René Rocher (5 August 1890, in Paris – 24 June 1970) was a France stage actor and theater director.
In 1923, René Rocher gave its name to the current Comédie-Caumartin. He was managing director of the Théâtre Antoine from 1928 to 1933, then the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier from 1935 to 1943, and the Théâtre de l'Odéon from 1940 to 1944.
Pedro or Pierre Gailhard, full name Pierre Samson Gailhard, (1 August 1848 – 12 October 1918) was a French opera singer and theatre director.Gifted with an exceptional singing bass voice, Pedro Gailhard made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in December 1867, then sang at the Opéra Garnier, as Mephisto in Faust by Charles Gounod in 1871, a role which he also sang at Covent Garden. His interprétation of Leporello in Don Giovanni by Mozart was considered remarkable, as was his portrayal of other roles, such as Osmin in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Kaspar in Weber's Der Freischütz, the King in Thomas' Hamlet, Pythéas in Gounod's Sapho, Saint-Bris and Nevers in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots, and Faust in Boito's Mefistofele.Pedro Gailhard was the first lyric artist to be named director of the Paris Opera, which he headed from 1884 to 1891 and from 1893 to 1907. He was mentioned as such in the novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.
Zulma Madeleine Boufflar, known as Zulma Bouffar, (24 May 1841 – 20 January 1909), was a French soprano singer and actress, associated with the opéra-bouffe of Paris in the second half of the 19th century who enjoyed a successful career around Europe.
Olivier Py (French pronunciation: [pi]; born 24 July 1965 in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes) is a French stage director, actor and writer.
Marcel-Louis Bozonnet (born 18 May 1944, in Semur-en-Auxois), is a French actor.
Bozonnet entered the Comédie-Française in 1982, and became a "sociétaire" in 1986. He subsequently directed the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique de Paris from 1993 to 2001.
Appointed administrateur général of the Comédie-Française in 2001, il opened the salle Richelieu to contemporary authors (creating a poay of Valère Novarina in 2006), created a notable show on the Fables of Jean de La Fontaine produced by Bob Wilson, and recruited the first black member of the Théâtre Français (Bakary Sangaré).
Nonetheless, certain of his productions did not convince the critics, such as Le Tartuffe (which he produced himself), and Le Cid (El Cid) in 2006.
In 2006, he was at the centre of a row after he discontinued the production of a play by Peter Handke Voyage au pays sonore ou l'Art de la question, which was under negotiation in 2007. Handke, an Austrian playwright, had attended the burial of the reviled Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic and had made a speech there denying the events of the Yugoslav war. It was for this reason that Bozonnet withdrew support for showing Handke's play. Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, the French minister of culture, implicitly criticized Bozonnet's action in a letter addressed to Bozonnet, and by deciding to invite Handke to the ministry.
Despite hoping for another term as administrator of the Comédie-Française, his directorship was not renewed, and Muriel Mayette took over on 4 August 2006.
Louis-Victor-Nestor Roqueplan [also sometimes spelled Rocoplan] (16 September 1805 – 24 April 1870) was a French writer, journalist, and theatre director.
Jean Vilar (25 March 1912– 28 May 1971) was a French actor and theatre director.
André Antoine (31 January 1858 – 23 October 1943) was a French actor, theatre manager, film director, author, and critic who is considered the father of modern mise en scène in France.