Olympics ceremonies director, who is queer, says he wants ‘everyone to feel represented’

The finishing touches are being put to the spectacular showpiece opening and closing ceremonies that will bookend the Olympic Games in Paris.

Both are being overseen by one of France’s leading directors, Thomas Jolly, who has explored LGBTQ themes in his theatre work and who lives with his boyfriend, also named Thomas.

Jolly spoke of his partner in a recent feature interview for Vogue Magazine that provides background around what to expect from the parade extravaganza that will be held on the River Seine on the evening of Friday, July 26.

In the last week, Paris 2024 organizers have also announced details of the closing ceremony. Titled “Records,” the all-new show created by Jolly will be staged at the Stade de France on Sunday, August 11. Rumors are growing that Lady Gaga could even be among the artists playing a part in that production.

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Jolly, 42, has been working on the ceremonies for the last 18 months. He grew up near Rouen in northern France before studying at the National Theater of Brittany in Rennes. Vogue writer Gaby Wood explains that when he was young, he would imagine himself in roles such as Cleopatra, while his grandmother made him “costumes fit for a sultan’s disco”.

Having been bullied while at secondary school, he rediscovered his youthful freedom on the stage. He set up his own theatre company in 2006 and his reputation quickly grew with acclaimed productions at major festivals.

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Later, for the Paris Opera House, Jolly re-imagined an operatic adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” that included waacking — a street dance that originated in Los Angeles gay clubs in the 1970s.

Meanwhile, his touring production of the rock opera musical “Starmania” explored gender themes. He told Le Nouvel Obs: “We want debate rather than argument, curiosity rather than rejection. Caring for others, rather than fear… that’s what shows are for.”

The Paris 2024 shows are closely-guarded secrets but will be “a celebration of being alive and of living together,” Jolly tells Vogue. For the opening ceremony, he says the Seine itself is a central character — “a female force of resistance” — which holds great symbolism.

Meanwhile, every effort is being made to clean up the water, which officials said Friday had met swimming standards in 11 of the previous 12 days.

Around 200 boats will form a flotilla making a six-kilometer journey along the river from east to west, with more than 300,000 people watching from embankments. Jolly admits it may be “a little chaotic” but the measure of success, he insists, is “if everyone feels represented in it.”

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The pressure is immense, and he explains to Vogue that he seeks to unwind from the “10,000 things” that worry him by playing video games.

Wood writes: “He shares this passion with his partner, also called Thomas (“We’re Thomas squared,” he jokes), whom he met during an interval at the theatre. The other Thomas offers some respite to the austerity, though Jolly admits that he’s pretty annoying to live with at the moment.”

While contemplating pollution, security and other myriad problems, the director has also been rehearsing “Records” which will showcase the talents of more than 100 dancers, acrobats and performers. The costume designer is Switzerland’s Kevin Germanier, who WWD reports is known for his “colorful beaded creations [which have] caught the eye of Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and a lineup of K-pop stars.”

Choreographer Kevin Vives is also on Jolly’s team and has previously worked with Gaga, whose legions of “Little Monsters” are understandably getting excited at the prospect of her performing at the closing ceremony, with a new official teaser trailer and Jolly’s Instagram follows being heavily scrutinized by fans. 

The director says the two-hour production will be “a very visual, choreographic, acrobatic show with an operatic dimension to give a great visual fresco and say goodbye to athletes from all over the world.”

Without doubt, Jolly is among the most influential figures of Paris 2024, with a projected global audience of 3 billion set to watch the ceremonies he has created. 

His back catalogue of works and stated commitment to reflecting representation at the Olympics can only bode well for LGBTQ communities in France and further afield, hoping to see themselves reflected in the grandest of modern spectacles. 

That’s been on his mind too, right from the beginning.

“Let’s not forget that not all French people will be in Paris in July 2024,” Jolly told Le Monde, when he was confirmed in the role of artistic director. “Everyone has the right to access culture, wherever they are.”

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