History

The Théâtre National de Strasbourg as we know it was established in October 1968. It is directly attached to the Ministry of Culture by decree (31st May 1972). It is the successor of the Centre Dramatique de l’Est (CDE). Hubert Gignoux, the last manager of the CDE, had asked André Malraux, then Minister of cultural affairs, to turn this centre into a national theatre.

The CDE was the first establishment to undergo the post-war Décentralisation dramatique (decentralization of theatres) and the first CDN (National drama centre) to possess its own premises. To this day, the TNS still is the only national theatre located in a province. In addition, it has been housing (almost since its establishment) one of the two superior national schools of professional training in drama (the other one being the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris). You can now take the full measure of the unique character of the TNS and its importance on the French theatrical scene.

This uniqueness not only derives from the peculiar state of French culture in Alsace but is also linked to the personality of the successive managers of the CDE and the TNS, who have striven to emphasize the strength and originality of these extraordinary theatrical work tools within the same building, i.e. several theatre and rehearsal rooms, a multidisciplinary drama school, set and costume design workshops. This building boasts a history of more than a century and has been refurbished several times in order to improve its artistic capacity. This versatility has always been a significant asset for the CDE and then for the TNS.

The managers of the TNS from 1946 to nowadays
Roland Pietri - Manager of the CDE from 1946 to 1947
André Clavé - Manager of the CDE from 4th May 1947 to 31st December 1952
Michel Saint-Denis - Manager of the CDE from 1st January 1953 to July 1957 Hubert Gignoux - Manager of the CDE and then of the TNS from July 1957 to 30th June 1971
Jacques Fornier - Manager of the TNS from 1st July 1971 to 30th June 1972
André-Louis Périnetti - Manager of the TNS from 1st July 1972 to 30th September 1974
Jean-Pierre Vincent - Manager of the TNS from 1st January 1975 to 31st July 1983
Jacques Lassalle - Manager of the TNS from 1st August 1983 to 3rd July 1990
Jean-Marie Villégier - Manager of the TNS from November 1990 to 20th November 1993
Jean-Louis Martinelli - Manager of the TNS from 2nd December 1993 to 30th June 2000
Stéphane Braunschweig - Manager of the TNS from 1st July 2ooo to 30th June 2008
Julie Brochen - Manager of the TNS since 1st July 2008