The Grand Guignol was a theatre of legendary cult status, operating in Paris for 65 years, between 1897 and 1962. It produced, almost exclusively, one-act plays from 10 to 40 minutes in length, and was infamous for the production of violent and erotic works of horror.

The theatre was a converted chapel in the heart of the red light district, and visitors to the theatre could expect to pass flashing neon signs and soliciting prostitutes in doorways on their way to the shadowy alleyway in which the theatre was situated.

The theatre was opened by Oscar Metenier, a writer and police secretary, who created slice-of-life plays about the Parisian underlife and stories of true crime. Metenier was a follower of Naturalism: a movement in late 19th Century theatre that attempted to create a perfect illusion of reality. Naturalistic works often exposed the dark harshness of life, with themes of poverty, racism, sex, prejudice, disease, prostitution, and filth.

After a couple of years at the helm, Metenier handed the theatre over to Max Maurey, who saw the commercial potential of the theatre and, in particular, capitalized upon its darker side. Maurey incorporated melodrama into the Grand-Guignol’s acting style to heighten the emotion of the more sensational elements while keeping Naturalism as the guiding principle for characters and situations. It was under Maurey that the style of the Grand Guignol became renowned throughout Europe and, eventually, the world. The term ‘Grand Guignol’ has even passed into the English language, as a phrase referring to any bloody spectacle or violent entertainment.

Other key figures in the theatre included: Andre de Lorde, its greatest playwright, who became known as ‘The Prince of Terror’; Paul Ratineau, who devised most of the stage trickery and special effects, prefiguring many of those later used by Hollywood; and Paula Maxa, the theatre’s ingénue from 1917 to 1928, who was reportedly murdered on stage over 10,000 times and raped over 3,000 times.

The name Guignol (pronounced Geen-yole) comes from a Lyonnaise puppet character who often touched upon both social and political satire in his comedy. By the time of the theatre’s opening, the word had come to be used as a phrase referring to all puppets. The Theatre du Grand Guignol is therefore literally ‘the big puppet show’: a violent puppet show for adults, with big acting and larger-than-life stories to match – think Punch & Judy with an R rating.

Spectators would regularly faint in the early days of the theatre: indeed, a doctor was reputedly kept on hand at all times – although on one occasion when the doctor’s assistance was required, he was unable to help, having already fainted himself!

The theatre’s influence can be mostly seen now in the cinema: from the silent films of the German Expressionist movement of the 20’s; through the British Hammer Horror tradition in the 60’s; ultra-violent US horror during the 70’s, such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; and we can even see its influence in contemporary works like Stephen Sondheim’s musical Sweeney Todd.

It is on the Grand Guignol tradition that we base our theories and, as a result, every program we produce will have at least one translation of an original French play from the Grand Guignol.