Theatre de la Rue Saint Pierre

Theatre de la Rue Saint Pierre or Le Spectacle de la Rue Saint Pierre, was the first (French-speaking) theatre in New Orleans in Louisiana, active in 1792-1810. It opened in 1792 and was known to the Spanish-speaking citizens as El Coliseo and to the French-speaking citizens, La Salle Comedie. 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. Peter Street between Royal and Bourbon Streets, in what is now called the French Quarter.

In 1792, Parisians Jean-Louis Henry and Louis-Alexandre Henry purchased a piece of property measuring 64 feet by 128 feet from Louis McCarty. In a letter dated October 6, 1792, two days after the official opening of the theatre on October 4, Baron Joseph Delfau de Pontalba wrote to ex-Louisiana governor, Esteban Miró, the following description of the theater's interior:

The theatre opened on October 4, Mr. de Carondelet's [Royal Governor of Louisiana, 1791-1797] saint's day. Two of the male actors are tolerable, the others bad; the actresses are fit to be run off [the stage] with a broom to their backs. The theatre is small, but quite pretty.... There are twelve loges [loggias] in the theatre which are all rented at $200 to $300 each per year, and they are reserved a month before the opening. The amphitheatre seats are 6 esaclins each, and the pit and gallery 4 each.

A troupe began to perform in the city in the 1790s; they were probably refugee actors from Saint-Domingue (Haiti). The troupe performed regularly until 1800; it was properly organized in 1794. In 1793, Madame Dursoier, who was the new director, began to hire quadroon actresses. On 22 May 1796, the opera Silvain by André Grétry, became the first opera performed in New Orleans. The French actress, Jeanne-Marie Marsan, was the leading actress at the theatre for the 1795-96 season. In 1797, there were fourteen actors employed at the theatre's troupe. When the order of the theatre was established in the contract of 1797, Jeanne Marsan was among the actors granted benefit performances, and together with Clerville and Delaure, the highest-paid actor altogether with a salary of §70.

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