What makes a live performance so magical? Surely, it's the fact that, for the duration of a show, you witness a world where everything seems perfectly calibrated, without any visible human intervention. This is the challenge Jean-Luc Thorant sets for himself before each performance. Technical director of the Grand Théâtre de Provence, Thorant, who honed his skills at the MC2 in Grenoble, has been managing all the technical aspects of the 1,388-seat Aix-en-Provence theater for the past eight years: "I work on the stage design before the performance: I prepare the cost estimates, identify the necessary equipment, and work as much as possible with the equipment already available internally, whether it's the stage, the lighting, or the sound." He then coordinates all these elements with the dozen or so technicians who work with him before handing it over to the production team, which then takes charge of the show's planning and the other technical aspects required by the project. Equally at ease behind the spotlights as on stage, this culture enthusiast has witnessed legends perform before his very eyes: “I spent a long time in stage control, a position I particularly loved because it involves a very direct relationship with the artists, right next to the stage, and naturally creates connections. This relationship is very different from the one you have from a sound or lighting control booth, usually located at the back of the auditorium, with a certain distance.” He worked alongside exceptional theater actors such as Jean Marais, Michèle Morgan, and Michel Bouquet: “an entire generation of actors who have since passed away, but whose presence on stage remains profoundly impactful.”