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Thomas Jolly

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For the board game designer, see Tom Jolly.
Thomas Jolly
Thomas Jolly in 2019
Born (1982-02-01) February 1, 1982 (age 42)
Rouen, France
Occupation(s)Actor, artistic director
Years active2006–present
Known forFounder of La Piccola Familia, Artistic director of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games ceremonies
Notable workH6R3

Thomas Jolly (born 1 February 1982 in Rouen), is a French actor and artistic director of La Piccola Familia, a theatre company that he founded in Rouen in 2006. Jolly directed the national drama center Le Quai d'Angers from January 1, 2020 until November 2022. He resigned after being designated in September as the artistic director of the ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.[1][2]

Early life and career

Jolly grew up near Rouen in Normandy, the son of a printer and a nurse.[3][4] 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.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7] In 2003, he entered the National School of the Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes, led by Stanislas Nordey.[8][9] 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.[5] After completing his studies he formed his own company, La Piccola Familia.[10] In 2022 he created an 24 hour long play based on Shakespeare's Henry VI trilogy and Richard III entitled H6R3.[11]

2024 Summer Olympic Games

In September 2022, Jolly was appointed artistic director of the opening ceremony and closing ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in collaboration with Thierry Reboul. According to Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, Thomas Jolly was "a bold choice, consistent with our vision".[12] The logistical choice is marked by an innovative concept in that the show is taking place outside a stadium but on 6 km of the Seine river. Thomas 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".[13]

The "Festivité" segment of the ceremony contained a scene of drag queens arranged in a row along a catwalk, which was stated by Jolly to represent "a pagan feast linked to the gods of Olympus".[14] However, the scene was widely interpreted as a recreation of the Leonardo da Vinci fresco The Last Supper, which depicts Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, and due to this it was criticised worldwide by conservative politicians, some Roman Catholics,[15] other Christians, and Muslims[16] as blasphemous.[17][18] The presence of a child in the scene also drew criticism.[19][20]

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".[21] The next day, on BFM TV, he denied having been inspired by The Last Supper.[22] On 28 July, organisers issued an apology for the performance, stating that "there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group".[23]

Theatre

Director

Actor

References

  1. ^ 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)
  2. ^ "Tears and fears for the man planning Paris Olympics show". France 24. January 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Thomas Jolly, the master of ceremonies - France Jeux, 22 September 2022
  4. ^ Thomas Jolly, the Peter Pan of theater turned head of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony - Le Monde, 27 July 2024
  5. ^ a b "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.fr (in French). 2022-01-15. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  6. ^ "Thomas Jolly. Lumineuse apparition", Libération, December 3, 2014.
  7. ^ "ACTEA de La Cité Théâtre"
  8. ^ "Thomas Jolly", Théâtre contemporain.net, March 17, 2014.
  9. ^ "Thomas Jolly", Théâtre National de Strasbourg, accessed May 28, 2019.
  10. ^ Thomas Jolly Director Biography - Opera National de Paris, retrieved 27 July 2024
  11. ^ Thomas Jolly Is Masterminding The Most Complex Olympics Opening Ceremony Of All Time - Vogue, 4 June 2024
  12. ^ "La cérémonie d'ouverture des JO encensée par (presque toute) la presse internationale". Le HuffPost (in French). 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  13. ^ "Opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics: the (expected) moment of glory for Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the event".
  14. ^ Grohmann, Karolos (28 July 2024). "Olympic ceremony's 'Last Supper' sketch never meant to disrespect, says Paris 2024". Reuters. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  15. ^ McKern, James (2024-07-27). "Aussie legend slams 'demonic' detail in opening ceremony that upsets billions". News.com.au.
  16. ^ Wilde, Gabrielle (2024-07-28). "'I'm a Muslim and I am offended!' Debate gets HEATED after Olympics reimagine The Last Supper as DRAG - 'This is an insult to THREE religions'". GBNews. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Upset bishops and mixed reviews for Paris Olympics ceremony". AFP. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-28 – via France24.
  18. ^ Smith, Alexanderr; Burke, Minyvonne (2024-07-27). "Drag performance resembling Last Supper at Olympic opening ceremony rankles conservatives". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  19. ^ "Drag queen parody of 'The Last Supper' sparks fury at Olympics opening ceremony". TVP World. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  20. ^ Srivastava, Aditi (2024-07-27). "Paris Olympics faces outrage over 'hyper-sexualised and blasphemous' drag act with child". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  21. ^ "Upset bishops and mixed reviews for Paris Olympics ceremony". AFP. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-28 – via France24.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ Bolton, Will (2024-07-28). "Olympic bosses apologise for 'sleazy' drag queen Last Supper parody". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  24. ^ "Henry VI", carnages au bout de la nuit / Libération, July 22, 2014
  25. ^ Richard III, une pièce très Jolly / Le Figaro, January 6, 2016
  26. ^ [1]
  27. ^ Thomas Jolly: "Je n’ai rien trouvé de mieux que l’artisanal" / Le Temps, November 2, 2017
  28. ^ "Thyeste, Avignon 2018"
  29. ^ "Thomas Jolly pousse les feux de "La Nuit"", Les Échos, July 20, 2020
  30. ^ "At the Avignon Festival, Thomas Jolly Takes the Court", L'Express, July 4, 2018
  31. ^ "Mithridate: Racine in a Funeral Opera", Les Échos, February 21, 2021
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