Minette et Lise

Minette et Lise (floruit 1789), was a sister couple of two stage artists, active in Saint Domingue in Pre-revolutionary Haiti. They were consistent of Minette (Port-au-Prince 1767-?) and Lise (1769–?). They have become known as Minette et Lise (Minette and Lise).

Biography

Minette and Lise were born in Port-au-Prince in Saint Domingue, in 1767 and 1769 respectively. They belonged to the affranchi class of free colored: their father was white, and their mother was a free affranchi of African origin.

During their childhood, the sisters were trained in acting by their mother. The artistic talent of the sisters were discovered by Madame Acquarie, an actress and opera singer of the Comédie de Port-au-Prince. She offered them lessons in singing and acting, which they accepted.

In 1780, they debuted together in the ballet La Danse sur le Volcan at the Comédie de Port-au-Prince. The debut was a success, and on 25 December of that year, Minette were engaged at the theatre by François Saint-Martin. Though only three colored actors are mentioned as artists of note in Saint-Domingue prior to the revolution, descriptions of colored artists on stage are common from diarists of the era, and the fact that they were colored should not necessarily have been an obstacle, though their success may have been somewhat more unusual.

Minette in particular was noted as a singer. On 13 February 1781, she performed as Isabelle in the opera Isabelle et Gertrude. During the 1780s, she became one of the most popular operatic artists in Saint Domingue and the prima donna of Port-au-Prince, as Jeanne-Marie Marsan had the same position at the Comédie du Cap in Cap-Francais. She also attracted criticism, such as for her luxurious costumes. In 1787, she was described as being in the highest point of her career.

Lise, though not as famed as Minette, also enjoyed a successful career. She had her breakthrough in Cayes in 1784, and toured the smaller stages in Les Cayes, Jeremie, Petit-Goave, Jacmel, Léogâne, and Saint-Marc where she is said to have enjoyed triumphs.

Among the parts of Minette et Lise were Sylvain, Zémire et Azor, Aucassin et Nicolette, L’Amant jaloux and La caravane du Caire.

The death of Minette at Lise are unclear. Minette are last mentioned when she performed in La répétition interrompue by Charles Mozard 4 October 1789, and Lise are last mentioned when she performed in Faux Lord ou le Pacotilleur 24 January the same year. They are believed to have died during the violence that erupted in Saint-Domingue prior to the Haitian Revolution. They are several theories about their death. Several colored females were massacred by both white and black forces during the revolution. The Comédie de Port-au-Prince was burned on November 22, 1791, during which they are also suggested to have perished.

Minette et Lise have been the object of a novel of Marie Chauvet.

References

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