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| GENERAL INFORMATION |
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| ARCHITECTURE |
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| Forgotten times |
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| Rebirth |
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REBIRTH
The vaulted underlying substructure had remained accessible since the edifice had fallen into ruin. The first curator of the Vienne Museum, P. Schneyder made a few exploratory trenches in 1818 to confirm the traditionally accepted existence of an amphitheatre. Around 1829 E. Rey, curator of the Vienne Museum and drawing teacher, drew the surviving remains on the western side of the Pipet Hill in section. However, from 1834, the new curator of the Museum, T.-C. Delorme, made the supposition that it was, in fact, a theatre. The stage foundations enclosing the cavea had been recognised through an exploratory trench (according to Prosper Mérimée). Between 1908 and 1918, the curator of that time, E. Bizot, began a new campaign of major exploratory trenches. By 1909, it was clear that the edifice in question was a theatre. In 1922 the properties were bought back by the city with the aid of the State, the Isère Department and the Société des Amis de Vienne. J. Formigé, the architect for the Monuments Historiques, supervised an extensive excavation. In some places the remains were buried under more than 6m. of earth. In the course of the excavations the building was restored, that is to say, rebuilt. The public had to be given an intelligible picture of the edifice. They also wished to recreate a place of entertainment. In 1938, the restored theatre antique was inaugurated by the President of the Republic, Albert Lebrun. "The Damnation of Faust" by Hector Berlioz, was performed on that occasion. The excavation of the edifice, particularly the stage area and the area around the north entrance continued till 1947.Since 1938, performances have regularly been given in the ancient theatre of Vienne. Since 1981, it has been particularly well-known for the Jazz Festival which takes place during the first two weeks of July.
This is generally an occasion for the audience to marvel at the exceptional location of this edifice which gives a sweeping view of the whole city and the curve of the Rhône in the light of the setting sun. Thus, 2,000 years later, the audience has been reinstated in the ancient edifice, but in a setting which is the complete opposite of the original, since the Roman audience was in a space that was completely enclosed by a 32m. high stage wall. Therein lies the entire paradox of the restoration and re-use of buildings from ancient times.
