The OpĂ©ra-Comique (French pronunciation: [ÉpeÊa kÉmik]) is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with â and for a time took the name of â its chief rival, the ComĂ©die-Italienne at the HĂŽtel de Bourgogne. It was also called the Théùtre-Italien up to about 1793, when it again became most commonly known as the OpĂ©ra-Comique. The company's official name is Théùtre national de l'OpĂ©ra-Comique, and its theatre, with a capacity of around 1,248 seats, sometimes referred to as the Salle Favart (the third on this site), is located at Place BoĂŻeldieu in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, not far from the Palais Garnier, one of the theatres of the Paris OpĂ©ra. The musicians and others associated with the OpĂ©ra-Comique have made important contributions to operatic history and tradition in France and to French opera. Its mission is to reconnect with its history and discover its unique repertoire to ensure production and dissemination of operas for the wider public. Mainstays of the repertory at the OpĂ©ra-Comique during its history have included works which have each been performed more than 1,000 times by the company: Cavalleria Rusticana, Le chalet, La dame blanche, Le domino noir, La fille du rĂ©giment, LakmĂ©, Manon, Mignon, Les noces de Jeannette, Le prĂ© aux clercs, Tosca, La bohĂšme, Werther and Carmen, the last having been performed more than 2,500 times.