My job is to give the whole show a reason, a theme and make sure that we stay focused on creating that, in terms of mood, sentiment, feeling, emotion — the overall vision, really. An average day for me is about creatively getting things on target, always thinking: does the piece look right? Does it visually look great? Is it going to have the impact we want? Is it going to be exciting in terms of music and culture?
As well as it first and foremost being the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games, this event will also be the closing of the entire London Games and, for many people, a culmination of a series of events they have been working on for seven years. Festival of the Flame was the strapline I came up with for the Paralympics Closing Ceremony. I don't want to give away too much, but the idea is that we're trying to create a festival atmosphere in the stadium, a real raw flavour, almost as though it looks like something organic.
We're thrilled to have Coldplay be a part of the event. They're one of the biggest acts around at the moment and their style of music has that real festival, raw guitar band feeling. I was sitting on a train last year and listening to my iPod and every Coldplay track I listened to just seemed to fit the vision that we had in mind. In the last couple of years awareness of the Paralympic Games has really taken off and the Closing Ceremony is hopefully another chance to raise its profile.
The night beforehand I think I'm going to feel nervous. Even though rehearsals take that anxiety away, you never know what might happen — it'll be a mix of confidence, anxiety and nerves all at once. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I have
to pinch myself when I remember I'm working
on producing this wonderful one-off event that probably won't come to London again in my lifetime. It's a real honour.
Interview: Ianthe Butt
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