In 1791, during the selling of the
biens nationaux, citizen Bucheron acquired the Cordeliers' Church and transformed it into a 800 seats theatre that opened in 1796. At the beginning, both operas (
Mozart,
Rossini…) and plays (
Molière,
Marivaux...) where performed. As numerous projects for a new municipal venue were abandoned due to a lack of resources, the city decided to buy Bucheron's theater in 1867. Leon Rohard supervised the renovation and achieved a modern building that burned to the ground eleven years after the inauguration. Following a competition in which
Charles Garnier was a member of the jury, Jean-Marie Hardion and Stanislas Loison were commissioned by the municipality. Equipped to accommodate 973 spectators, the theater known today as the Grand Théâtre de Tour, opened in 1889. The Grand théâtre, adapting its schedule, remained open for much of both
world wars and has known a peek of activity during the
années folles. == Programming ==