It was the first play in the history of French theatre to feature a cast made up entirely of women.
[1] A comedy, the work premiered at the Théâtre de la Nation in Paris on April 16, 1790.
[2] Le Couvent was the first "convent play"; a popular genre of secular play in France during the French Revolution that was either set inside convents or featured nuns as the main characters; often as a means at criticizing or parodying religious practices and concepts.
[3] Both popular and critical reaction to Laujon's play was divisive, with the choice of presenting nuns and the setting of a convent as the subject of a secular comedy bringing both harsh criticism from religious conservatives and praise from more radical and progressive thinkers.
[4] Parisian audiences were sharply divided; with both loud booing and enthusiastic applause of approval often occurring simultaneously.