“The Comédie-Française carries within it this utopia that consists of reading the present in the light of the past, its missions being too vast and the curiosity of its artisans too insatiable to be reduced to one meaning rather than another. The common catalyst remains its Troupe and all its departments, working tirelessly to lead you on these fanciful paths.”
ÉRIC RUF
Since 1995, the Comédie-Française has been defined as a public body with industrial and commercial functions (Établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial, EPIC). This status makes it a legal entity with its own legal identity subject to public law.
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.
Suite au renforcement du plan Vigipirate, toute personne se présentant avec une valise ou un sac (hors sac à main) se verra interdire l'accès à l'enceinte des trois théâtres de la Comédie-Française.
Pour faciliter les contrôles, merci d'arriver au minimum 30 minutes avant le début des représentations.