Comédie-Française

   The Comédie-Française, the national theater of France, is a cooperative theater company, organized in two groups, the "pensionnaires," probationary salaried members, and the "sociétaires," full members with governing powers. The Comédie-Française was founded in 1680 in paris by a decree of louis XIV that joined together the Hôtel Guénegaud (formerly the troupe de Molière) and the Hôtel de Bourgogne acting companies. The Comédie-Française was dissolved in 1792 but reorganized in 1812 by a decree of napoléon i and relocated to the Théâtre-Français (the present Théâtre-Richelieu). The reopening of the Théâtre du vieux-Colombier in 1993, then the inauguration in 1996 of the Studio-Théâtre, gave the Comédie-Française two additional locations. Throughout its history, the Comédie-Française, the home of many of France's most outstanding stage artists, has always been respected for its high-quality repertoire, production, and dramatic training.