Wikipedia

Thomas Jolly

For the board game designer, see Tom Jolly.

Thomas Jolly (born 1 February 1982)[1] is a French actor and artistic director of La Piccola Familia, a theatre company that he founded in Rouen in 2006.[2][3]

Thomas Jolly
Jolly in 2019
Born (1982-02-01) February 1, 1982 (age 42)
Rouen, France
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • artistic director
Years active2006–present
Known forFounder of La Piccola Familia, Artistic director of the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games ceremonies
Notable workH6R3, Thyeste, Starmania

Jolly's early life in Normandy was marked by a strong interest in theater, performing from a young age in his hometown of La Rue-Saint-Pierre. He began acting in 1993 and joined the children's theatre company, Théâtre d'enfants, in Rouen. He later studied theatre at the University of Caen and the National School of the Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes, where he directed his first play, Jean-Luc Lagarce's "Photography".

In 2006, Jolly established La Piccola Familia. He directed the national drama center Le Quai d'Angers from January 1, 2020, until November 2022. He was the artistic director of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, the former of which was criticized by Christian denominations and socially conservative politicians.[4][5]

Early life and schooling

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Jolly grew up near Rouen, in Normandy, France, the son of a Jewish family consisting of a printer and a nurse.[6][7]

From a young age, he exhibited a penchant for the theatrical, often staging shows at home in La Rue-Saint-Pierre, a small village in Seine-Maritime.[8] Before he started performing "Seven Farces for Schoolchildren" by Pierre Gripari, a book his mother gave him when he was about six years old, Jolly was staging scenes from cartoons. He has fond memories of playing Cleopatra while a friend played the taster in their version of Asterix and Cleopatra.[8]

He spent holidays at his grandparents' house near Saint-Martin-du-Vivier. His grandfather gave catechism classes to children in their house. Although Jolly did not receive a religious education, he would listen from the next room without fully understanding. His grandmother, a former nurse, left a lasting impression on him because of her elegant manner and whimsical style of clothing.[8]

Jolly began acting in 1993 in Rouen and joined the children's theatre company, Théâtre d'enfants, directed by Nathalie Barrabé. He then attended Jeanne-d'Arc High School in the "Theatre" class, working under the guidance of actors from the Théâtre des Deux Rives.[9]

Starting in 1999, alongside pursuing a degree in theatre studies at the University of Caen, he created a university theatre troupe and performed in several regional festivals. In 2001, he joined the professional training for actor interns at ACTEA (La Cité Théâtre) in Caen, directed by Olivier Lopez.[10]

In 2003, he entered the National School of the Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes, led by Stanislas Nordey.[11][12]

During his studies at the Théâtre National de Bretagne, Jolly had the opportunity to direct a play for the first time. In 2005, under the guidance of Stanislas Nordey, he chose Jean-Luc Lagarce's Photography for his debut production.[8]

Career

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After completing his studies he formed his own company, La Piccola Familia.[13]

He directed an 18-hour production of Shakespeare's Henry VI trilogy at the Festival d'Avignon in 2014.[14]

In 2018, he was invited to open the festival with a production of Seneca's Thyeste.[15]

In January 2020, he was named director of the national theatre of the city of Angers (Le Quai).

In 2022 he presented Henry VI and Richard III as a 24-hour marathon entitled H6R3.[16]

He directed the revival of cult musical Starmania which debuted in 2022. By 2024; the critically-acclaimed production had attracted over a million French and Francophone viewers.[17][18]

2024 Summer Olympics

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See also: 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony and 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony

In September 2022, Jolly was appointed artistic director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in collaboration with Thierry Reboul. Tony Estanguet, president of Paris 2024, stated that Jolly was "a bold choice, consistent with our vision".[19] Jolly presented an artistic staging, structured around a series of 12 tableaux, designed to be inclusive and representative of France, declaring "above all, I want this ceremony to include everyone. We must all celebrate this diversity."[20]

Tasked with telling the story of culture, people, and history of France, Jolly used the cityscape as his setting.[21] He stated before the ceremony that "France is a story that never stops being constructed, deconstructed, and reconstructed. It’s alive, it remains alive."[22] While opening ceremonies have typically taken place in a stadium, the 2024 ceremony followed 6 km of the Seine. A flotilla of 85 boats carried athletes down the river as artistic performances were interspersed through twelve acts. The four-hour ceremony began with Lady Gaga singing at Île Saint-Louis, passing by landmarks such as Notre-Dame de Paris, Conciergerie, and the Louvre, and concluded with Céline Dion singing Hymne à l'amour from the Eiffel Tower.

The show had strong themes of diversity and LGBTQ+ rights; Jolly himself is gay and was bullied as a child for supposedly being effeminate.[23] The "Festivité" segment of the ceremony contained a scene of drag queens arranged in a row along a catwalk. A statement from Paris 2024 said that it was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's fresco The Last Supper, which depicts Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, while Jolly held it to represent "a pagan feast linked to the gods of Olympus".[4][24] As such, it was criticised by socially conservative politicians and Christians as blasphemous.[5][25][26]

Responding to the criticism in a press conference, Jolly stated that "We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn't have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are a republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey."[25] The next day, on BFM TV, he denied having been inspired by The Last Supper.[27] On 28 July, organisers issued an apology for the performance, stating that "there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group".[28] French president Emmanuel Macron praised the "audacity" of Jolly's work and stated "the French and the whole world were very proud of this opening ceremony, it made us very proud."[29]

Harassment and threats

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Following a complaint by Jolly, French prosecutors started an official investigation into death threats and cyber-harassment directed at him. Jolly reported receiving threatening and abusive messages on social media.[30] This probe, overseen by the French judiciary’s online hate division, may lead to charges such as defamation, public abuse, and threats based on origin and sexual orientation.[30]

Jolly reported that the threats he received included comments about his Jewish heritage and sexual orientation.[30] Although Jolly is gay, he clarified that he is not Jewish and has no immediate ties to Israel, despite his Jewish background.[30] Reports from French media indicated that a considerable portion of the abusive messages were in English and seemed to originate from the United States.[30]

The Paris 2024 organizing committee strongly condemned the threats and harassment against Jolly and other artists involved in the opening ceremony, expressing their full support.[30]

Theatre

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Director

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Actor

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Awards

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  • 2015: Molière for "Best Director of a Public Theatre Play" for his production of Henry VI (play)
  • 2023: Molière for "Best Musical Show" and Molière for "Best Visual and Sound Creation" for his re-creation of Starmania (musical)

References

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  1. ^ "LUX: Yale Collections Discovery". lux.collections.yale.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  2. ^ Leibovitz, Gaby Wood, Annie (May 30, 2024). "Thomas Jolly is Masterminding the Most Complex (and Wettest) Olympics Opening Ceremony of All Time". Vogue.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Tears and fears for the man planning Paris Olympics show". France 24. January 26, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Kaloi, Stephanie (28 July 2024). "Paris Olympics Producers Say 'The Last Supper' Inspired That Opening Ceremony Scene: 'Many Have Done It Before'". TheWrap. Retrieved 29 July 2024. Many, including Jolly and the official Olympics Games X account, said that the scene is an 'interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus' that 'makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.' Others, including a statement from Paris 2024 producers obtained by TheWrap Sunday, said that it was in fact inspired by Da Vinci's famous painting — a skewing of the religious imagery that has been slammed by Christians as a mockery of Jesus Christ. 'For the "Festivities" segment, Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting to create the setting,' producers said in the statement.
  5. ^ a b "Global Christian organization demands explanation from IOC for Last Supper parody". Anadolu Agency. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  6. ^ Thomas Jolly, the master of ceremonies - France Jeux, 22 September 2022
  7. ^ Thomas Jolly, the Peter Pan of theater turned head of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony - Le Monde, 27 July 2024
  8. ^ a b c d Pérez, Valentin (15 January 2022). "Thomas Jolly, metteur en scène : " Quand ma grand-mère est entrée pour la première fois sur le plateau, j'ai pleuré à torrents "". Le Monde. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Thomas Jolly. Lumineuse apparition", Libération, December 3, 2014.
  10. ^ "Anciens comédiens-stagiaires". La Cité Théâtre.
  11. ^ "Thomas Jolly", Théâtre contemporain.net, March 17, 2014.
  12. ^ "Thomas Jolly", Théâtre National de Strasbourg, accessed May 28, 2019.
  13. ^ Thomas Jolly Director Biography - Opera National de Paris, retrieved 27 July 2024
  14. ^ Henry VI - Festival d'Avignon, The 2014 programme - 2014
  15. ^ Thyestes, Avignon Festival — the darkest of fairy tales - Financial Times, July 10 2018
  16. ^ Thomas Jolly Is Masterminding The Most Complex Olympics Opening Ceremony Of All Time - Vogue, 4 June 2024
  17. ^ France Cheers for a Musical It Loves but Hasn’t Watched - The New York Times, Nov 10, 2022
  18. ^ Enorme succès pour "Starmania" : le spectacle franchit un million de spectateurs ! - Pure Charts, May 20, 2024
  19. ^ "La cérémonie d'ouverture des JO encensée par (presque toute) la presse internationale". Le HuffPost (in French). 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  20. ^ "Opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics: the (expected) moment of glory for Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the event".
  21. ^ Leicester, John; Janetsky, Megan (2024-07-26). "Paris dazzles with a rainy Olympics opening ceremony on the Seine River". AP News. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  22. ^ Nouvian, Tom (2024-07-20). "How Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly is capturing the essence of France". AP News. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  23. ^ Leicester, John (2024-07-27). "Paris' Olympics opening was wacky and wonderful — and upset bishops. Here's why". AP News. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  24. ^ Grohmann, Karolos (28 July 2024). "Olympic ceremony's 'Last Supper' sketch never meant to disrespect, says Paris 2024". Reuters. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Upset bishops and mixed reviews for Paris Olympics ceremony". AFP. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-28 – via France24.
  26. ^ Smith, Alexanderr; Burke, Minyvonne (2024-07-27). "Drag performance resembling Last Supper at Olympic opening ceremony rankles conservatives". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  27. ^ Brossier, Aurélien (2024-07-28). "Cérémonie d'ouverture des JO: Thomas Jolly et Daphné Bürki répondent aux critiques de Jean-Luc Mélenchon" [Olympic Games Opening Ceremony: Thomas Jolly and Daphné Bürki Respond to Jean-Luc Mélenchon's Criticism]. BFMTV (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  28. ^ Bolton, Will (2024-07-28). "Olympic bosses apologise for 'sleazy' drag queen Last Supper parody". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  29. ^ Rose, Michel (2024-08-02). "Macron praises audacity of opening ceremony, defends artistic freedom". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  30. ^ a b c d e f Henley, Jon (2 August 2024). "French prosecutors open inquiry into death threats to opening ceremony artistic director". The Guardian.
  31. ^ Solis, René. ""Henry VI", carnages au bout de la nuit". Libération.
  32. ^ "Richard III, une pièce très Jolly". Le Figaro. January 5, 2016.
  33. ^ "Le ciel, la nuit et la pierre glorieuse | la Piccola Familia | Compagnie de théâtre".
  34. ^ "Thomas Jolly: "Je n'ai rien trouvé de mieux que l'artisanal" - Le Temps". November 2, 2017 – via www.letemps.ch.
  35. ^ "- YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  36. ^ "Thomas Jolly pousse les feux de "La Nuit"", Les Échos, July 20, 2020
  37. ^ "At the Avignon Festival, Thomas Jolly Takes the Court", L'Express, July 4, 2018
  38. ^ "Mithridate: Racine in a Funeral Opera", Les Échos, February 21, 2021
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