conceive what the pretexts for this innovation were. If the health of any actress or actor does not permit him or her, because of the strength of the role he or she will be asked to play three times, it must be made up for by the performance of another tragedy on Monday or that same actress or actor...having only the attention not to choose an old play that is similar in its novelty. The authors cannot object that this process may become harmful to them. Never could a comedy writer think it bad that others were performed on the four days of the week when he did not fill the theatre. It is therefore incumbent upon the actors to perpetuate such harmful abuse...". January 31. "The lack of care that the Comédie has had until now to increase its repertoire is the cause of the fact that one is obliged to repeat the same plays over and over again and consequently to wear them out. This abuse has two drawbacks. The first is to tire the public by a continual repetition of works which they are happy to see if they are not memorized after hearing them. The second is the reduction of revenue, which should be a main object to remedy this disadvantage". He orders that a register be kept of the pieces represented and that a double copy be sent to M. de La Ferté [Papillon de La Ferté, intendant of the Menus plaisirs]. Provenance: Geneviève Cortier, scripte de cinéma.
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