Editing Grand Guignol (section)

==Theater==
[[File:International Visual Theater Paris P1050914.JPG|thumb|The former location of the Grand Guignol, now home to the {{ill|International Visual Theatre|fr}}]]
The Théâtre du Grand-Guignol was founded in 1897 by [[Oscar Méténier]], who planned it as a space for [[naturalism (theatre)|naturalist]] performance.<ref>{{cite web|last=Iebeneck|first=Isabelle|date=20 October 2023|title=The Horrific History Behind Théâtre du Grand-Guignol in Paris|publisher=Theatre in Paris|url=https://www.theatreinparis.com/en/blog/the-horrific-history-behind-theatre-du-grand-guignol-in-paris|access-date=9 January 2025}}</ref> With 293 seats, the venue was the smallest in Paris.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.grandguignol.com/time1950.htm|title=Paris Writhes Again|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=January 16, 1950|access-date=2007-04-10|archive-date=2020-12-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208145743/http://www.grandguignol.com/time1950.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A former chapel, the theatre's previous life was evident in the {{nowrap|boxes{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{hsp}}}}which looked like {{nowrap|confessionals{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}}}and in the angels over the orchestra. Although the architecture created frustrating obstacles, the design that was initially a predicament ultimately became beneficial to the marketing of the theatre. The opaque furniture and gothic structures placed sporadically on the walls of the building exude a feeling of eeriness from the moment of entrance. People came to this theatre for an experience, not only to see a show. The audience at Grand Guignol endured the terror of the shows because they wanted to be filled with strong "feelings" of something. Many attended the shows to get a feeling of sexual arousal.<ref name=HISTORY /> 

Underneath the balcony were boxes (originally built for nuns to watch church services) that were available for theatre-goers to rent during performances because they would get so aroused by the action happening on stage. It has been said that audience members would get so boisterous in the boxes, that actors would sometimes break character and yell something such as "Keep it down in there!" Conversely, there were audience members who could not physically handle the brutality of the actions taking place on stage. Frequently, the "special effects" would be too realistic and often an audience member would faint or vomit during performances. Theater director [[Max Maurey]] used the goriness to his advantage by hiring doctors to be at performances as a marketing ploy.<ref name="Hand & Wilson">Hand, Richard J., and Michael Wilson. ''Grand-Guignol The French Theatre of Horror.'' Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2002. Print.</ref>

The theatre owed its name to [[Guignol]], a traditional [[Lyon]]naise puppet character, joining political commentary with the style of [[Punch and Judy]].<ref name=HISTORY />

The theatre's peak was between [[World War I]] and [[World War II]], when it was frequented by royalty and celebrities in evening dress.<ref name="FADING">{{cite news|last=Schneider|first=P. E.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/03/17/archives/fading-horrors-of-the-grand-guignol-after-sixty-years-the-paris-the.html?sq=Fading%2520Horrors%2520of%2520the%2520Grand%2520Guignol&scp=6&st=cse|title=Fading Horrors of the Grand Guignol|work=The New York Times Magazine|page=SM7|date=March 18, 1957|access-date=10 April 2007|archive-date=23 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723003900/https://www.nytimes.com/1957/03/17/archives/fading-horrors-of-the-grand-guignol-after-sixty-years-the-paris-the.html?sq=Fading%2520Horrors%2520of%2520the%2520Grand%2520Guignol&scp=6&st=cse|url-status=live}}</ref>