Where are you in the preparations for the opening ceremony?
The show is not being prepared in a place sealed off from the world, but in hangars the size of paintings inspired by the sites of Paris. We are currently receiving costumes and set elements. It is a joyful period of “coming out into reality”. We will be taking over the docks around mid-July. We will then rehearse in a fragmented manner to keep the surprise of the show intact.
Is this event a synthesis of your experience of theatre, opera and musical comedy?
I draw on my past experiences every day. I have experienced heavy projects like Henry VI And Richard IIIgathered for 24 hours of show. The opera taught me the coordination of all the trades. The Cour d’Honneur at the Avignon Festival also allowed me to confront a powerful natural element, like the mistral. In Paris, we have everything: the wind, the sun, the river… And I can’t imagine a plan B!
What will be the spirit of the ceremony?
It will be a procession, a “pompa” as they used to say in ancient Rome when the gods were brought to the stadium. I felt the need to return to the sources of the myths surrounding the Games. The Seine, in Latin Sequanagives us a first common thread. Sequana is a Gallic goddess who resists a god who oppresses her. For me, she embodies a form of struggle against power, particularly masculine. The other myth that interested me is that of Iphitos, king of Elis. In the 8th century BC, he is said to have consulted the Oracle to re-establish the Olympic Games that had fallen into disuse in order to put an end to the diseases and wars that were decimating the Greek world at the time.
Doesn’t the ancient Olympic “truce” resonate in a particular way in 2024?
There is in the very DNA of the Olympic Games this healing and peacemaking function. It is a salutary breath of fresh air in the times we are going through. Our illness today is not the plague, but division, extremes, identity withdrawal. War is at the gates of Europe. It is important to show that France was not built on these values.
What about environmental challenges when the festivities take place in a natural space?
We can no longer think of these kinds of global events as if nothing had happened. Paris 2024 has built its overall project on the use of existing resources, with few new constructions. For the ceremony, everything has been designed to protect the river. Nothing will fall into the Seine which could pollute and threaten natural habitats. Starting the ceremony at 7:30 p.m. will allow us to benefit from natural light for two hours, minimizing the use of lights. Paris will be dazzling at sunset. The best lighting designer will never do it more beautiful than that! Rather than giving up on large festive gatherings, I think we can continue to celebrate the values of sport together, while respecting the environment. On the evening of the ceremony, there will ultimately be fewer boats than on a normal evening in Paris!
The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place on Friday, July 26, from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., on a 6 km route along the banks of the Seine, from the Pont d’Austerlitz to the Pont d’Iéna.
18,000
That’s the number of people mobilized for the opening ceremony. 330,000 spectators are expected, as well as 2 billion television viewers.
“For me, as Thomas Jolly leads it, this opening ceremony has the potential to become the biggest event that the country has ever seen.” Thierry Reboul, executive director of ceremonies, La Provence, 04/21/24.