Thomas Jolly (born 1 February 1982) is a French actor and artistic director of La Piccola Familia, a theatre company that he founded in Rouen in 2006. Jolly's early life in Normandy was marked by a strong interest in theater, performing from a young age in his hometown of La Rue-Saint-Pierre. He began acting in 1993 and joined the children's theatre company, Théâtre d'enfants, in Rouen. He later studied theatre at the University of Caen and the National School of the Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes, where he directed his first play, Jean-Luc Lagarce's "Photography". In 2006, Jolly established La Piccola Familia. He directed the national drama center Le Quai d'Angers from January 1, 2020, until November 2022. He was the artistic director of the

opening Opening may refer to: Types of openings * Hole * A title sequence or opening credits * Grand opening of a business or other institution * Inauguration * Keynote * Opening sentence * Opening sequence * Opening statement, a beginning statemen ...

and

closing Closing may refer to: Business and law * Closing (law), a closing argument, a summation * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction * Closing (sales), the process of making a sale * Closing a business, the proc ...

ceremonies for the

2024 Summer Olympic Games The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

and also the

and

ceremonies for the

2024 Summer Paralympic Games The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international multi-sport parasports event governed by the International Paralympic Committee ...

in Paris, the former of which was criticized by Christian denominations and socially conservative politicians.

Early life and schooling

Jolly grew up near

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

, in Normandy, France, he is the son of a printer and a nurse.Thomas Jolly, the master of ceremonies
- France Jeux, 22 September 2022 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 Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inf� ...

. 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 ''Asterix and Cleopatra'' (') is a French comic book story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the sixth story in the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote ...

. He spent holidays at his grandparents' house near Saint-Martin-du-Vivier. His grandfather gave

catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...

classes to children in their house. Although Jolly did not receive a

religious education In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion (although in the United Kingdom the term ''religious instruction'' would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with ''religious education'' referring to t ...

, he would listen from the next room without fully understanding. His grandmother, a former nurse, left a lasting impression on him because of her elegant manner and whimsical style of clothing. 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. Starting in 1999, alongside pursuing a degree in theatre studies at the

University of Caen The University of Caen Normandy (French: ''Université de Caen Normandie''), also known as Unicaen, is a public university in Caen, France. History The institution was founded in 1432 by John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, the first rector ...

, 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 Olivier is the French form of the given name Oliver. It may refer to: * Olivier (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Olivier (surname), a list of people * Château Olivier, a Bordeaux winery *Olivier, Louisiana, a rural popula ...

. In 2003, he entered the National School of the Théâtre National de Bretagne in

Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

, led by

Stanislas Nordey Stanislas Nordey (born 1966) is a French actor and theatre director. He is the son of actress Véronique Nordey and film director Jean-Pierre Mocky. Biography Nordey was born in Paris. After his studies at the Conservatoire national supérieur ...

. 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.

Career

After completing his studies he formed his own company, La Piccola Familia.Thomas Jolly Director Biography
- Opera National de Paris, retrieved 27 July 2024 He directed an 18-hour production of Shakespeare's ''Henry VI'' trilogy at the Festival d'Avignon in 2014. In 2018, he was invited to open the festival with a production of Seneca's ''Thyeste''. In January 2020, he was named director of the national theatre of the city of Angers (Le Quai). In 2022 he presented ''Henry VI'' and ''Richard III'' as a 24-hour marathon entitled ''H6R3.'' He directed the revival of cult musical Starmania which debuted in 2022. By 2024; the critically-acclaimed production had attracted over a million French and Francophone viewers.

2024 Summer Olympics

In September 2022, Jolly was appointed artistic director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

in collaboration with Thierry Reboul.

Tony Estanguet Tony Estanguet (; born 6 May 1978 in Pau) is a French slalom canoeist and a three-time Olympic champion in C1 (canoe single). He competed at the international level from 1994 to 2012. He successfully led Paris's bid for the 2024 Summer Olymp ...

, president of Paris 2024, stated that Jolly was "a bold choice, consistent with our vision". 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." Tasked with telling the story of culture, people, and history of France, Jolly used the cityscape as his setting. He stated before the ceremony that "France is a story that never stops being constructed, deconstructed, and reconstructed. It’s alive, it remains alive." While opening ceremonies have typically taken place in a stadium, the 2024 ceremony followed 6 km of the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

. A flotilla of 85 boats carried athletes down the river as artistic performances were interspersed through twelve acts. The four-hour ceremony began with

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

singing at

Île Saint-Louis Île Saint-Louis (), in size, is one of two natural islands in the Seine river, in Paris, France (the other natural island is the Île de la Cité, where Notre-Dame de Paris is located). Île Saint-Louis is connected to the rest of Paris by fo ...

, passing by landmarks such as

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

Conciergerie The Conciergerie () () is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which also included ...

, and the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, and concluded with

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...

singing ''

Hymne à l'amour "" (); French for "Hymn to Love") is a 1949 French song with lyrics by Édith Piaf and music by Marguerite Monnot. It was first sung by Piaf that year and recorded by her in 1950 for Columbia Records, Columbia records. Piaf sang it in the 1951 ...

'' from the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

. The show had strong themes of diversity and

LGBTQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...

rights; Jolly himself is gay and was bullied as a child for supposedly being effeminate. The "Festivité" segment of the ceremony contained a scene of

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

s arranged in a row along a catwalk. A statement from Paris 2024 said that it was inspired by

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

's fresco ''

The Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, '' The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic, 700 x 880 cm (22.9 x 28.8 ...

'', which depicts

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

and the

Twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...

, while Jolly held it to represent "a

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

feast linked to the

gods of Olympus upright=1.8, Fragment of a relief (1st century BC1st century AD) depicting the twelve Olympians carrying their attributes in procession; from left to right: Hestia (scepter), Hermes (winged cap and staff), Aphrodite (veiled), Ares (helmet and s ...

". As such, it was criticised by socially conservative politicians and Christians as

blasphemous Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

. 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." The next day, on

BFM TV BFM TV (, stylized as BFMTV) is a French news broadcast television and radio network, wholly owned by RMC BFM. The flagship property of the RMC BFM division of CMA CGM, its headquarters are located in Paris. As the country's most-watched new ...

, he denied having been inspired by ''The Last Supper''. On 28 July, organisers issued an apology for the performance, stating that "there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group". French president

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

praised the "audacity" of Jolly's work and stated "the French and the whole world were very proud of this opening ceremony, it made us very proud."

Harassment and threats

Following a complaint by Jolly, French prosecutors started an official investigation into death threats and cyber-harassment directed at him. Jolly reported receiving threatening and abusive messages on social media. This probe, overseen by the French judiciary’s online hate division, may lead to charges such as defamation, public abuse, and threats based on origin and sexual orientation. Jolly reported that the threats he received included comments about his supposed Jewish heritage and sexual orientation. Although Jolly is gay, he is not Jewish and has no immediate ties to Israel. Reports from French media indicated that a considerable portion of the abusive messages were in English and seemed to originate from the United States. The Paris 2024 organizing committee strongly condemned the threats and harassment against Jolly and other artists involved in the opening ceremony, expressing their full support.

Theatre

Director

* 2006: ''Harlequin, refined by love, Arlequin poli par l'amour'' by

Marivaux Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (; ; 4 February 1688 – 12 February 1763), commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French playwright and novelist. Marivaux is considered one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century, w ...

* 2008: ''

Toâ ''Toâ'' is a 1949 French comedy film directed by Sacha Guitry and starring Guitry, Lana Marconi and Mireille Perrey. It is an adaptation of Guitry's own play of the same title.Goble p.199 Location shooting took place around the Théâtre du Gy ...

'' by

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre (aesthetic), boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac ...

* 2010: ''A Night at the Ravalets'' * 2010: ''Pool (No Water)'' by

Mark Ravenhill Mark Ravenhill (born 7 June 1966) is an English playwright, actor and journalist. Ravenhill is one of the most widely performed playwrights in British theatre of the late-twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His major plays include '' Shoppi ...

* 2011: ''Harlequin, refined by love'' by Marivaux (recreation) * 2012: '' Henri VI'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

(first cycle) * 2012: ''We Are Still So Young in Crime'' * 2013: ''Box Office'' by Damien Gabriac * 2014: ''Henry VI'' by William Shakespeare (second cycle) * 2015: ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'' by William Shakespeare * 2016: ''Le Radeau de la Méduse'' by

Georg Kaiser Friedrich Carl Georg Kaiser, called Georg Kaiser, (25 November 1878 – 4 June 1945) was a German dramatist. Biography Kaiser was born in Magdeburg. He was highly prolific and wrote in a number of different styles. An Expressionist dramatist, ...

* 2016: ''The Sky, the Night and the Glorious Stone'', Chronicles of the Avignon Festival from 1947 to... 2086, Jardin Ceccano,

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

* 2016: ''

Eliogabalo ''Eliogabalo'' (''Heliogabalus'') is an opera by the Italian composer Francesco Cavalli based on the reign and assassination of the debauched teenage Roman emperor Heliogabalus. The author of the original libretto remained anonymous, but it was ...

'' by

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverdi as the dominant and leading op ...

at the

Opéra Garnier The (, Garnier Palace), also known as (, Garnier Opera), is a historic 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at ...

* 2017: '' Fantasio'' by

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ''The Tales of Hoffmann''. He was a p ...

at the

Opéra Comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

* 2018: ''A Garden of Silence'', a musical show by L. (Raphaële Lannadère) in Vannes * 2018: '' Thyeste'' by

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People, fictional characters and language * Seneca (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname : :* Seneca the Elder (c. 54 BC – c. AD 39), a Roman rhetorician, writer and father ...

, Cour d'honneur du Palais des papes,

Festival d'Avignon The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival (), is an annual arts festival held in the France, French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by ...

* 2019: ''Macbeth Underworld'', music by

Pascal Dusapin Pascal Georges Dusapin (born 29 May 1955) is a French composer. His music is marked by its microtonality, tension, and energy. A pupil of Iannis Xenakis and Franco Donatoni and an admirer of Varèse, Dusapin studied at the University of Pari ...

La Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (, ; , ; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National Opera of Belgium, a federal institution, takes the name of this theatre in which it is ho ...

, Brussels * 2020: ''The Night of Madame Lucienne'' by

Copi COPI is a coatomer, a protein complex that coats vesicle (biology), vesicles transporting proteins from the ''cis'' end of the Golgi complex back to the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where they were originally Translation (genetics), synthesi ...

, Le Quai CDN of Angers * 2022: ''The Dragon'' by Evgueni Schwartz, Le Quai CDN of Angers * 2022: '' Starmania'' by

Michel Berger Michel Jean Hamburger (28 November 1947 – 2 August 1992), known professionally as Michel Berger, was a French singer and songwriter. He was a figure of France's pop music scene for two decades as a singer. As a songwriter he wrote for artists ...

and

Luc Plamondon Luc Plamondon (born March 2, 1942) is a French Canadians, French-Canadian lyricist and music executive. His work includes the musicals Starmania (musical), ''Starmania'' and Notre-Dame de Paris (musical), ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He is the brot ...

* 2023: ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' by

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

Opéra Bastille The Opéra Bastille (, "Bastille Opera House") is a modern opera house in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. Inaugurated in 1989 as part of President François Mitterrand's '' Grands Travaux'', it became the main facility of the Paris N ...

, Paris * 2024:

Opening Opening may refer to: Types of openings * Hole * A title sequence or opening credits * Grand opening of a business or other institution * Inauguration * Keynote * Opening sentence * Opening sequence * Opening statement, a beginning statemen ...

and

ceremonies of the

* 2024:

and

ceremonies of the

2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event governed by the International P ...

Actor

* 2005: ''Splendid's'' by

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

, directed by Cédric Gourmelon * 2006: ''Peanuts'' and ''Genoa 01'' by

Fausto Paravidino Fausto Paravidino (born 15 June 1976) is an Italian dramatist, director, actor and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Genoa, Paravidino spent his childhood in Rocca Grimalda, Alessandria. He started his professional career on stage at ver ...

, directed by

* 2007: ''Arlequin poli par l'amour'' by

: Harlequin * 2008: ''

'' by

* 2010: ''Piscine (pas d'eau)'' by

* 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: ''

'' 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

, Cour d'honneur du Palais des papes,

: Atreus * 2018: ''A Garden of Silence'', a musical show by L. (Raphaële Lannadère) * 2019: ''Le Chandelier'' (The Candlestick) by

Alfred de Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

, directed by Bruno Bayeux: Fortunio * 2021: ''Mithridate'' by

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tr ...

, directed by

Éric Vigner Éric Vigner (born 27 October 1960, in Rennes, France) is a French stage director, actor and scenic designer. He directed the Centre Dramatique National Théâtre de Lorient (CDDB-Théâtre de Lorient) in Lorient, from 1996 to 2015. Early lif ...

: Xiphares"Mithridate: Racine in a Funeral Opera"
''Les Échos'', February 21, 2021

Awards

* 2015: Molière for "Best Director of a Public Theatre Play" for his production of

Henry VI (play) ''Henry VI'' is a series of three history plays by William Shakespeare, set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. '' Henry VI, Part 1'' deals with the loss of England's French territories and the political machinations leading up ...

* 2023: Molière for "Best Musical Show" and Molière for "Best Visual and Sound Creation" for his re-creation of

Starmania (musical) ''Starmania'' is a Canadian- French rock opera written in 1976 with music by Michel Berger and book and lyrics by Luc Plamondon. It debuted in 1978 with a studio recording of the songs, before premiering on stage in 1979. An English-language ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jolly, Thomas Living people 1982 births French artistic directors French opera directors French theatre directors Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres People from Rouen Hate speech Homophobia French gay actors