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Chapter 1405: European Theatre Festival

Chapter 1405: European Theatre Festival

Joseph smiled and waved his hand. "I only put forward some 'simple' ideas. All the specific experiments were completed by Mr. Kullen and Mr. Volta. So, if the Supreme Louis Prize is awarded, the honor should rightly belong to them."

If he were interested in winning, then all Supreme Louis Prize awards might be monopolized by him for decades, but that would defeat the purpose of establishing the prize.

Upon hearing this, Kullen and Volta looked at the Crown Prince with immense gratitude. Immediately afterward, the latter sighed lightly and said:

"As for the Physics Prize, the Royal Laboratory alone has many strong contenders."

Kullen nodded. "Mr. Thomas Young demonstrated that light is a wave through his double-slit interference experiment.

"Mr. Benjamin Thompson's cannon boring experiment refuted the existence of caloric..."

Indeed, these names, so familiar to Joseph, had now come to France through the talent acquisition program.

Of course, part of the reason was Britain's continuously worsening economic situation, which led to fewer people willing to fund pure theoretical research.

As for America and the German region, a trend of 'coming to Paris to achieve scientific dreams' had emerged – many scientists who had previously struggled found resounding success after arriving in France, creating a significant ripple effect.

By the end of last year, nearly 60 villas in the Palace of Great Scholars—residences specifically prepared for high-level talents—had all been allocated, forcing the talent committee to purchase a large plot of land in the northern suburbs of Paris to construct new housing.

Queen Mary invited the two electrical masters for dessert, then happily spent 30,000 Francs to order 14 sets of electric bells for Versailles Palace, before personally escorting them from the Petit Trianon.

Immediately after, Joseph, under the bright sunlight, took his parents for a jog and began telling Queen Mary about the "European Theatre Festival" scheduled for two months later:

"Well, over 40 countries have already confirmed their participation, including even a troupe from the Ottoman Empire...

"The Tuileries Palace venue only needs a simple setup, mainly building a few stages. As you know, the Fashion Week guest rooms and facilities can still be used..."

Queen Mary, panting slightly, asked, "My dear, do you really need me to play a role?"

Joseph smiled and nodded. "The festival has such a huge impact precisely because people have heard you'll be performing personally. And the Royal Theatre troupe can't do without you."

This was also a grand event newly launched by Joseph to expand France's soft power.

The prize money for the top three places reached 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000 Francs, respectively. Additionally, there were numerous other awards such as "Best Screenplay," "Best Actor/Actress," "Best Supporting Actor/Actress," "Best Soundtrack," and "Best Set Design," all with generous prizes.

Furthermore, the Theatre Festival Committee would reimburse travel expenses and provide free food and lodging for all participants, which was certainly a significant investment.

Of course, large investments also yielded substantial returns.

Firstly, it would establish France's "core status" in European culture.

No matter what country your work came from, if you wanted to achieve fame and recognition, you had to make a trip to Paris.

Secondly, France would gain the authority to define culture through theatre—an area where France was already leading.

Although the theatre festival's judges hailed from many countries, the opinions of the French judges would undoubtedly be the most crucial. In other words, a play approved by the French judges would be recognized as an excellent play across Europe.

And those award-winning plays would undoubtedly be repeatedly performed in various countries, with their plots subtly influencing the populace.

This was also a common tactic employed by Hollywood in later generations.

When people saw plays where Frenchmen consistently saved the world, everyone would subconsciously form the idea that France was the savior.

Finally, no matter which country's theatre troupe came to Paris for the festival, the play would have to be performed in French, otherwise, tickets would likely not sell at all.

Not to mention, French judges would find it difficult to give high scores to plays in other languages.

This would further promote the widespread use of French.

Furthermore, Joseph estimated that while the expenses for hosting the theatre festival seemed substantial, at least half of it could be recouped from ticket revenue.

Adding in revenue from accommodation, dining, props, costumes, and product placements during the festival, the actual cost was estimated to be only a little over a hundred thousand Francs.

As the festival's influence expanded in the future, signing touring contracts with award-winning troupes might even turn a profit.

In truth, Queen Mary greatly enjoyed participating in theatrical performances—the Royal Theatre troupe at Versailles Palace was her personal creation, and she frequently appeared on stage in the court theatre.

She earnestly replied, "My dear, I think that story you told me before, 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' is absolutely brilliant.

"I plan to have Mr. Beaumarchais adapt it into a play; it's sure to captivate every audience..."

While Joseph and his mother discussed the theatre festival, matters concerning France were being debated in Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.

"...That's essentially the situation with the French House of Representatives elections." Cobentzel closed the document in his hand and inclined his head towards Franz II. "Your Majesty, relevant news has yet to reach Vienna, but I believe this matter will likely cause considerable unrest domestically."

The Holy Roman Emperor frowned deeply. "I truly don't understand what my dear cousin is thinking.

"France's political situation is so stable; there's absolutely no need for him to grant power to ordinary people!"

Indeed, in his view, implementing a bicameral system should only be a last resort when the situation was already uncontrollable, just as it had been in Britain back then.

However, he had no idea that profound changes like these were best implemented during times of national stability.

Otherwise, the result would not be an orderly reform, but a catastrophic clash leading to tearing apart and destruction!

Franz II then looked at the assembled ministers before him. "We must devise a strategy to respond before the impact fully manifests. What are your suggestions?"

Cobentzel spoke up. "Your Majesty, the works of Voltaire and Montesquieu are now circulating widely among the populace. Coupled with the current influence from Paris, perhaps you too should make some gesture to calm the people."

Franz II's face darkened. "Hmph! Are you suggesting we also establish some sort of House of Representatives?"

Cobentzel hastily replied, "What's called a 'parliament' or 'assembly' is merely a name; its actual powers can be entirely restricted to a very limited scope.

"As long as merchants and lawyers feel they have also gained something similar to what the French have, they won't cause trouble."