Thomas Jolly

19 July 2024 – Thomas Jolly, Artistic Director for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, is embracing the opportunities, and challenges, that come from opening the Games in the heart of the city.

How does the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony fit with Paris 2024’s overall ambition and how will it make history?

“The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be different from the previous ones because of its unusual setting: for the first time ever, it will not take place inside a stadium. The Seine, the vibrant emblem of Paris, will be the setting for this celebration, offering the chance to host people in the heart of the city, in an unprecedented mixture of team parade and artistic moments. Holding it outside and breaking with the traditional structure of past ceremonies fit in with the overall desire of the Paris 2024 organisers to make the Games open to everyone. Because it features so many firsts, I hope it will go down in history.”

What is the main message you want to get across?

“First of all, I’d like to show France in all its diversity. Illustrate the richness and plurality shaped by its history, which has been influenced and inspired by the diverse cultures that have passed through it, while itself serving as a source of inspiration. The Opening Ceremony is also a snapshot of the world on a specific day: 26 July 2024.”

“So I want this to be an opportunity for us to look at each other and celebrate our shared humanity, while taking into account the issues we currently have to face.”

 – Artistic Director for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024

What is the biggest challenge you face as Artistic Director?

“It’s an incredible artistic challenge! I’m lucky to have the most magnificent setting, with the Seine that occupies a unique position in the history of Paris and, more broadly, of France. But I have to deal with the current of the river, protect the heritage, check the resonance of the bridges, adjust the scenario that we have created to the reality of the river and stick to the budget; but also be careful of the fish spawning and deal with the sunlight, my main light source, which is ironic for someone used to the darkness of theatres and opera houses. Every day I face the challenge of multiple technical constraints, but what show doesn’t have those? Creating a show is about matching dreams and reality. In less pragmatic terms, my main challenge is living up to the event itself – and celebrating the return of the Olympic Games to Paris after a century-long wait.”

Published in the Olympic Review 122