Parisian Theatre of Violence and Horror with Madeleine LeDespencer LIVE

Please note this is NOT a ZOOM Lecture but an in person lecture. Tickets include a complimentary glass of Devil's Botany Chocolate Absinthe.

Doors open at 6:30pm and talk starts at 7pm

The Grand Guignol is synonymous with the grotesque, the bizarre, and the titillating. The success of each show was gauged by how many spectators fainted at the sight of graphic on stage gore during each performance.

Housed in a disused gothic chapel at the end of a shadowy dead end street, The Grand Guignol is synonymous with the grotesque, the bizarre, and the titillating. The success of each show was gauged by how many spectators fainted at the sigh of graphic on stage gore during each performances.

From being under continuous police surveillance in the 1800s for offenses against public decency to becoming a notorious international tourist destination, the Grand Guignol shone a spotlight on the horror and violence of modern life. It was a direct influence on the splatter film genre and the onstage theatrics of Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osborne, and a variety of other shock performers.

This illustrated lecture will trace the history of the Grand Guignol from its inception as an avant garde naturalist theatre to its rise to international acclaim as the Temple of Anguish in Paris. We will look at the most famous actors to grace the stage and the stories which they inflicted upon the public. We will look at the magicians behind the scenes who brought the horror to life and the longstanding influence of the theatre which is still felt to this day.

Madeleine LeDespencer is a visual artist and author with a particular interest in the French Decadents, Catholic Mysticism, Diabolism, and Spiritualism. She identifies as a demimondiane, absintheur, and adoratrice de Satan.

is the UK's first absinthe distillery, founded by Directors of The Last Tuesday Society's Absinthe Parlour. Celebrating spirit's connection to art, literature, magic & mixology, Devil's Botany is unleashing the future of absinthe with bold expressions for the adventurous drinkers of today. The Last Tuesday Society's curious Monday night lecture series is sponsored by Devil's Botany.

The venue opens at 18:30. Doors will close at 19:00 to avoid disrupting the speaker. We kindly ask that all guests arrive before 19:00. Refunds are not possible for in person events with less than seven days notice in any circumstances. Please note, the museum of curiosities is not opened on Mondays during our lectures.

Host or Publisher The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities