Located at Place du Palais-Royal, 75001 Paris.
The Palais
Royal began as a small and private
theater in the residence of
Cardinal Richelieu. It was
designed by the
architect Jacques Lemercier. This
theater became known by the name of the residence, the Palais
Cardinal. It was the first theater in
France with movable scenery wings and a proscenium arch. It's first production was Jean Desmeret's Mirame in 1641.
Following Richelieu's death, the palace became
royal property. It was then used for courtly
entertainment. In 1660,
Moliere and his troupe used the theater for their productions until the
death of
Moliere in 1673. After
Moliere's death,
Jean-Baptiste Lully used the Palais Royal for his
Academy of Music and their
opera productions. The
theater burned down in 1763. It was rebuilt but burned down again in 1781. The area was then redeveloped into an amusement area by its owner the
Duke de Chartres. It contained a number of theaters, many called the Palais Royal at various times. To this day several theaters remain in the
area.
(Thanks to Melissa Riley for providing useful information.)