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 Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery (every weekend);
- the Musical Gardens or Musical Fountains Show in the Gardens;
- the Park.
To make the most of the Estate of Versailles, the Gardens are open from 8am, the Estate of Trianon from 10am. in July and August, the Gallery of Coaches from 12.30pm.
Please note that the opening hours of the groves are different from the opening hours for water and music. Please check in advance on this page.
The Gardens close exceptionally at 5:30 p.m. on days of Night Fountains Shows from June to September as well as Friday July 14, Tuesday August 15 and Saturday September 23. The Passport ticket with timed entry does not guarantee access to the Night Fountains shows.
Ticket valid for one entry into the Gardens, through the Honour Courtyard of the Palace or the gates of Little Venice, the Menagerie, Neptune or the Dragon. Please note that a second entry is possible, but only through a different gate than the one used for the first entry.
Tickets can be purchased on site subject to availability.
Rates on Musical Gardens and Fountains Show days
Estate of Trianon ticket
This ticket guarantees access to the estate of Trianon starting at 10:00 am in July and August.
It includes access to :
- the estate of Trianon (including the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon, the Queen's Hamlet and their gardens);
- the tempory exibitions presented there;
- the Gallery of Coaches (every weekend);
- the Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery (every weekend);
- the Park.
From April 1st, the Palace Gardens are only accessible on days when Musical Fountains Shows or Musical Gardens are not in session. 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
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.
Ce tarif s'applique en plus du droit d'entrée
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.
Gratuité
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.
