Cleverly tucked away amidst the foliage of the gardens, the entrance to the theatre is a discreet portico in the classical style. The theatre itself was large enough to seat two hundred and fifty spectators, in a décor dominated by blue, white and gold. The sculpted decorations were created using the quick (and cheap) technique of papier mâché, in which the craftsmen of the Menus Plaisirs were acknowledged experts. The various shades of gold blend harmoniously with the false marble panelling dominated by violet tones. The ceiling, painted by Lagrenée, was completed just a few days before the inauguration of the theatre and depicted Apollo surrounded by the Graces and Muses. The original was replaced by a copy in the 19th century. The vast stage (eight layers, two floors below stage level and two in the rafters), was expertly fitted out by mechanical specialist Pierre Boullet, successor to Blaise-Henri Arnoult, who designed the machinery of the Royal Opera House. The orchestra pit has room for around twenty musicians.
The queen intended the Trianon theatre to play a double role: it needed to provide a stage for the works commissioned from the artist of the Royal Academy of Music, and thus offer satisfactory technical facilities, but it also needed to allow the queen to indulge her passion for amateur dramatics and to put on comedies with her friends whenever she fancied.
Between 1780 and 1785 Marie-Antoinette used her theatre for both purposes. She commissioned new works which reflected her interest in the music of the day. Featured artists included Gluck, Grétry, Sacchini and Paisiello, whose Barber of Seville, first performed in Saint Petersburg for Catherine II, had its French premiere at the Trianon theatre in 1784. Falling out of favour with the queen after 1785, the theatre survived the revolutionary period relatively unscathed. It was used occasionally in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and underwent restoration between 1925 and 1936 and again in 2001.
The original machinery has been restored to working order, making the Trianon theatre the only eighteenth-century theatre in France which is still intact and fully-functioning. Along with an exceptional set dating from 1754 and showing the temple of Minerva from the first act of Quinault and Lully’s Thésée - designed by the Slodtz brothers for the theatre at Fontainebleau - the Queen’s Theatre still has various items of scenery (including two full sets) produced in the nineteenth century by Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri and his workshop: a ‘rustic interior’, a forest, and fragments of a public square and ‘rich salon’.
On account of its small size and distance from the palace, the auditorium is no longer used for performances. This has helped to preserve the theatre in its original condition, without the need to install modern safety features which would inevitably compromise its period authenticity. The theatre is still open to the public as part of the guided tour ‘Special effects at the Queen’s Theatre’, which includes a live demonstration of how the sets were changed.
©EPV/Thomas Garnier
©EPV/Thomas Garnier
©EPV/Thomas Garnier
©EPV/Thomas Garnier
©EPV/Thomas Garnier
©EPV/Thomas Garnier
Buy your ticket
Passport
This ticket gives access to the whole estate of Versailles (Palace, Estate of Trianon and the Gardens). Book online and enter to the Palace in the half hour following the chosen time.
It includes :
- the Palace with timed entry;
- the estate of Trianon;
- the temporary exhibitions;
- the Gallery of Coaches (every weekend);
- the Royal Tennis Court;
- the Gardens (until 31 October, single admission during the Musical Gardens or Musical Fountains Show, ticket valid for one entry);
- the Park.
To make the most of the Estate of Versailles, the Gardens are open from 8am, the Estate of Trianon from 12pm, the Gallery of Coaches from 12.30pm.
The Musical Fountains Show and the Musical Gardens close at 5.30pm on 27, 29, 30 and 31 October.
Estate of Trianon ticket
This ticket guarantees access to the estate of Trianon (including the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon, the Queen's Hamlet and their gardens) starting at noon.
It includes access to :
- the estate of Trianon;
- the tempory exibitions presented there;
- the Gallery of Coaches (every weekend);
- the Royal Tennis Court;
- the Gardens (from 1 November to 30 March only) - to access the Gardens before 1 November, you need a Passport ticket or a Gardens ticket;
- the Park.
The Passport guarantees access to the Estate of Versailles (Palace, Estate of Trianon and the Gardens).
Tickets can be purchased on site subject to availability.
Rates
- Motor deficiencies
- Hearing impaired
- Mental disabilities
- Visual impairment
guided tour
Visite guidée - Les effets scéniques au théâtre de la Reine
Dissimulé dans la verdure du jardin de Trianon, le théâtre de la Reine, construit par Richard Mique, donna à Marie-Antoinette l’occasion de jouer elle-même la comédie.
Visite guidée - Les effets scéniques au théâtre de la Reine
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Dissimulé dans la verdure du jardin de Trianon, le Théâtre de la Reine révèle un raffinement, une délicatesse et une féminité qui en font l’un des plus beaux théâtres de société d’Europe. Conférenciers et machinistes redonnent vie à ce lieu qui possède encore, miraculeusement conservé, les mécanismes anciens cachés par la scène.
Rendez-vous au Petit Trianon.
Visite guidée - Le Petit Trianon de Marie-Antoinette
La Reine se voit offrir, en 1774, le Petit Trianon par Louis XVI. Le domaine deviendra son royaume.
Visite guidée - Le Petit Trianon de Marie-Antoinette
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La Reine se voit offrir, en 1774, le Petit Trianon par Louis XVI. Le domaine deviendra son royaume. Libérée de l’étiquette, elle y crée un monde à l’image de sa personnalité et de la mode de son temps.
Rendez-vous au Petit Trianon.
Practical Information
Access
The theatre is only open to the public during the guided tour "Les effets scéniques au théâtre de la Reine". More information here.
The leaflet dedicated to the Estate of Trianon is free and available on site.
