Our play “Delors in Our Hands, the Architect’s Torch” is now online!
On June 20, the young participants of the Academy celebrated the centenary of Jacques Delors’ birth with a vibrant tribute: the original creation “Delors in Our Hands, the Architect’s Torch”, performed in the Banque de France auditorium that bears his name. The play is now available in full on YouTube!
Imagined by the young people of the Académie Notre Europe and directed by Julien Avril, it embodies a unique project: bringing Jacques Delors’ ideas and commitment to life through the prism of theatre.
Photos © Leslie Rosenzweig
What is it about?
The play stages the intellectual and political legacy of Jacques Delors through the ideas, struggles, and hopes that shaped his vision of a united, solidarity-based, and forward-looking Europe.
Rather than a simple biographical account, it offers a journey into the heart of European integration, its key milestones, and the debates that continue to shape it today. Driven by intense dialogue and clashes of ideas, it bridges the challenges of yesterday with those of today, revealing the richness and complexity of the European horizon.
Watch the trailer !
How was it created, and by whom?
This theatrical work is the result of a collaborative effort between the young participants and alumni of the Académie Notre Europe, its teaching team, and director Julien Avril. From writing to performance, the team drew on Jacques Delors’ speeches, writings, and archives to create living material, embodied on stage.
The play is structured around four main scenes, each addressing a key theme of the European Union and Delors’ legacy (Erasmus, the euro, European power, and the future of the EU). These scenes are interspersed with interludes in which young people share what Europe means to them today, through their personal experiences or life paths.
The performance culminates in a powerful and symbolic finale: a collective rise on stage of young people taking the floor to express the vision of Europe they wish to build. A moment of hope and projection, where the past meets the future through their voices.
Over weeks of rehearsals, the young actors contributed to building a collective narrative, where theatre became a tool for transmission, interpretation, and engagement.
Experience shared: testimony
“Taking part in this play allowed me to learn a lot about Jacques Delors and his legacy. I discovered that he was behind many initiatives within the EU, such as the Erasmus programme, and that he played a key role in shaping the EU as we know it today. Theatre — and in particular embodying a character — really helped me to better understand his perspective. By immersing myself in his lines, I was able to go far beyond simple facts to grasp what motivated his decisions. Being immersed in the play allowed me to delve into the character’s thinking, to understand his choices and dilemmas, and to make part of his vision of the world — and of the EU — my own.”
— Marjorie Cioco
