Sorbonne
Bringing culture to life
at the university, from within.
At Sorbonne Université's Cultural Affairs Office, I was at the heart of organizing the university's cultural events. A do-it-all role, from programming to stage management, from the poster to opening night.
- Programming
- Reaching out to artists, student organizations and speakers.
- Coordination
- Schedules, vendors, technical crews and venues.
- Communication
- Website, social media and posters across campus.
- Art direction
- Posters and visual identity for the events.
- Stage management
- Setup, run of show and front of house, backstage.
- Management and partnerships
- Budget, equipment, partners and sponsors.
Under
Sorbonne
An open stage for students,
born from a New York memory.
New York, the East Village. For several months, I lived on St. Marks Place, right above a small theater.
One night, out of curiosity, I walked down the steps into Under St. Marks. A basement room, a few rows of red seats, a stage almost close enough to touch. It felt like someone's living room.
The concept was simple: grab a ticket, get up on stage, do whatever you want. Then sit back down and listen to whoever's next. Nobody judges, because everyone gets their turn.
I came home with that room in my head. At first I dreamed of opening my own, somewhere around Paris. Then the Sorbonne opened its doors to me, and I knew that was where it had to be born.
I called it Under Sorbonne.
Under Sorbonne was my very first event, and I ran it start to finish over several months: the concept, the art direction, the partners, the team, the stage. With a major partner on board: Bio c'Bon, the French organic grocery chain, which trusted a student stage and provided the products for the night. An open stage where students gained confidence by sharing their art.
- Conceivethe concept and the full art direction of the evening.
- Negotiatea partnership with Bio c'Bon, who trusted us, and a rate with a decor vendor.
- Managea team of students on design, communication and posters.
- Selectthe performers by video audition: 20 applications, 15 chosen.
- Set upreceive the equipment, build the stage, plan the running order.
- Openthe night on the mic, then hand the stage to the students, and sing there myself too.
The big nights
Choir and orchestra concerts in the Grand Amphitheater, the Prix Moustaki music award, the FGO-Barbara contest, theater companies hosted at the Sorbonne. On every evening, I was involved from preparation to the final curtain call.
- Bookthe artists and organize their visit, from dressing rooms to catering.
- Promoteannouncements, social media, posters across campus.
- Coordinateschedules, technical crews and venues, so everything was ready on time.
- Stage-managesetup, run of show and technical side, backstage.
- Welcomeartists and audience, ticketing included.
The film club
Together with a colleague from the Cultural Affairs Office, I landed a partnership with Les 3 Luxembourg, a cinema just steps from the Sorbonne. The idea: every month, a theme, a film and a student organization in the spotlight. The Sorbonne has dozens of them; we chose the ones whose causes mattered to us. They presented their organization and theme for half an hour before the screening, then the discussion with the audience picked up again after the film. It was their night.
- Landthe partnership with the cinema, as a duo.
- Choosethe themes, the films and the organizations to spotlight.
- Promotewebsite, social media, posters all over the Sorbonne: every screening became their moment.
- Decoratethe theater and the lobby, down to cobwebs on the seats for Halloween.
- Openthe theater to students, at a discounted rate.
