The House

The EPIC status makes the Comédie-Française a National Theatre, and as such it receives a grant from the Ministry of Culture.

As stated in article 2 of its statutory decree no. 95-356 of 1 April 1995, “the Comédie-Française’s principal mission is to perform the plays of its Repertoire and to promote this Repertoire nationally and internationally. To carry out this mission, the Comédie-Française, under the authority of a General Administrator, ensures the continuity of a troupe of factors, which encompasses the sociétaires who form the Société des Comédiens-Français, the pensionnaires and student interns*”.

The Comédie-Française is therefore a repertory-based and production theatre, whose productions are performed alternately at the Salle Richelieu by a permanent troupe of actors. The Repertoire of the Comédie-Française consists of French and foreign plays, both ancient and contemporary, which are ratified by the Reading Committee. The Comédie-Française has a permanent stage and an auditorium in the Richelieu building, on Place Colette, Paris. It can also perform on other stages and has permanent use of the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier and the Studio-Théâtre, established as subsidiary companies, where non-Repertoire works can be performed. In addition, the Comédie-Française has a responsibility to promote the plays of its Repertoire and therefore must organise tours in France and abroad.

The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier (300 seats) and the Studio-Théâtre (136 seats) have their own legal status: they are public limited companies (sociétés anonymes, SA), subsidiaries of the Comédie-Française public body (EPIC).

Financially, the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier receives a grant from the Ministry of Culture. As for the Studio Théâtre, its funding comes exclusively from the budget of its “parent company”, the Comédie-Française.

* The latter are actors of the Comédie-Française Academy, on professional training contracts.

The budget of the Comédie-Française (figures of the financial accounts of 2016)

La Comédie-Française has its own revenues of €11.9 million, consisting primarily of ticket receipts of €7.5 million, as well as various other receipts amounting to €4.4 million (tours, audiovisual projects, patronage, boutiques).

This national theatre is subsidised by the Ministry of Culture to the amount of €24.6 million.

On the expenditure side, all expenses required for the operation of the theatre come to €29.9 million, largely covering staffing costs, which come to a total of €29 million.

Variable costs related to the artistic production and running of shows come to €5 million.