Jeanne-Marie Marsan
Encyclopedia
Jeanne-Marie Marsan (1746 – 25 February 1807) was a French dramatic actress and an opera singer, active in France
and Germany
in Europe, and in the French West Indies
and Louisiana
. She was the leading actress and opera singer in Saint-Domingue
(pre-revolutionary Haiti
), and later in the first theatre in New Orleans in Louisiana
.
of Paris
, she married the actor Pierre Legendre Marsan, who was forced to flee from France to Martinique
in 1765. Jeanne-Marie stayed in France and during the following ten years made herself famous on the stages of Paris, the French provinces, and Germany before travelling with her children to join her husband in Martinique in 1775, where she made a successful debut on the stage of the theatre in Saint-Pierre
.
In 1780, Marsan and her family moved to Haiti, where she was hired at the Cap-Français theatre and became the leading actress and siger in the colony. She was renowned for her versatility, performing in tragedy
as well as comedy
, spoken drama
as well as opera
. A letter that appeared in a Port-au-Prince
newspaper on 10 March 1787 praised her performance in the role of "Nina":
The date of Marsan's departure from Haiti is not known, but several actors of the Cap-Francais troupe, as well as its director, left the colony when the city (later renamed Cap-Haïtien
) was attacked in 1793; many are believed to have been in New Orleans in 1794. In the 1795-1796 season, Marsan is confirmed to have been in New Orleans as the leading actress and singer of the Théâtre de la Rue Saint Pierre
in New Orleans. Marsan is believed to have sung the principal female part in Silvain – reputed to be the first opera ever performed in New Orleans – on 22 March 1796; she was already famous for this role in Haiti. When the order of the theatre was established in the contract of 1797, she was among the actors granted benefit performances, and together with Clerville and Delaure, the highest paid actor altogether with a salary of §70.
When the theatre was closed in 1800, Marsan retired from the stage and lived on the income from a property bought for her by the actor Jean Baptiste Le Sueur Fontaine
, director of the New Orleans theatre and previously director of the Cap-Francais theatre, where she was earlier employed.
She died in New Orleans in 1807.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in Europe, and in the French West Indies
French West Indies
The term French West Indies or French Antilles refers to the seven territories currently under French sovereignty in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: the two overseas departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique, the two overseas collectivities of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, plus...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. She was the leading actress and opera singer in Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
(pre-revolutionary Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
), and later in the first theatre in New Orleans in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
Biography
Born in the Faubourg Saint-GermainFaubourg Saint-Germain
The Faubourg Saint Germain is an historic district of Paris. The Faubourg has long been known as the favorite home of the French high nobility and hosts many aristocratic Hôtels particuliers...
of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, she married the actor Pierre Legendre Marsan, who was forced to flee from France to Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
in 1765. Jeanne-Marie stayed in France and during the following ten years made herself famous on the stages of Paris, the French provinces, and Germany before travelling with her children to join her husband in Martinique in 1775, where she made a successful debut on the stage of the theatre in Saint-Pierre
Saint-Pierre, Martinique
Saint-Pierre is a town and commune of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique, founded in 1635 by Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc. Before the total destruction of Saint-Pierre in 1902 by a volcanic eruption, it was the most important city of Martinique culturally and economically, being known...
.
In 1780, Marsan and her family moved to Haiti, where she was hired at the Cap-Français theatre and became the leading actress and siger in the colony. She was renowned for her versatility, performing in tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
as well as comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, spoken drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
as well as opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. A letter that appeared in a Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
newspaper on 10 March 1787 praised her performance in the role of "Nina":
The date of Marsan's departure from Haiti is not known, but several actors of the Cap-Francais troupe, as well as its director, left the colony when the city (later renamed Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
) was attacked in 1793; many are believed to have been in New Orleans in 1794. In the 1795-1796 season, Marsan is confirmed to have been in New Orleans as the leading actress and singer of the Théâtre de la Rue Saint Pierre
Theatre de la Rue Saint Pierre
Theatre de la Rue Saint Pierre, was the first theatre in New Orleans in Louisiana. It opened in 1792. It was described as a small building of native lumber near the center of the city. It was located on the Uptown side of St...
in New Orleans. Marsan is believed to have sung the principal female part in Silvain – reputed to be the first opera ever performed in New Orleans – on 22 March 1796; she was already famous for this role in Haiti. When the order of the theatre was established in the contract of 1797, she was among the actors granted benefit performances, and together with Clerville and Delaure, the highest paid actor altogether with a salary of §70.
When the theatre was closed in 1800, Marsan retired from the stage and lived on the income from a property bought for her by the actor Jean Baptiste Le Sueur Fontaine
Jean Baptiste Le Sueur Fontaine
Jean Baptiste Fontaine, née Le Sueur, , was a French actor and theatre director. He was director of the theatre in Cap-Haïtien and an actor and newspaper editor in New Orleans. He was known under his stage name Fontaine.Born in Paris, he moved to Saint Domingue before 1775, where he was employed at...
, director of the New Orleans theatre and previously director of the Cap-Francais theatre, where she was earlier employed.
She died in New Orleans in 1807.