Sociétaire of the Comédie-Française

The sociétaires of the Comédie-Française are chosen from among the pensionnaires who have been in the company a year or more. They are decided upon in the course of a general assembly of the company's administrative committee, made up of six existing sociétaires, the senior sociétaire, and the general administrator. A pensionnaire is thus named a societaire by a decree of the Ministry of Culture, from names put forward by the general administrator of the Comédie-Française. On becoming a sociétaire, an actor automatically becomes a member of the Société des Comédiens-Français and receives a share of the profits as well as receiving a number of shares in the société to which he or she is contractually linked. After his or her retirement, a sociétaire can continue to act, becoming an honora...