Have you ever wondered what inspired your favorite classic novelist to write their stories? What was happening in their lives to inspire their famous works? What was happening in the world at the time that they wrote those stories you love?

Join Host Bree Carlile while she helps to answer some of the questions you have always had about your favorite classic novelists.

For the next few weeks we will talk about the life of Alexandre Dumas. What inspired him to write The Three Musketeers? What else was happening in the world at the time?

Come with us as we release one episode each Tuesday detailing the life and history at the time of your favorite authors.

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Information for today's episode came from Wikipedia, don't judge us, we just want to give you a brief glimpse into the life. Thanks!

Welcome to Bite at a Time Books Behind the Story, where we answer the questions you have about your favorite classic authors.

What inspired your favorite author to write their novels?

What was going on in the world at the time?

Follow along with us as we tell you you what was happening in the world while your favorite authors wrote your favorite classics.

My name is Brie Carlyle and I love to read and wanted to share my passion with listeners like you.

All of the links for our show are in the Show Notes.

Today we will be talking about Theatre Historic.

The Fiatre Historic, a former Parisian Theatre located on the Boulevard du Temple, was built in 1846 for the French novelist and dramatist Alexandra Dumas.

Plays adapted by Dumas from his historical novels were mostly performed, and although the theater survived the 1848 Revolution, it suffered increasing financial difficulty and closed at the end of 1850.

In September 1851, the building was taken over by the Opera National and renamed again in 1852 to Theatre Lyric.

In 1863, during Hoffmann's renovation of Paris, it was demolished to make way for the Place de la Republique.

The name Theatre Historic was revived by some other companies in the late 1870s and early 1890s.

Dumas tells the story behind the founding of the Theateri Historic in his 1867 memoir, Histori De Mes Bates.

His drama adapted from his novel The Three Musketeers, had premiered on October 27, 145, on the Boulevard du Temple at the Theatre Day Leon Bugis comique.

On that occasion, Dumas met the 21 yearold Duke of Montpensiere, youngest son of the French King Louis Philippe.

The Duke invited Dumas to his box at the end of the performance, and during their conversation he offered to use his influence to help Dumas obtain a license to open a theater.

The Duke first approached the Minister of the Interior, Tenegi Duchantel, who declined, saying that Paris already had enough theaters.

The Duke then went directly to his father.

By March 14, 1846, the privilege a was assigned to Hippolyte, Hosting, former stage manager of the Ambigu Conique, who had been designated by Dumas as the director of his new Theatre.

The license granted the right to present prose, dramas and comedies as well as lyric choral works for two months of each year.

A company was formed on March 24 composed of Dumas, Monsieur Viddell, pseudonym of Alexandra Polette, former director of the comedy Francis, the banker August Armand Borguan, son of a celebrated actress, Monsieur Edwin, principal proprietor of the Passage Joffrey and Hastain.

Within a month, the company purchased two sites on the Boulevard du Temple near its intersection with the Rue deselberg du Temple, the former Hotel Foulon, and a small cafe bar, the episodei next to the Cirque Olympic.

Together, the two sites cost about 6000 francs.

Work began almost immediately under the direction of the architect Pierre And Deux and the architectural and stage set director, painter Charles Sicon.

The awkward sight wedged between two buildings at the front and wide at the back on the Rue de Fosillo du Temple required great skill in adapting to its new purpose.

The facade on the Boulevard du Temple was unusually tall and narrow, not more than 26ft in width.

The entrance was flanked by two pairs of engaged fluted Ionic columns on a high base with two broad sculpted bands.

On the lower portion of each column, two facing karatides, presenting in profile to the Boulevard and representing the muses of Tragedy and Comedy, supported the flat architrave at the front of a semicircular entryway with four equally spaced Ionic columns delimiting the curvature of the inside doorway.

Above the integratcher of the entrance was an unusual semicircle Corinthian balcony, enclosed at the front by a thin balustrade surmounted with four lamp posts.

At the top of the two double width flat pillasters bracketing the balcony were masks of Tragedy and Comedy, below which were engraved the names of six playwrights.

On the left, Cornell, Racine, Emollier, and on the right, Shakespeare in the 19th century, spelling Schiller and Lope de Vega.

The balcony was covered with a semi Dome above a semicircle freeze.

Both the Capula and the freeze were painted in fresco by Joseph Guccard.

A central group of figurines in the Cupula represented poetry leading Comedy by the hand and tragedy, each carrying their respective attributes, the comic mask and the ponyard.

Below these, to the right, were Acylis, Sofaciales, Euripides, Seneca, Shakespeare, Cornell, Racine, Voltaire, Schiller, Thomas, Naritz, Gluck, and Mehjol, and to the left, Aristophanes, Miner, Plaudes, Terrence, Moliere, Goeth, Lope de Vega, Cervantes, Reginard, Moi, Milamar, Mozart, and Gretre.

The panels in the freeze portrayed the temple of Bacchus and scenes from Media, Phaedra, Othello, Sina, La, Mesenthrope, Leborco, Esconahim, Faust, Mohammed, William, Tell, and Levier.

Flanking the semi Dome on the front were pairs of figures representing, on the left Cornell's, Sid, and Chimene, and on the right Shakespeare's, Hamlet, and Ophelia.

The central figure of the break in the circular pediment represented the genius of modern art.

All the sculpture was the work of Jean Baptiste Jules Klangmen, also known for his sculpture work at the Fontaine Lu Juir.

The entrance festival was as narrow as the facade, only 60ft long and 14ft high.

A fouryear located on the floor above the vestibule, provided access to the exterior balcony and was surprisingly warm, with tones of white gold enhanced with dark red of the velvet coverings of the Devons and chairs and light from elaborate chandeliers of a fantastic and capricious design.

The shape of the auditorium was quite different from most Parisian theaters of the time, being an Ellipse, the long axis of which was aligned parallel to the stage rather than perpendicular to it.

This arrangement was reminiscent of Palerio's 16th century theater, the Tiatro Olympico in Virginia.

The long axis from the back of the boxes on one side to the other was 65ft in length, while the short axis was 52ft.

The exceptional width of the opening of the stage at 36ft was considered advantageous to the presentation of spectacle, while the shape of the house favored excellent sight lines and good acoustics, since it brought most of the spectators close to the stage.

The striking Oval ceiling was designed and painted by Charles Sakon, Jules Detellere, and Eduardoze Platchen.

The scene in the center depicted Apollo on his chariot pulled by four horses, followed by Aurora, the Hours, the Muses and Arts and Sciences, among others.

Two chandeliers were suspended at opposite ends of the central Oval, which was unlike most other Parisian theaters, where typically a single chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling and sometimes obstructed views of the stage from the galleries surrounding the scene with Apollo or painted in perspective balusrad topped by a colonat of double Corinthian columns.

The colonnade was interrupted at the midpoints between the vertices by four Thrones occupied by the muses of painting, comedy, music, and tragedy.

The theater was designed to accommodate two divergent types of audience, that of the working class common to the Boulevard du temple and that of the most brilliant society of Paris, on whom the directors of the theater depended as their patrons.

What was desired, therefore, was a building so arranged that the elite of Parisian society might find every provision for their comfort without in any way trenching upon that of the ordinary public of the theaters of the Boulevard.

Three large balconies were flanked either side by Corinthian pavilions with two levels of stage boxes crowned with highly ornamented circular pediments.

The lower box, on the left was especially luxurious and was originally intended for the use of the Duke of Montpensier.

It was connected by a short passageway to an adjoining circular salon.

The first tier was fronted with a ballistrad and included dress circle seating in front rows of boxes, each with its own small private sitting room behind it.

Two large amphitheaters extended back from the second and third tier balconies, providing a large number of less expensive seats.

Finally, above the third tier were two small lateral balconies, sometimes referred to as the gods.

The capacity of the house was said to be about 20.

Originally, the theater was supposed to be named after its primary patron, the Duke of Mount Pencil, but his father, Louis Philippe, did not think it proper that a Theatre should be named after his son.

Dumas proposed Theatre European as an alternative, but this triggered dissension among the other parties involved, and it was eventually decided that the name would be disrespectful of the theateri.

Francois the Dell finally proposed Theatre Historic, which was considered particularly appropriate as the Repertory was to consist mainly of dramatizations of Dumas historical romances.

The name was ratified by the government Minister on December 23, 1846.

By this time Dumas had already departed on a trip to Spain to attend the wedding of the Duke of Montpencier to the Queen of Spain's 14 year old sister, Louisa Fernanda on October 10 and then to North Africa to gather material for writing a travel book intended to advertise the newly acquired French colonies in that region, a project that had been initiated by the Minister of Education, Narcise Achilles de Salvadry.

This left Hostin to assemble a company and begin preparations for the first productions and when Dumas returned in January, these were already well underway.

The opening on February 20, 847 with Dumas's play adapted from his novel Lorraine Margot was an eagerly awaited event and the Duke and his new bride were also expected to attend.

The audience for the galleries began forming Quarries 24 hours ahead, even though it was the middle of winter, it helped.

However, there were soup sellers and bakers with bread hot from the ovens and bundles of straw which could be purchased by those who wish to lie down.

Thank you for joining Bite At A Time Books Behind The Story Today while we answered some of the questions you have about one of your favorite classic authors, all of the links for our show are in the show notes.

Our show is part of the Bite At A Time Books Productions network.

If you would also like to hear a story by the author we are currently featuring, check out the Bite At A Time Books Podcast Wherever you listen to podcasts right now we're reading The Three Musketeers again.