The théâtre Tristan-Bernard is a private Parisian theatre located at 64 rue du Rocher in the

8th arrondissement of Paris The 8th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, the arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le huitième'' (). The ar ...

History

Built in 1911 by the foundation Léopold-Bellan (which still owns it today) to host meetings and educational shows of its institution of young girls, the venue opened in 1919 to the public under the name Théâtre Albert-I, in honor of

king of Belgium The monarchy of Belgium is the constitutional and hereditary institution of the monarchical head of state of the Kingdom of Belgium. As a popular monarchy, the Belgian monarch uses the title king/queen of the Belgians and serves as the ...

Tristan Bernard Tristan Bernard (7 September 1866 – 7 December 1947) was a French playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer. Life He studied law, and after his military service, he started his career as the manager of an aluminium smelter. In the 1890s, ...

took the lead in 1930. He renamed it Théâtre Tristan-Bernard and presented his comedies for a season. After his departure, the theater regained its name Théâtre Albert-Ier. In 1936, the comedian Charles de Rochefort, on his return from the United States where he worked for Cecil B. de Mille, reopened the theater, which became the Théâtre Charles-de-Rochefort with ''Allo, Police-secours'', a police play under the pseudonym Chas D. Strongstone. The success incited him to present many police and suspense plays. The Young Theater Companies competition was organized every year in May. Mobilized and wounded during the Second World War, he had to hand over the direction to his wife, the actress Mary Grant, a task she would undertake until 1972, with her son . In 1973, Dominique Nohain, the son of animator Jean Nohain, bought the theater and renamed it Théâtre Tristan-Bernard. Edy Saiovici succeeded him in 1986 and directed the venue until his death in 2013 He was replaced by his wife Mireille.She died on 18 March 2014.

Repertoire

Note : dates in brackets refer to the first performance.

Théâtre Albert I (1919-1930)

* 1924: ''Le Cercle de feu'' * 1925: ''Le Magicien prodigieux'' after Calderon de la Barca, adaptation by Henri Ghéon (3 December) * 1929: ''Les Vrais Dieux'' by Georges de Porto-Riche, directed by

Henri Desfontaines Henri Desfontaines (12 November 1876, Paris – 7 January 1931, Paris) was a French film director, actor, and scriptwriter. Filmography As director * 1908 : ''Hamlet'' * 1909 : '' Le Puits et le pendule'' * 1910 : '' Un invité gênant' ...

(22 November)

Théâtre Tristan-Bernard (1930-1932)

* 1931: ''La Crise ministérielle'' by

(15 January) * 1931: ''Le Sauvage'' by

, directed by Henri Burguet (19 February) * 1931: ''La Belle Hôtesse'' by

Carlo Goldoni Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (, also , ; 25 February 1707 – 6 February 1793) was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays ...

, directed by

Georges Pitoëff Georges Pitoëff (Russian: Георгий Питоев; 4 September 1884 – 17 September 1939) was a Russian émigré with an Armenian background who became one of the leading actors and directors in France. Early life and education Pitoëff was ...

(14 October) * 1931: ''L'Admirable Dalila'' and ''Salomon le Sage''

(28 October) * 1932: ''Le Doyen des enfants de chœur'', comedy in 3 acts by Maxime Léry and Guy d'Abzac (12 November)

Théâtre Albert-I (1932-1936)

Théâtre Charles-de-Rochefort

Direction Charles de Rochefort (1936-1939)

* 1936: ''Allô, Police-secours'' by Chas D. Strongstone, directed by Charles de Rochefort * 1937: ''L'Étrange Croisière'' by Anne Mariel, directed by Charles Rochefort * 1938: ''Frénésie'' by Charles de Peyret-Chappuis, directed by Charles de Rochefort (3 February)

Direction Marie Grant (1939-1972)

* 1942: ''La Tornade'' by Pierre Maudru, directed by Charles de Rochefort * 1944: ''Le Tombeau d'Achille'' d'

André Roussin André Roussin, (22 January 1911 – 3 November 1987), was a French playwright. Born in Marseille, he was elected to the Académie française on 12 April 1973. Biography Early life and education Born on 119 rue Paradis in Marseille, he was ...

, directed by the author * 1944: ''Antigone'' by

Robert Garnier Robert Garnier ( 1545L'année de naissance est sujette à caution. La BnF retient la forme "1545?". Tout comme l'éditeur Les Belles Lettres, et l'. On notera cependant que d'autres ouvrages, plus anciens, donnent 1534 comme année de naissance ...

, adaptation by

Thierry Maulnier Thierry Maulnier (born Jacques Talagrand; 1 October 1909 – 9 January 1988) was a French journalist, essayist, dramatist, and literary critic who was born in Alès and died in Marnes-la-Coquette. He was married to theatre director Marcelle ...

* 1945: ''

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

'' by Corneille, directed by Noël Vincent (October) * 1946: ''Mariana Pineda'' by

Federico Garcia Lorca Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. People with the given name Federico Arts and language * Federico Ágreda, Venezuelan composer and DJ * Federico Aguil ...

, adaptation by

Marcel Moussy Marcel Moussy (7 May 1924 – 10 August 1995) was a French people, French screenwriter and television director. Moussy was born in Algiers. He was co-nominated with François Truffaut for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the ...

, directed by Sylvain Dhomme (February) April) * 1946: ''Mala'' by Jean Laugier, directed by the author (20 June) * 1946: ''Créanciers'' by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...

, directed by Charles de Rochefort (July) * 1947: ''L’Ombre d’un franc-tireur'' by

Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey ( ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes. Early life O'Casey was ...

, directed by André Clavé (January) * 1947: ''Le Ciel et l’enfer'' by

Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, an import ...

, directed by André Clavé (January) * 1952: ''On ne voit pas les cœurs'' by

André Chamson André Chamson (6 June 1900 – 9 November 1983) was a French archivist, novelist and essayist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was the father of the novelist Frédérique Hébrard. Biography Chamson was born at Nîme ...

, directed by Christian-Gérard * 1952: ''La Jacquerie'' by Prosper Mérimée, directed by Clément Harari (13 November) * 1953: ''L'Homme au parapluie'' by William Dinner and William Morum, adaptation by Pol Quentin, directed by Georges Vanderic (5 May) * 1955: ''Les Fiancés de la Seine'' by Morvan Lebesque, directed by René Lafforgue (13 May) * 1955: ''Liberty Bar'' by Frédéric Valmain after

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 12/13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most prolific and successful authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 ...

, directed by Jean Dejoux (17 October) * 1956: ''Traquenard'' by Frédéric Valmain after

James Hadley Chase James Hadley Chase (24 December 1906 – 6 February 1985) was an English writer. While his birth name was René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, he was well known by his various pseudonyms, including James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Raymond ...

, directed by Jean Dejoux * 1957: ''Un remède de cheval'' by

Leslie Sands Leslie Sands (19 May 1921 – 9 May 2001) was a British actor and writer of TV and film. Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, Leslie Sands usually specialised in dour types in authority, often policemen. He was married to Pauline Williams (1950 – ...

, directed by Jean Dejoux (5 November) * 1958: '' La Famille Hernandez'' by Geneviève Baïlac, directed by the author (12 April) * 1958: ''Meurtres en fa dièse'' by Frédéric Valmain after

Boileau-Narcejac Boileau-Narcejac () is the pen name used by the French crime-writing duo of Pierre Boileau (28 April 1906 – 16 January 1989) and Pierre Ayraud, also known as Thomas Narcejac (3 July 1908 – 7 June 1998). Their successful collaboration produced ...

, directed by Jean Dejoux (5 December) * 1959: ''Homicide par prudence'' by Frédéric Valmain after ''Double Cross'' by John O'Hare, directed by Jean Dejoux * 1960: ''Ana d'Eboli'' by Pierre Ordioni, directed by Pierre Valde (1 October) * 1960: ''Sammy'' by Pol Quentin after

Ken Hughes Kenneth Graham Hughes (19 January 1922 – 28 April 2001) was an English film director and screenwriter. He worked on over 30 feature films between 1952 and 1981, including the 1968 musical fantasy film ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'', based on th ...

, directed by Jean Dejoux (25 November) * 1961: ''Deux pieds dans la tombe'' de Frédéric Valmain after

J. Lee Thompson John Lee Thompson (1 August 1914 – 30 August 2002) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. Initially an exponent of social realism, he became known as a versatile and prolific director of thrillers, action, and adventure fil ...

, directed by Jean Dejoux * 1962: ''Illégitime Défense'' by Frédéric Valmain, directed by Jean Dejoux (10 January) * 1962: ''Pas d'usufruit pour tante Caroline'' by Frédéric Valmain, directed by Jean Dejoux * 1963: ''Le Troisième Témoin'' by Dominique Nohain, directed by the author * 1964: ''Le Procès de maître Ferrari'' by Frédéric Valmain and Jean Rebel, directed by Maurice Guillaud * 1967: ''L'Élixir du Révérend Père Gaucher, Le Secret de maître Cornille, Les Trois Messes basses'', after

Alphonse Daudet Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet. Early life Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ' ...

, directed by Jean Dejoux (11 March) * 1968: ''Le Mystère de River Lodge'' by Reginald Long, directed by Daniel Crouet * 1968: ''Le Verdict'' by James Cartier, directed by Daniel Crouet

Théâtre Tristan-Bernard

Direction Dominique Nohain (1973-1986)

* 1973: ''Seul le poisson rouge est au courant'' by Jean Barbier and Dominique Nohain, directed by Dominique Nohain (25 May) * 1978: ''Crime à la clef'' by Alain Bernier and Roger Maridat, directed by Jean-Paul Cisife (23 September) * 1979: ''Changement à vue'' by

Loleh Bellon Marie Laure Viole Bellon, generally known as Loleh Bellon (1925–1999), was a French stage and film actress, as well as a playwright. In 1949, for her role in Robert Desnos' ''La Place de l'Étoile'', she was awarded the ''Prix des Jeunes comédi ...

, directed by Yves Bureau (2 February) * 1979: ''L'Avocat du diable'' by

Dore Schary Isadore "Dore" Schary (August 31, 1905 – July 7, 1980) was an American playwright, director, and producer for the stage and a prolific screenwriter and producer of motion pictures. He directed one feature film, ''Act One (film), Act One'', th ...

, directed by Marcelle Tassencourt (7 September) * 1979: ''Comédie pour un meurtre'' by Jean-Jacques Bricaire and Maurice Lasaygues, directed by Dominique Nohain (27 October)

Direction Edy Saiovici (1986-2013)

* 1986: ''Les Aviateurs'' by Farid Chopel and Ged Marlon, directed by the authors (31 January) * 1986: ''Ariane ou l'Âge d'or'' by

Philippe Caubère Philippe Caubère (born September 21, 1950, in Marseille, France) is a noted French film actor, writer and producer. He is known for his memorable performances as Molière in the Molière (1978 film), 1978 French movie and the TV series as well. ...

, directed by the author (7 April) * 1986:

Le Quatuor Le Quatuor ('the Quartet' in French) are a group of French musicians and stage actors known for their musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The sto ...

* 1986: ''American Buffalo'' by

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

, directed by

Marcel Maréchal Marcel Maréchal (25 December 1937 – 11 June 2020) was a French actor, writer, and director. Biography Since 1958, Maréchal had a successful acting career. That year, he founded the Théâtre du Cothurne in Lyon. Other theatres he worked at ...

(30 September) * 1987: '' The Birthday Party'' by

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

, directed by

Jean-Michel Ribes Jean-Michel Ribes (born 15 December 1946, in Paris) is a French playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, film maker and actor. Since 2002 he has been the managing director of the Théâtre du Rond-Point. Between 1982 and 1984 Ribes had directe ...

(2 March) * 1988: ''Le Rebelle'' by Jean-Michel Guenassia, directed by Jean Rougerie (26 January) * 1988: ''L'Extra'' by Jean Larriaga, directed by Jacques Rosny * 1990:

Albert Dupontel Albert Dupontel (; born 11 January 1964) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. Following his father's path, he studied medicine but eventually switched to theater, disillusioned by hospital life. He started his career as a stand-up ...

* 1993: ''Les Acrobates'' by

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

, directed by Jean-François Prévand, * 1993: ''Dany Boon Fou ?'' by

Dany Boon Dany Boon (; born Daniel Farid Hamidou on 26 June 1966) is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. Starting out as a comedian during the 1990s, he found success in 2008 as an actor and director in the film comedy '' Welcome to ...

and Thierry Joly, directed by Thierry Joly * 1994: '' Brèves de comptoir'' by Jean-Marie Gourio, directed by

(23 August) * 1995: ''Indépendance'' by

Lee Blessing Lee Knowlton Blessing (born October 4, 1949) is an American playwright best known for his 1988 work, '' A Walk in the Woods''. A lifelong Midwesterner, Blessing continued to work in regional theaters in and around his hometown of Minneapolis thro ...

, directed by Béatrice Agenin * 1995: ''Que je t'aime - Courrier du cœur'' by Clémence Massart, directed by

(December) * 1996 : ''Page 27'' by Jean-Louis Bauer, directed by Pierre Santini (21 August) * 1997: '' André le Magnifique'' by

Isabelle Candelier Isabelle Candelier (born 12 June 1963) is a French film and television actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the tradit ...

, Loïc Houdré, Patrick Ligardes,

Denis Podalydès Denis Podalydès (; born 22 April 1963) is a French actor, scriptwriter, and theatre director of Greek descent. Podalydès has appeared in more than 140 films and television shows since 1989. He starred in '' The Officers' Ward'', which was ente ...

, Michel Vuillermoz, directed by the authors (1 September) * 1999: ''Momo l'indomptable'' by Jean-Michel Noirey, directed by the author (29 March) * 1999: ''Les Lunettes d'Elton John'' after David Farr, directed by Stephan Meldegg (23 August) * 2000: ''La Framboise frivole'' by Peter Hens and David Laisné (January) * 2000: ''Tu me squattes'' by Roger Louret, directed by the author (6 May) * 2000: ''Commentaire d'amour'' by

Jean-Marie Besset Jean-Marie Besset (born 1959) is a French contemporary playwright, translator and theater director. He has been nominated ten times for the Molière award (France's Tony Award) - six times as Best Playwright and four times as Best Translator. He ...

, directed by the author and Gilbert Désveaux (31 August) * 2001: ''Une femme de lettres'' and ''Un bi-choco sous le sofa'' by

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. He has received numerous awards and honours including four BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two Tony Awards. In 2005 he received the Socie ...

, directed by Jean-Claude Idée, with

Tsilla Chelton Tsilla Chelton (21 June 1919 – 15 July 2012) was a French actress of theatre and film, famous for playing the main role in 1990 film Tatie Danielle, in which she was nominated for a César Awards and as an elderly Dominican in Sister Smile. ...

* 2001: '' Théâtre sans animaux'' by

, directed by the author (23 August) * 2002: ''Baron'' by

, directed by the author and Gilbert Désveaux (27 August) * 2002: ''Futur conditionnel'' by Xavier Daugreilh, directed by Nicolas Briançon (15 November) * 2003: ''L'amour est enfant de salaud'' by

Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 90 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen ...

, adaptation

Michel Blanc Michel Blanc (16 April 1952 – 3 October 2024) was a French actor, writer and director. He is noted for his roles of losers and hypochondriacs. He is frequently associated with Le Splendid, which he co-founded, along with Thierry Lhermitte, ...

, directed by

José Paul José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

(2 September) * 2004: ''Si j'étais diplômate'' by Allen Lewis Rickman and Karl Tiedemann, directed by Alain Sachs (26 August) * 2004: ''Les Muses orphelines'' by Michel-Marc Bouchard, directed by Didier Brengarth (19 November) * 2005: '' Le Jeu de la vérité'' by Philippe Lellouche, directed by Marion Sarraut (July) * 2006: ''Romance'' by

, directed by Pierre Laville (17 January) * 2006: ''Les Manuscrits du déluge'' by Michel-Marc Bouchard, directed by Laurence Renn (31 August) * 2006: ''Le Jazz et la Diva'' by

Didier Lockwood Didier Lockwood (11 February 1956 – 18 February 2018) was a French violinist. He played in the French rock band Magma in the 1970s, and was known for his use of electric amplification and his experimentation with different sounds on the electri ...

, directed by Alain Sachs (3 November) * 2007: ''Journalistes'' by Pierre Notte, directed by Jean-Claude Cotillard (23 January) * 2007: '' Le Dindon'' by

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the Belle Époque era, remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parents and raised in a ...

, directed by Thomas Le Douarec (4 May) * 2007: ''Ne nous quitte pas'' by Gil Galliot and Yves Hirschfeld, directed by the authors (2 October) * 2007: '' La Flûte enchantée'' by Jean-Hervé Appéré, Gil Coudène after

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

, directed by Jean-Hervé Appéré (20 November) * 2008: ''

Une souris verte "Une souris verte" ("A Green Mouse"), is a French children's song dating back to the 19th century or the end of the 18th century. There are many variations of the ending of this song. Origin This song, commonly known across France and sev ...

'' by Douglas Carter Beane, adaptation

, directed by Jean-Luc Revol (22 January) * 2008: ''Correspondance inattendue'' by

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre (aesthetic), boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac ...

, directed by Jean-Laurent Cochet (27 May) * 2008: ''Panique à bord'' by Stéphane Laporte and Patrick Laviosa, directed by Agnès Boury (14 June) * 2008: ''Sans mentir'' by Xavier Daugreilh, directed by

and Stéphane Cottin (27 August) * 2009: ''Le Véritable Inspecteur Whaff'' by

, directed by Jean-Luc Revol (21 January) * 2009: ''

Rapport sur moi Rapport ( ; ) is a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned are "in sync" with each other, understand each other's feelings or ideas, and communicate smoothly. The word derives from the French verb which means ...

'' by

Grégoire Bouillier Grégoire Bouillier (born 22 June 1960 in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria) is a French memoirist who wrote ''Rapport sur moi'' (''Report on Myself'') and ''L'invité mystère'' (''The Mystery Guest''). ''Rapport sur moi'' won the Prix de Flore in 2002. Bouil ...

, directed by Anne Bouvier (4 February) * 2009: '' L'Ingénu'' after

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

, directed by Arnaud Denis (8 April) * 2009: ''Mission Florimont'' by

Sébastien Azzopardi Sébastien is a common French given name. It is a French form of the Latin name ''Sebastianus'' meaning "from Sebaste". Sebaste was a common placename in classical Antiquity, derived from the Greek word ''σεβαστος'', or ''sebastos'', mea ...

and

Sacha Danino Sasha is a name which originated among Slavic peoples from Eastern and Southern Europe as the shortened version of Alexander and Alexandra. It is also used as a surname, although very rarely. Alternative spellings include: ( – Belarusian, Ru ...

, directed by

(17 June) * 2010: ''L’Illusion conjugale'' by

Éric Assous Éric Assous (30 March 1956 – 12 October 2020) was a French director, screenwriter, dialoguist, and dramatist born in Tunis.Jean-Luc Moreau (15 January) * 2010: ''Stand-Up'' by

Gérald Sibleyras Gérald Sibleyras is a French dramatist. Plays 2000 : Le Béret de la tortue, co-written with Jean Dell, théâtre du Splendid Saint-Martin 2002 : Un petit jeu sans conséquence, co-written avec Jean Dell, théâtre La Bruyère 2003 : Le Vent ...

, directed by Jean-Luc Moreau (20 August) * 2010: ''Le Carton'' by Clément Michel, directed by Arthur Jugnot and David Roussel (6 November) * 2011: ''La Méthode Grönholm'' by Jordi Galceran, directed by Thierry Lavat (1 February) * 2011: ''Les Conjoints'' by

Éric Assous Éric Assous (30 March 1956 – 12 October 2020) was a French director, screenwriter, dialoguist, and dramatist born in Tunis.Troupe à Palmade, texts by Bilco, Anne-Élisabeth Blateau, Guillaume Clérice, Julien Ratel and Sarah Suco (27 juillet)

References

External links

Official page of the théâtre Tristan-Bernard

Le théâtre Tristan-Bernard
sur ''Les Archives du spectacle'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Theatre Tristan Bernard Tristant-Bernard Buildings and structures in the 8th arrondissement of Paris