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Thomas Jolly
Thomas Jolly in 2019
Born	(1982-02-01) February 1, 1982 (age 42) Rouen, France
Occupation(s)	Actor, artistic director
Years active	2006–present
Known for	Founder of La Piccola Familia, Artistic director of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games ceremonies
Notable work	H6R3

Thomas Jolly (born 1 February 1982 in Rouen) ^[1] 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. ^{[2] [3]}

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

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. ^[6] 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. ^[6]

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 with her elegant and whimsical style, always adorned with scarves, jewelry, hats, gloves, and vibrant colors. ^[6]

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. ^[7]

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. ^[8] In 2003, he entered the National School of the Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes, led by Stanislas Nordey. ^{[9] [10]} 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. ^[6] After completing his studies he formed his own company, La Piccola Familia. ^[11] In 2022 he created an 24 hour long play based on Shakespeare's Henry VI trilogy and Richard III entitled H6R3. ^[12]

In September 2022, Jolly was appointed artistic director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in collaboration with Thierry Reboul. According to Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, Thomas Jolly was "a bold choice, consistent with our vision". ^[13] 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". ^[14]

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". ^[15] 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, Christians, ^[16] and Muslims ^[17] as blasphemous. ^{[18] [19]} The presence of a child in the scene also drew criticism. ^{[20] [21]}

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". ^[22] The next day, on BFM TV, he denied having been inspired by The Last Supper. ^[23] On 28 July, organisers issued an apology for the performance, stating that "there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group". ^[24]

• 2006: Harlequin, refined by love|Arlequin poli par l'amour by Marivaux
• 2008: Toâ by Sacha Guitry
• 2010: A Night at the Ravalets
• 2010: Pool (No Water) by Mark Ravenhill
• 2011: Harlequin, refined by love by Marivaux (recreation)
• 2012: Henri VI by William Shakespeare (first cycle)
• 2012: We Are Still So Young in Crime
• 2013: Box Office by Damien Gabriac
• 2014: Henry VI by William Shakespeare (second cycle) ^[25]
• 2015: Richard III by William Shakespeare ^[26]
• 2016: Le Radeau de la Méduse by Georg Kaiser
• 2016: The Sky, the Night and the Glorious Stone, Chronicles of the Avignon Festival from 1947 to... 2086, Jardin Ceccano, Avignon ^[27]
• 2016: Eliogabalo by Francesco Cavalli at the Opéra Garnier
• 2017: Fantasio by Jacques Offenbach at the Opéra Comique ^[28]
• 2018: A Garden of Silence, a musical show by L. (Raphaële Lannadère) in Vannes
• 2018: Thyeste by Seneca, Cour d'honneur du Palais des papes, Festival d'Avignon ^[29]
• 2019: Macbeth Underworld, music by Pascal Dusapin, La Monnaie, Brussels
• 2020: The Night of Madame Lucienne by Copi, Le Quai CDN of Angers ^[30]
• 2022: The Dragon by Evgueni Schwartz, Le Quai CDN of Angers
• 2022: Starmania by Michel Berger and Luc Plamondon
• 2023: Romeo and Juliet by Charles Gounod, Opéra Bastille, Paris
• 2024: Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics
• 2024: Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Paralympics

• 2005: Splendid's by Jean Genet, directed by Cédric Gourmelon
• 2006: Peanuts and Genoa 01 by Fausto Paravidino, directed by Stanislas Nordey
• 2007: Arlequin poli par l'amour by Marivaux: Harlequin
• 2008: Toâ by Sacha Guitry
• 2010: Piscine (pas d'eau) by Mark Ravenhill
• 2011: The Race of Mars / The Feast of Death
• 2012: Henri VI by William Shakespeare (first cycle)
• 2013: The Contagion of Darkness / The Viper's Tooth
• 2013: The Purple of the Blood / The Winter of Discontent
• 2014: Henry VI by William Shakespeare (second cycle)
• 2015: Richard III by William Shakespeare: Richard III
• 2016: All the Children Want to Do Like the Grown-Ups by Laurent Cazanave
• 2016: The Sky, the Night and the Glorious Stone
• 2018: Thyeste by Seneca, Cour d'honneur du Palais des papes, Festival d'Avignon ^[31]: Atreus
• 2018: A Garden of Silence, a musical show by L. (Raphaële Lannadère)
• 2019: Le Chandelier (The Candlestick) by Alfred de Musset, directed by Bruno Bayeux: Fortunio
• 2021: Mithridate by Jean Racine, directed by Éric Vigner: Xiphares ^[32]