Odéon Theatre

The Odéon Theatre stands as the oldest monumental building in Paris built specifically for theatrical performance. When it opened in 1782, it was inaugurated by Queen Marie-Antoinette herself. Architects Marie-Joseph Peyre and Charles de Wailly designed the structure to provide a grand, permanent home for the French national acting troupe, the Comédie-Française. It was the first theater in the city to feature an Italian-style auditorium with a semicircular seating arrangement, a layout that replaced the older practice of having the audience stand on the floor to watch the play.