The weekly magazines Pariscope: Une Semaine de Paris (which has an English section) — 0.40 €, l'Officiel des Spectacles — 0.35 €, and Figaroscope (a supplement to Le Figaro newspaper) are published every Wednesday and give detailed entertainment listings. Paris Nuit — 3 € — is a monthly publication containing good articles as well as listings. The Paris Free Voice is a free monthly that spotlights events of interest to anglophones, including poetry readings, plays, and literary evenings. Activities are also listed in "Saison de Paris", a booklet available at the Paris Tourist Office, whose 24-hour hotline in English (01-49-52-53-56) is another source of information about events.

	La Comédie Française 17th Century

The best place to buy tickets is at the venue itself; try to purchase in advance, as many of the more popular performances sell out. Also try your hotel or a travel agency, such as Paris-Vision (1, rue Auber, 75009 Paris; phone 01-40-06-01-00; métro Opéra). Virgin Megastore (52, av. des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris; phone 01-44-68-44-08; métro Franklin-D.-Roosevelt) sells theater and concert tickets.

Half-price tickets for many same-day theater performances are available from the Kiosques Théâtre at the northwest corner of the Madeleine church (across from 15, place de la Madeleine, métro Madeleine) — open Tues.-Sat. 12:30-8 p.m.; outside the Gare Montparnasse (place Raoul Dautry, 15e, métro Montparnasse-Bienvenüe) — open Tues.-Sun. 12:30-7:30 p.m.; and in the basement of the Châtelet-Les-Halles métro station. Expect a line, and budget your time accordingly.

Playwright Biographies

Choose a playwright: Jean Anouilh Samuel Beckett Pierre Corneille Alexandre Dumas père Alexandre Dumas fils Jean Genet Jean Giraudoux Victor Hugo Eugène Ionesco Pierre de Marivaux Molière Jean Racine Edmond Rostand

Theatrical, Opera & Ballet Links

Café Theatre (Chansonniers, Comedy Shows) Assuming you're knowledgeable about French politics and current events, you'll enjoy the satire proffered by these smaller productions in the setting of traditional café-theatres. Calendar of Events / Directory of French Theatres Believe it or not, Paris has nearly 130 different theatres offering French and foreign first productions; hundreds more may be found throughout the provinces. This comprehensive database documents nearly 500 theatrical venues, and provides a current calendar of events for every region of France. Comédie-Française If you are a particular fan of Molière's works, be sure to reserve a seat for an excellent production in the historical setting of the Palais Royal, where the playwright himself first staged his pieces between 1660 and 1673. Classics of Corneille, Racine, and other French playwrights are also staged here, as are some more modern works translated from other languages. Jean-Pierre Miquel is the Managing Director. Reservations may be made online between 15-60 days before performance, by telephone 14 days or less. Location: Salle Richelieu, 2, rue de Richelieu, 75001 Paris. Phone: 01-44-58-15-15. Métro: Palais-Royal, Musée-du-Louvre. Tickets: 50-200FF ($8.70-$34.80), last-minute seats even cheaper. Box office open 11am-6pm. Manuscripts of La Comédie-Française In cooperation with the British Academy and the UK Higher Education Funding Councils (HEFCE), Oxford Brookes University hosts the web site "Théâtre de la foire à Paris", with hundreds of documents pertaining to the history of French theater, including archives of La Comédie Française. Odéon - Théâtre de l'Europe The fraternal twin of the Comédie Française, the Odéon actually boasts two theatre spaces, with the main one used to host large-scale foreign-language productions from prestigious theatres throughout Europe. The premiere of The Marriage of Figaro in 1794 landed Beaumarchais in jail. During the postwar era, l'Odéon hosted the avant-garde plays of Ionesco, Edward Albee, and Samuel Beckett. The theater offers reservations and subscriptions online at their web site. Director: Georges Lavaudant. Location: 1, place Paul Claudel (public entrance: place de l'Odéon), 75006 Paris. Phone: 01-44-41-36-36. Métro: Odéon. Tickets: 30-170FF ($5.20-$29.55); tickets usually sold 2 weeks before performance. Opera, Ballet & Contemporary Dance An historical and cultural tour of Paris' opera houses, including the Napoleon III-era Opéra Garnier (now featuring ballet only), the Théâtre du Châtelet, and the modern behemoth, Opéra Bastille. Links to Paris opera web sites, plus worldwide opera database. Paris Entertainment If entertainment is what you seek, the Paris Tourist Office provides this search engine to help you plan your itinerary in the City of Light: art exhibits & workshops; ballet & modern dance; children's entertainment; circuses; dramatic theatre, cabarets, comedies, magic acts, mime, musicals, opera, puppet & variety shows; festivals & religious celebrations; fireworks; flea markets; horse races; music concerts of every conceivable genre; national holidays & parades; sporting & spectator events; trade exhibits & conventions; and more. Théâtre National de Chaillot Part of the art deco Palais de Chaillot, directly across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, this used to be the Théâtre National Populaire. Plays as well as musical events are staged here. Director: Jérôme Savary. The 2001-2002 season includes productions of Presque Hamlet, Juliette et Roméo, Humilies et Offenses (Dostoyevski), and Les Mains Sales (Sartre). Location: 1, place du Trocadéro, 75016 Paris. Phone: 01-53-65-31-00 or 01-47-27-81-15. Métro: Trocadéro. Tickets: 160FF ($27.80), 120FF ($20.85 for people 25 or younger, 80FF ($13.90) students. Théâtre des Champs-Elysées This theater features visiting international orchestras and opera and ballet companies. Radio France sponsors a series of concerts by the Orchestre National de France, both at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and at the Salle Olivier Messiaen. A description of the theater's architecture may be found at the International Architectural Database. Location: 15, avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris. Phone: 01-49-52-50-50. Métro: Alma-Marceau. Tickets: 50-690FF ($8.70-$120). Théâtre du Châtelet (Théâtre Musical de Paris) Despite the arrival of a formidable competitor in the Opéra Bastille, the Châtelet still offers an ambitious schedule of high-quality opera and progressive, well-made productions for a wider audience, at more reasonable prices. Also featured: orchestral concerts by the Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique du Radio France, and numerous international orchestras; some series events appear at the Salle Pleyel. Location: place du Châtelet, 75001 Paris. Phone: 01-40-28-28-40. Métro: Châtelet. Tickets can be purchased by mail from the Public Relations Department, Théâtre du Châtelet, 2, rue Edouard Colonne, 75001 Paris ; by phone at 01-40-28-28-40 (Mon.- Sat. 10am-7pm) ; or at the box office (Mon.-Sun. 10am-7pm), place du Châtelet, 75001 Paris. Théâtre Fontaine This company performs classical pieces by Molière and Beaumarchais, as well as original creations from Charles Perrault and Colette Roumanoff (the company's director). Location: 10, rue Fontaine, 75009 Paris. Phone: 01.48.74.74.40. Métro: Blanche, Pigalle or Saint-Georges. Théâtre de la Huchette This tiny Left Bank theater has been staging Ionesco's "The Bald Soprano" (La Cantatrice Chauve) every night since 1950. Location: 23, rue de la Huchette, 75005 Paris. Phone: 01-43-26-38-99. Métro: St-Michel. Théâtre de la Ville (formerly Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt) Restored and re-opened in 1980, this 1000-seat facility is considered the premiere modern dance space in Paris. The newest groups are often introduced at the less-expensive 6:30 p.m. preview shows. Location: 2, place du Châtelet, 75004 Paris. ; Phone: 01.42.74.22.77. Métro: Châtelet.

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