La troupe du Roi de Danemark


La troupe du Roi de Danemark, or Roi de Danemark for short, was a French-speaking Danish court theatre, active at the Royal Danish court from 1682 until 1721. It was the only permanent theater in Denmark during its tenure.
The first French theater troupe had performed at the royal Danish court under Jean Guilmois de Rosidor in 1669–70, but that was but a temporary visit. The Roi de Danemark was engaged 23 March 1682. It was composed of French artists, who performed French language plays exclusively for the royal Danish court on temporary stages arranged at the various royal palaces. The composition of the troupe varied, but normally consisted of circa twelve people. It was the only permanent theatre company in Denmark during its tenure, when the only other theater activity in Copenhagen consisted of temporary visits from travelling foreign theater company's.
In 1721, the French court theater was dissolved by the monarch, who preferred German opera. Some of the members of the former court theater, who had lived in Denmark for most of their lives and in some cases even been born there, did not wish to leave Denmark, and therefore founded the first permanent public theater in Copenhagen, Lille Grønnegade Theatre, in January 1722.

Members