From 1893 to 1899, in various Parisian theatres, Lugné-Poe premiered modernist plays by foreign dramatists (Ibsen, Strindberg, Hauptmann, Bjørnson, Wilde), as well as new work by French Symbolists, most notoriously Alfred Jarry’s nihilistic farce Ubu Roi, which opened in 1896 at Nouveau-Théâtre (today, Théâtre de Paris, 15, rue Blanche).

Director Lugné-Poe modeled the enterprise on the experimental structure of André Antoine's independent, subscription-based theatre company Théâtre Libre, though it would intentionally adopt a non-Naturalistic program of plays.

[2][3] Lugné-Poe had embraced symbolism's "subjectivity, spirituality, and mysterious internal and external forces"[4] as a source of profound truth after working as an actor at the Théâtre d'Art, the first independent Symbolist theatre.

The poet Paul Fort, then just seventeen years old, had formed the company to explore the performance potential of found texts such as The Iliad, The Bible, new plays by French writers, and his own lyric verse.

[5] Unlike Fort's project, which catered to the intellectual elite, Lugné-Poe sought to create a "theatre for the people," and customarily offered free tickets to most of the public, reserving only 100 seats for his subscription holders.

[4] With the help of poet and critic Camille Mauclair and the painter Édouard Vuillard (with whom Lugné-Poe was sharing an apartment), the director dedicated the theatre to presenting the work of the young French Symbolist playwrights in addition to introducing new foreign dramas.

The group established themselves that same year, renting a small rehearsal room atop Salle Berlioz and calling themselves Maison de l'Œuvre, or literally, the "House of Works.

"[4] The staging was atmospheric and the acting stylized; costumes were usually simple and “timeless.”[8] Some of the company's designers included Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Maurice Denis, Odilon Redon, Pierre Bonnard, and Vuillard himself.

[9] On December 10, 1896, the Théâtre de l'Œuvre presented Alfred Jarry's soon legendary Ubu Roi, at Nouveau-Théâtre, 15, rue Blanche, with actor Firmin Gémier in the title role.

Shortly after the conflict began, Hitler conquered France and the Vichy Regime under Jacques Hébertot made most theatres illegal in the occupied zone.