During the 19th century, the theatre slowly started to look better again. Prosper Mérimée helped with this. At the time, he was the director of ""Monuments Historiques"." He led the restoration. The work began in 1825 and in 1869 the theatre became the home of a "Roman Festival" which celebrated the glory of Rome. It included a performance of Méhul's opera, "Joseph". In the second half of the 19th century, and early 20th century, all the major players of the French classical stage appeared in the Orange festivals. For example, Sarah Bernhardt played "Phèdre" there in 1903.