In Carentan-les-Marais, Normandy, a few kilometers from the beaches of the D-Day landings and Sainte Mère Eglise, discover a unique experience.
Thanks to the combination of the most immersive audiovisual technologies and the magic of live performance, enter the history of the Allied landings and the Battle of Normandy.
TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES aims to pass on and bring to life to as many as possible this piece of our common history with exactitude, sensitivity and precision; with a scrupulous concern for historical reality and an affirmed commitment to current historiography. This creation is a true world first.
THE PROJECT
In order to share and understand this moment in history, TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES is the first staged creation to use as many technical means of modern live performance combined with those of the audiovisual world.
TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES is a 1000-seat theater that moves along 400 meters. A theater lined with screens and lifelike acoustics, whose stage opens onto thirty or so “living tableaux” that allow spectators to embark on a journey to New York, to experience the Briti- sh training camps and disembark at the heart of the Battle of Normandy.
« More than ever, it is important to tell the story of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy to as many people as possible, and especially to young people, because the story of my brothers-in-arms of the “greatest generation” and their incredible impetus to liberate Europe in June 1944 must not be forgotten »
With these words, Charles Norman SHAY, who took part in the first wave of the assault on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, concluded his conversation with Serge DENONCOURT – charged with writing this TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES – on November 25, 2021. It is in order to meet this obligation of Charles Norman SHAY’s and so many others who have passed that TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES was created.
THE CREATORS
SERGE DENONCOURT
Serge DENONCOURT’s eclecticism is matched only by the extent of his talent. Over the years, he has directed nearly 150 productions on every continent. Theater, opera, pop concerts, musicals, and magic shows—he makes each universe his own and renews the genre. Serge DENONCOURT has directed shows from Arturo BRACHETTI to Eros RAMAZZOTTI, but also works with Cirque du Soleil artists for the Solström series. In 2004, he received the Masque—a prestigious award in Canada— for the public’s choice and the Masque for best production for Les Feluettes in Montreal. The show was then adapted into English in San Francisco, then into an opera version in 2017. His career accelerated. He directed Dialogues des Carmélites at the Opéra de Montréal and Believe at Cirque du Soleil, which ran for eight years in Las Vegas. But Serge is also a man committed to social causes: In 2017 he created the musical GRUBB in Belgrade, a humanitarian project resulting from the collaboration between young Roma and international artists. An initiative that led him in 2019 to write the libretto and direct the musical, Bernadette de Lourdes. In 2021, Serge Denoncourt staged the songs of Michel SARDOU, in Je vais t’aimer, a musical he wrote and directed.
STEPHANE ROY
A well-known set designer in the theater and dance worlds, Stéphane ROY also works as an art director for film. Among his set designs are Messi 10, Drawn to life, Varekai, Dralion, Zumanity, Zooza, Zarkana and Kurios, all with Cirque du Soleil. His work in the theater includes The Seagull, Uncle Vania, The Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet, The King is Dying and The Song of the Dire- Dire. In dance, he has worked with choreographers Gilles MAHEU and Édouard LOCK, which took him to the Paris Opera, Tokyo and Berlin. In film, he has been the artistic director of productions such as C’t’à ton tour Laura CADIEUX, Kayla and Le siège de l’âme. He worked on the musical Les 3 Mousquetaires presented in Paris in 2016 and is part of Cirque du Soleil’s creative team in charge of developing a number of productions outside circus tents. Stéphane also created the set designs for Bernadette de Lourdes and Je vais t’aimer with Serge DENONCOURT.
A NORMAN AMBITION
TRIBUTE TO HEROS is also a Norman ambition.
TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES proposes a new offer, complementary to the existing ones. A new experience, with the most demanding and incredible international standards, with the desire to boost interest in cultural heritage tourism in Normandy and to bring in new French and international audiences. Naturally this ambition is a long-term one positioning itself as a new economic player that will open opportunities to new professions and international markets, and be a partner in many of Normandy’s fields of excellence.
« With TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES, Normandy will continue to uphold its values of humanism, tolerance and peace, with the desire to keep alive the sacrifices and acts of bravery that marked these great pages of history. This ambitious project will also promote the attractiveness of our region, in close collaboration with all the heritage tourism sites, whose exemplary work I once again salute. »
ENVIRONMENT:
AVOID, REDUCE, OFFSET
From an environmental point of view, the necessary studies are carried out in order to define a project with the least impact, with a very high optimization of land occupation in particular so as to minimize the impact of the operation on the ground.
In terms of design, the principle of eco-design is applied to allow a project that respects the environment and current public policies. This is reflected in particular by the following design guidelines (frugal and sober, especially in terms of energy and technology):
- • to maintain hedges as much as possible, and to reproduce as many as possible
- • to intelligently manage water consumption
- • to limit and minimize the artificialization of soils
- • as much as possible, to opt for solutions using bio- sourced or local materials
- • to propose solutions which integrate renewable energies in the energy consumption of the operation
- • to limit the carbon footprint of the project both during the construction phase and its operation.
In this way, the project owner is part of an ethical approach within the framework of an environmental assessment, taking care to integrate all the impact resulting from the environmental diagnosis.
Crédit Agricole Normandie is a regional bank that has been rooted in its territory for more than a century. Its values of proximity, solidarity, responsibility and utility are deeply anchored in its DNA. Its strategic ambition, “Acting every day in the interests of our customers and society”, is the goal that guides Crédit Agricole Normandie day-to-day activities.
No one can imagine and build the future without knowing their past, without holding a piece of the memory of our com- mon heritage. “Our collective history has made Normandy a land of freedom. Eighty years after these events, with few survivors left, this cultural project aims to attract the younger generations and families to prevent them from forgetting, to bear witness and to pass on the memory,” says Olivier BOREL, President of the Regional Bank.
The work undertaken “allows us to transmit values of commitment, solidarity, mutual aid and courage, all of which correspond to Crédit Agricole Normandie’s ambition: “OSER L’AVENIR”, adds Pascal DELHEURE, General Manager. TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES is a place of remembrance. Its aim is to bring to life the day to day existence of all the “he- roes” who made the small and large history of this important episode. Finally, Crédit Agricole Normandie is proud to be associated to this innovative, original and immersive project; bringing a unique experience to the territory.
The Isigny Sainte-Mère cooperative, founded in 1909 in Normandy and bringing together 620 Normandy milk producers, is an emblematic partner. Indeed, this part of French history is intertwined with that of the Isigny Sainte-Mère Cooperative.
The history of the D-Day landings, but especially that of the Battle of Normandy, the high points of the feats of arms, the small and great victories, is the history of thousands of families. Today, generations of Isigny producers still tell stories that have had an impact on the farms in the area and on the economic and human activity of the Cooperative. Arnaud FOSSEY, President of the Isigny Sainte-Mère Dairy Cooperative, used to say “We all have stories to tell about the Battle of Normandy on our farms, and how our families lived through this period. Like so many others, my farm was the scene of many battles, it is part of its history.
Today, I continue to pass on these events to my friends and visitors. It is a collective mission that we must continue.” From that moment on, this naturally unifying partnership was an obvious choice. On the one hand, during the Occupation and the Battle of Normandy, the organization of the Normandy Cooperative Isigny Sainte-Mère was heavily impacted; on the other hand, the values of freedom, courage, humanity and commitment, conveyed by TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES are shared by the Cooperative and more than ever give meaning to everyone’s actions. For Daniel DELAHAYE, General Manager of the Isigny Sainte-Mère Cooperative, “This partnership is a unique opportunity to put these values and this reputation to good use in this ambitious project and to pass them on to future generations, so that we can all move forward together.
