Thomas Jolly

Thomas Jolly 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 and closing ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and also the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, the former of which was criticized by Christian denominations and socially conservative politicians.