Architecture

Théâtre Dijon-Bourgogne

Dijon

Théâtre Dijon-Bourgogne is the national dramatic center of Dijon. Its main venue is located at Place Bossuet in the former Saint-Jean church, while a smaller hall, salle Jacques Fornier, is situated on rue d’Ahuy. The institution developed from Théâtre de Bourgogne, created in 1955 by Jacques Fornier. The troupe began at Pernand-Vergelesses, at Jacques Copeau’s house, and presented its first show, Conférence Molière, in Burgundy. After settling in Beaune in 1957 and later moving to Chalon-sur-Saône, the company was provisionally based in Vougeot between 1972 and 1978, at Château de Gilly-lès-Citeaux. It received the status of centre dramatique national in 1972. The former church at Parvis-Saint-Jean was transformed into a theater hall after serving as a museum reserve, with a dismantlable structure agreed with the Service des Monuments historiques. The center definitively settled there in 1980 and was renamed Théâtre Dijon Bourgogne in 2000.

Map showing the location of Théâtre Dijon-Bourgogne in Dijon
Location of Théâtre Dijon-Bourgogne in Dijon

Nearby Objects

Locations of the Theatre Dijon-Bourgogne

Theatre Dijon-Bourgogne is the national dramatic center of Dijon. Its main location is at place Bossuet in the Saint-Jean church in Dijon. The institution also has a smaller hall, called the salle Jacques Fornier, which is situated on rue d'Ahuy. These two sites show that the theater operates across more than one venue in the city, with the main center and an additional smaller performance space.

From Touring Company to Parvis-Saint-Jean

The Theatre Dijon-Bourgogne began as the Theatre de Bourgogne, created in 1955 by Jacques Fornier. Its troupe started at Pernand-Vergelesses, in Jacques Copeau's house, and presented its first show, Conference Moliere, in Burgundy. The company settled in Beaune in 1957, then moved to Chalon-sur-Saone. Between 1972 and 1978, it was provisionally based in Vougeot at Chateau de Gilly-les-Citeaux. In 1972, the Theatre de Bourgogne received the status of centre dramatique national, and in 1974 the CDN presented Le Roi Lear at Estivade Dijon, at Parvis-Saint-Jean. The former church at Parvis-Saint-Jean had been transformed into a theater hall after serving as a museum reserve, using a dismantlable structure agreed with the Service des Monuments historiques. The CDN definitively settled at Parvis-Saint-Jean in 1980.

Alain Mergnat directed the CDN from 1980 to 1996 and supported the creation of Theatre en mai by Francois Le Pillouer in 1990. When Dominique Pitoiset arrived in 1996, he took over Theatre en mai and renamed the CDN Theatre National Dijon-Bourgogne. In 2000, it was renamed Theatre Dijon Bourgogne.