Work

Performing for Napoleon: Production Quarrels at the Paris Opéra

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: This study addresses the collaboration of the stage designer Ignazio Degotti (1758–1824) with the choreographer Pierre Gardel (1758–1840) in a series of works presented at the Théâtre de l’Opéra in Paris during the Napoleonic administration (1804–1815). Backstage episodes in three key performances demonstrate that although the Opéra was politically crucial to Napoleon, there were practical problems in theatre management on his watch. This study argues that the inadequacy of spaces for artistic creation and a lack of coordination among the creative team were the most pressing issues in this respect.

Source: Dance Research

DOI: 10.3366/drs.2023.0407

Author: Elisa Cazzato

Institution: Ca' Foscari University of Venice

Language: English

Topic: Theater, Performance, and Music History

Subfield: Music

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: European Commission

Awards: G434337789, The lure of the foreign stage: Italian art and artistry serving the French and European spectacle.