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FRENCH REVOLUTION A


Spectaculars, action and drama involving 3,200 volunteers are French theme park Puy du Fou’s pièce de résistance. BRC’s Bart Dohmen describes the THEA award winning attraction


bout three years ago a friend of mine revealed something he called “a hidden secret” of the themed entertain- ment industry. He told


me that somewhere down in the Vendée, a remote area in south-west France, you could find a theme park with incredible live shows, far beyond anything ever seen in the best theme parks around the world. I was very skeptical. My first thought was,


“Yeah, right – amazing entertainment in the middle of nowhere that I’ve never heard of? Sorry.” My friend insisted I at least check the website: www.puydufou.com. I did, and my skepticism turned to curiosity. A park that featured only theatrical spectaculars? An evening show starring 3,200 people? Who were all volunteers?


It still took me two years to make time to


go there. When I did, I had one question – why didn’t I go two years earlier? I’ve seen almost all the biggest shows in all the big- gest parks in the United States, Asia and Europe. I’ve seen Waterworld at Universal, and the Moteurs!…action stunt show in Disney Paris. Puy du Fou beats them all.


SHOW STARTER Our story begins in 1978, when Philippe de Velliers discovered the ruins of an old Renaissance castle called Puy de Fou. Visionary that he was, he knew immedi-


ately that he could create his dream on this site – a large, open-air spectacle telling the story of all the epic battles that took place in this region. He wrote a script and started the l’Association du Puy du Fou, an associ- ation of 600 volunteers. He staged his first


show the same year. As the audience grew, the numbers and size of the shows grew, and so did the number of volunteers, evolv- ing toward its present number of 3,200. These volunteers come from everywhere


in France. Complete families, including children, dedicate their summer vacation weekends to appearing in the Cinéscénie – as the large show is now called. There are 28 shows a year and volunteers must com- mit to doing a minimum of 15 shows a year. French law only allows 28 shows per-


formed by volunteers per year. This is a big reason why a theme park using pro- fessional actors was built adjacent to the castle. In 1989, The Grand Park of Puy du Fou opened to the public. The entrance is a simple ticketing gate


that doesn’t in any way indicate what magnificent spectacles are inside. Every


Cinéscénie is the park’s biggest show. Lasting an hour and a half and held in the evening, it involves hundreds of actors, animals and special effects


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