Firmin Gémier

Firmin Gémier (Aubervilliers, on February 21st 1869 - † Paris, 1933), of his true name Firmin Thunder, is a Acteur and Director and French theater director, promoter of the popular and creative Theater of the Popular first National theater (NPT).

Biography

Firmin Gémier is born in Aubervilliers, of a companion tanner and a “Mother of the companions carpenters”. Installed to Belleville, it follows its schooling to the higher elementary school Turgot thanks to a purse.

Refused twice at the entry of the Conservatory , he learns the dramatic art in theaters from district, in particular with the Theater of Belleville and in Bouffes North, before entering to the Free Theater of André Antoine in 1892 as actor and manager.

He discovers with Antoine the will to propose a theater of quality and good market. He begins on scene, and makes known himself by the first interpretation of Ubu in Ubu King of Alfred Jarry, with the Théâtre of Work of Aurélien Lugné-Poe. He leaves Antoine with some members of the troop, and plays Theater of the gymnasium one season then directs the Theater of the Rebirth where he tests first once at the popular theater with the setting in scene of July Fourteen of Romain Roland in 1902.

Become again actor one year later, to pay the debts contracted with the Rebirth, it joins Camille of Holy-Cross, to create a Parisian popular theater, supported by the commission of the House of Commons in 1906, but refused by the Municipal council of Paris. He also puts in scene at the Odéon Rabouilleuse according to Balzac, for which he interprets Philippe Bridau.

With the head of the Theater Antoine between 1906 and 1919, it alternates parts with success, and new authors, to balance the receipts. Influenced by Romain Roland and his “theater for the people” and by the Theater of the People of Bussang, it created, with the support of Joseph Paul-Boncour, the travelling National theater (1911 - 1912).

With the head of the troop of the Theater Antoine, with several trucks then coaches for the transport of a dismountable room of 1650 places, it course France to present the wedding cakes to Paris, such as Anna Karénine , Rabouilleuse and Gaîtés of the squadron . For lack of sufficient receipts, in spite of large popular success, the experiment is quickly abandoned.

It founds the Shakespeare Company in 1917 and created the Merchant of Venice . Like Antoine, Gémier seeks to renew the setting in scene: it invests the room like an element of the scene, it uses the effects of crowd, continues the work of Antoine on the light, by removing the slope, it works with Emile Jaques-Dalcroze the integration of the music in the representation…

It founds then the popular National theater (1920-1933) and directs the Théâtre of Odéon of 1922 to 1930.

Works

Theater

Setting in scene

  • Rabouilleuse of Emile Fabre,
  • Shylock or the Merchant of Venice
  • Simoun of H.R Lenormand

Catalog of films

as actor

like realizer

Sources

  • Catherine Faivre-Zellner, “Gémier”, site commérages of Tybalt .
  • “Gémier Firmin”, site of the Theater of Odéon.

See too

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