The Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse is an opera house

Opera house

An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...

 and ballet

Ballet

Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

 company located within the main administration buildings, the Capitole

Capitole de Toulouse

The Capitole de Toulouse is the heart of the municipal administration of the French city of Toulouse.The Capitouls of the Toulouse embarked on the construction of the original building in 1190, to provide a seat for the government of a province growing in wealth and influence...

, of the city of Toulouse

Toulouse

Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...

 in south-west France

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...

.

The first performance space, a salle du jeu de spectacle, was created in the building in 1736 by Guillaume Cammas

Guillaume Cammas

Guillaume Cammas was a French painter and architect.-Life:He studied under the painter Antoine Rivalz and designed the façade of the Capitole de Toulouse, built between 1750 and 1759. He was one of the founders of Académie royale de peinture de Toulouse, where he taught...

. Following a period of neglect, the current space was created during the rebuild of 1818. The theatre suffered fire damage in 1917, but was restored in 1923. The front of house areas were modernised in 1996. The current capacity is 1156 seats.

Michel Plasson

Michel Plasson

Michel Plasson is a French conductor.Plasson was a student of Lazare Lévy at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1962, he was a prize-winner at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. He studied briefly in the United States, including time with Charles Münch...

 was responsible for the artistic direction of the company from 1973. He was followed by Jacques Doucet

Jacques Doucet

Jacques Doucet may refer to:* Jacques Doucet , French fashion designer* Jacques Doucet , longtime play-by-play announcer for the Montreal Expos...

 in 1981, by Nicolas Joel in 1991, and by Frédéric Chambert in 2009, after Joel's move to the Opéra national de Paris. Chambert's first season was marked by the use of alternate spaces while the theatre was renovated, and the theatre was re-opened for the beginning of the 2010-11 season.

The opera company is a member of the Réunion des Opéras de France

Réunion des Opéras de France

The Réunion des Opéras de France, commonly known as the ROF, is the professional association of opera companies in France. It provides information resources for the opera sector and the public, supports its member companies through meetings, and promotes the art form.The association was founded in...

.

External links

• Theatre du Capitole de Toulouse website.