A national theater today is a highly renowned, often subsidized theatrical institution of a state or country, usually in its capital city. In the 18th and 19th centuries, however, it was a model venue for performances in the national language. The first institution endowed with this role as cultural policy was the Comédie Française (or Théâtre Français), founded in 1680 by King Louis XIV to merge the two leading Parisian troupes of actors and cultivate the works of …