The original design of the Théâtre d’Orléans, from an 1813 sketch. By the time the building was sold at auction in 1810, it had was known as the Theatre de la Rue Saint Pierre. The troupe did manage to offer an opera, though, in 1796, performing “Sylvain,” a French opera (naturally) by Andre Gretry.

The playhouse had a rough relationship with the Spanish government the French-speaking troupe presented many shows which mocked then-governor Baron Carondelet. Peter, between Bourbon and Royal Streets, which is just up the street from where Pat O’Brien’s Bar is today.

In his book, Old New Orleans: A History of the Vieux Carre, Its Ancient and Historical Buildings, Stanley Arthur traces the location of this theater to 732 St. The building was named El Coliseo when Tabary’s troup first moved in, but later acquired a French name, La Salle de Comedie. A troupe of actors, led by Louis Blaize Tabary, set up shop in a building on Rue St. War and rebellion in one country can make a peaceful area quite attractive, however, and Spanish-controlled New Orleans was a much safer place to be than France or Saint-Domingue during the Revolution. The rough colonial atmosphere of New Orleans in the first half of the 18th century was no doubt unappealing to actors, singers, and dancers. Opera’s History in New OrleansĮven though the first operas were performed in Florence in the late 1590s, New Orleans wasn’t ready for opera until the late 1790s. Dating back to the late 1700s, opera was an important part of the building of culture in the New World, but important for Europeans living in the colonies here at the time, it was also a way to keep up with the latest in entertainment, and even fashion, back in Europe. New Orleans’ art history runs deep, from music to the performing arts. Opera has flourished in New Orleans for over 200 years, and the story of opera’s history here is very much in sync with the ebbs and flows of the city’s history as a whole.

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