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00:00 It's a show he's been running since he was 15.
00:05 But as Paris gears up for the Olympics, 38-year-old puppet master Julian Sommer has no choice but
00:11 to put his work on hold.
00:13 Earlier this month, Sommer received a letter from the city hall telling him that his lease
00:17 agreements would be cancelled at the end of March due to construction work planned by
00:22 the Olympic Committee.
00:25 He now fears that he won't be able to reopen, even after the Games.
00:29 "I'd been preparing myself psychologically for a year or even two for the fact that during
00:35 the Olympic Games, things were going to get complicated.
00:38 And I knew kind of unconsciously that I was going to have to close down because it's such
00:42 a big event that, for safety reasons, I know it's not possible.
00:46 What I hadn't anticipated was the word 'termination'.
00:49 It's a bit hard to swallow, but there you go."
00:52 Sommer's puppet theatre is situated on Paris' Chambre de Mars, the site of the Eiffel Tower.
00:57 The location is now set to hold the Paris 2024 beach volleyball competition.
01:03 In preparation, several attractions, including a merry-go-round believed to be Paris' oldest,
01:08 have already gone.
01:10 "I think it's really early to close down the merry-go-round now and then the puppet theatre
01:15 in March.
01:16 For me, it's really part of the heritage of the neighbourhood."
01:19 "It's a shame.
01:20 It's a bit of an institution at the Chambre de Mars.
01:23 We're losing a bit of the area's culture.
01:25 We'd really like it to stay for our children so they can discover things that are a bit
01:29 different from what you can sometimes see on TV."
01:33 According to the Paris Mayor's office, Sommer's Theatre and other affected businesses could
01:38 receive compensation for the forced closures, and may be given access to other locations
01:43 during the games.
01:44 (speaking in foreign language)