Rewolucja francuska a wolność widowisk Od pełnej liberalizacji do ścisłej kontroli (1789-1793)
The French Revolution and Freedom of Spectacles: From Complete Liberalisation to Strict Control (1789-1793)

Summary/Abstract: Neither the storming of the Bastille nor the subsequent Declaration of the Rights ofMan and of the Citizen ushered in a significant liberalisation of France’s theatricalinstitutions. For months afterwards, the royal theatres clung tenaciously to theirprivileges and monopolies, stifling the growth of private scenes. Meanwhile, theywere unlikely to join the public effort for the moral regeneration of the nation.Under mounting public pressure, the National Assembly finally enacted a decreeon freedom of spectacles in January 1791. Henceforth, any citizen could establisha theatre to stage productions of their choice, including the works of classical au-thors. The power to determine what was seen on stage shifted from royal censors and privileged troupes to the discerning eye of the audience. Yet, as the Republicfaced escalating radicalisation, war, and civil unrest, it became imperative to reassertcontrol over theatrical institutions, which had become battlegrounds for support-ers and detractors of the Revolution. The young Republic’s survival hinged on itscitizens’ identification with its new values and virtues, and the stage emerged asa potent vehicle for shaping this allegiance. The paper aims to trace some elementsof this evolution within its historical, social and political context.

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