Théâtre du Jorat, Wooden theatre in Mézières, Switzerland
The Théâtre du Jorat is a theatre built entirely of wood in Mézières, in the Vaud Jorat region. Modelled on the Théâtre du Peuple in Bussang, it seats more than 1,000 spectators and is nicknamed the "grange Sublime" or "Palais en bois" by locals. It is listed as a Swiss cultural property of national significance.
In 1903 pastor Émile Béranger commissioned René Morax to write La dîme for Vaud's centenary; its success at the Lausanne tram depot convinced Morax that theatre could work in open countryside. The theatre, modelled on the Théâtre du Peuple in Bussang, opened on 9 May 1908. In 1923 the full Federal Council attended Davel by Morax and Gustave Doret for the bicentenary of Abraham Davel's death.
Locals call the wooden building "la grange Sublime" or "le Palais en bois". In 1923 the full Federal Council attended the performance of Davel by René Morax and Gustave Doret, staged here for the bicentenary of Abraham Davel's death.
The theatre stands in Mézières, about 15 to 20 km from Lausanne in the Jorat region. Since 2013 it has been jointly managed by the municipality of Mézières and the canton of Vaud. The hall seats around a thousand spectators, so it is worth reserving places for the larger productions.
In 1923 the entire Federal Council attended a performance of 'Davel' by René Morax and Gustave Doret, staged here for the bicentenary of Abraham Davel's death. In 1994 Hugues Cuénod, aged 92, gave his last operatic performance on this stage, as Monsieur Triquet in Tchaikovsky's 'Eugene Onegin'.
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