The sites

 

Recent digs have revealed that the construction of the theatre was one of the major urban building sites of the years A.D. 40 to 50, which does not exclude subsequent renovation work. In the second century, it was seconded by a smaller theatre, the Odeon, which was built nearby on the southern slope of the Saint-Marcel ravine. Its floor plan and overall arrangement are those of the Latin model for stone theatres, although the fact that it was anchored on a rock led to certain special devices. Ring-shaped vaulted galleries formed the bearing structure of the stands of the cavea and were used for spectator traffic. The facade of the stage wall, punctuated by a decor of columns and statues, and the side stage structures formed a closed whole with the shell of stands, without any outlet to the exterior.

Social function:

As an expression of civic community, whose model came from Rome, the theatre was not only used for shows (comedy, drama, pantomime, variety, dance, wrestling, etc.); it could also be a gathering place for civic or official meetings. The building's religious significance was echoed inside the theatre by the presence of a little sanctuary at the top of the cavea and by representations of religious scenes on bas-reliefs decorating the altars and the architecture. Local dignitaries took advantage of the facility to consolidate their popularity by inviting their fellow citizens to shows: such as the very wealthy senator from Vienne, Decimus Valerius Asiaticus (or his family) in the first century A.D., who had his own troupe of actors: the Scaenici Asiaticiani, as the inscription on their funeral altar reads.

Rediscovery and resurrection of the theatre

In 1834, archaeologist Claude-Thomas Delorme, curator of the museum, was able to convince Prosper Mérimée, the Inspector General of Historic Monuments, that the ruins at the foot of Pipet hill could be those of a Roman theatre, and not those of an amphitheatre, as people continued to believe even until the beginning of the 20th century. It was not until the digs that took place between 1908 and 1938 that this monument could be unearthed and restored, having been buried under thousands of cubic metres of earth. Thanks to its restoration, the organisation of summertime shows has resurrected the theatre's function as an entertainment centre: opera, variety, dancing and, since 1981, a jazz festival which quickly became one of the top jazz festivals.