Questions fréquentes
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Superstitions are common in the theatre. Every performance retains an element of uncertainty. To regain a sense of control, actors, actresses, and technical staff have developed rituals and habits passed down through tradition. Several superstitions have their origins in seafaring. The first stagehands were sailors, whose agility and physical strength made them well suited to operating the stage machinery (the term used in the 18th century) required for theatrical illusion. The prohibition on ships against saying the word "rope" — which, among all the ropes on board each having a specific name, designated the one used for hanging mutineers — was subsequently imported onto the theatre stage.
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Several theories have been put forward without any definitive answer. A legend deeply rooted at the Comédie-Française holds that Molière was wearing a green costume when he died on stage during his final performance of Le Malade Imaginaire.
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Côté cour refers to the right side of the stage from the audience's perspective. Côté jardin refers to the left side. A well-known mnemonic is to think of the initials of Julius Caesar, "JC" in French, with the letter J on the left and C on the right.
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In theatre, it is customary to strike three knocks on the floor with a stick called a "Brigadier" to signal to the audience that the curtain is about to rise. At the Comédie-Française, the tradition is to strike six knocks: three for the company of the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and three for Molière's company, to mark the union of the two troupes.
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Another verbal taboo in the theatre: "good luck" before a performance must be replaced by "merde!" This is a distant evocation of a time when the most common mode of transport for audience members was the horse-drawn carriage. Wishing someone "merde" before a performance means wishing for a large audience to come and see the show. In the event of a full house, a great quantity of manure would be left outside the theatre entrance by the horses of the carriages during the performance. The actor must not thank this good luck charm, but simply accept it with the words "Je prends!" ("I'll take it!").