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Firmin Gémier's Théâtre National Ambulant

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2010

Langdon Brown
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Extract

Firmin Gémier rose to the top rank of twentieth century French actors with a versatile talent that led to simultaneous success in the bourgeois commercial theatres of the boulevards, the elite independent theatres of the back streets, and the tawdry working class theatres of the suburbs. His historical reputation rests on his early career with Antoine's Théâtre-libre, and later accomplishments such as founding the Théâtre National Populaire, creating the role of Père Ubu, and tutoring Gaston Baty and Charles Dullin. Still, Gémier's work is seldom discussed and it is too easy to forget the major role he played in advocating the democratization of French theatre, a role he was uniquely suited to play given his eclecticism and willingness to popularize the Théâtre-libre style. He took middle ground between the elitism of Antoine and the commercialism of Sasha Guitry and encouraged later generations of theatre artists to actively seek an ever-widening audience.

Type
Research Article
Information
Theatre Survey , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , May 1980 , pp. 33 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © American Society for Theatre Research 1980

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References

NOTES

1 The notable exception is Pentzell, Raymond, “Gémier and Shakespeare-for-Everybody,” TDR.11 (Summer, 1967), pp. 113–24.Google Scholar

2 See Gémier, Firmin, “Le Théâtre Ambulant,” Comoedia (February 19, 1911)Google Scholar, n.p. in Gémier scrapbooks, Yale University Library; Blanchart, Paul, Firmin Gémier, (Paris: L'Arche, 1954), p. 122Google Scholar; Anon., “L'Automobile de Thespis,” L'Illustration, 137 (January 21, 1911) 3542, p. 45.Google Scholar

3 Quoted in Rival, Paul, “Le Théâtre démontable système Gémier,” Comocdia (November 22, 1910)Google Scholar, n.p., in Collections des Arts du Spectacle, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal. All translations from the French are my own.

4 Rival, “Théâtre démontable,” n.p.

5 Mendès, Catulle, “Un théâtre populaire ambulant,” Je Sais Tout, 2 (August, 1905) 175–84.Google Scholar

6 Gémier, “Le Théâtre Ambulant,” n.p.

7 Letter from Gémier to Henri Barbusse in Paul Blanchart Collection, Bibliothèque Nationale. Undated.

8 Cited in Gontard, Denis, La Décentralisation Théâtrale, (Paris: S. E. D. E. S., 1972), pp. 44–45.Google Scholar

9 Cited in Gontard, Décentralisation, p. 45.

10 Cited in Gontard, Décentralisation, p. 46.

11 Housed in the Yale University Library and the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal.

12 Quoted in Rival, “Théâtre démontable,” n.p.

13 Quoted in Rival, “Théâtre démontable,” n.p.

14 Gémier, “Théâtre Ambulant,” n.p.

15 Gémier's press campaign created enough interest in the T. N. A. so that the technical specifications of the project were reprinted in various accounts. The most interesting of these follow: Babin, Gustave, “Le Théâtre National Gémier,” L'Illustration, 137 (June 24, 1911) 3565, pp. 528–29Google Scholar; De Malmoe, “L'Automobile de Thespis—Théâtre National Ambulant Gémier,” Comocdia Illustré in Gémier Scrapbooks, Yale University Library; and Blanchart, Gémier, pp. 130–32.

16 Gabriel Boissy, “Le ‘Classique’ au théâtre ambulant,” in Collections des Arts du Spectacle, Bibliothèque de L'Arsenal.

17 Blanchart, , Gémier, pp. 136–37.Google Scholar

18 Blanchart, , Gémier, p. 130.Google Scholar

19 Gir, Charles, “Le Journal de route du Théâtre National Ambulant,” Comoedia (August 23, 1911)Google Scholar, n.p., in Collections de Arts du Spectacle, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, and an interview with Jean Fusier-Gir cited in Gontard, Décentralisation, p. 48.

20 Gir, “Journal,” n.p.

21 Blanchart, , Gémier, p. 138.Google Scholar

22 Cited in Gontard, , Décentralisation, pp. 48–49.Google Scholar

23 Anon., “Le Théâtre Ambulant Gémier va Renaître des ces cendres,” in Collections des Arts du Spectacle, Bibliothèque de L'Arsenal.

24 Henry Cossira, “Une Etape Judiciaire du Théâtre Ambulant,” in Collections des Arts du Spectacle, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal.

25 Cited in Blanchart, , Gémier, p. 139Google Scholar; the sale is reponed in André Arnyvelde, “Une Théâtre Ambulant qui se Démantibule,” in Collections des Ans du Spectacle, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal: the tent theatre sold for 17,000 francs, each tractor for 7000 to 8000, and the cars for 1500 with the total sale netting 130,000 francs.

26 Cited in Blanchart, , Gémier, pp. 139–40.Google Scholar

27 Hardy, Max, “Le Théâtre Ambulant Gémier campe à Versailles,” Comoedia (May 28, 1912)Google Scholar, n.p. and Chavance, Réné, “Avant Première,” Comoedia (May 25, 1912)Google Scholar, n.p., in Collections des Arts du Spectacle, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal.

28 Document 11, Collection Paul Blanchan, Bibliothèque Nationale.

29 See Blanchart, , Gémier, pp. 141–42.Google Scholar

30 Gontard, , Décentralisation, p. 51.Google Scholar