The Forgotten Sets, the original theatrical exhibition at the Castle of Monte Cristo

A play, it is actors, a text, costumes... But also a set that immerses us in history! The Château de Monte-Cristo wanted to pay tribute to these often forgotten artists, who contributed to the greatest plays of their time.

In an exhibition to be seen from March 1 to May 31, 2023, the Monte Cristo Castle highlights many unique models and sketches, representing iconic theater sets of the 19th century. Entitled The Forgotten Sets, this exhibition allows us to (re)discover the great titles of theater and opera.

Set designers play an essential role in the world of entertainment: they set the scene, give life to a place, and transport us from stage to stage to provide actors with a convincing performance space.

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To do this, these shadow artists draw, paint and create custom sets. But before they can see their creations on stage, they have to make models and lighted boxes, which allow them to give free rein to their imagination, and to adjust every detail before the final transformation of the performance space.

The exhibition Les décors oubliés allows us to admire an exceptional and unpublished collection of these models and drawings. Rarely shown to the public, these works are the first drafts of sets that embellished the stages of the Comédie Française, theOpera or theaters of the nineteenth century that have since disappeared. Through these collections, we also find all the shows that have marked this creative century, but also the pieces that have fallen into oblivion.

With this exhibition, the Castle of Monte Cristo fascinates theater lovers, art lovers and aficionados of miniature worlds. The finesse of the work and the exceptional know-how of these artists can only leave us speechless! Fortunately, you will not be asked to declaim verses during this exhibition...

Hurry, hurry: you can't miss this exhibition; go and visit it!