Profiles

Interview recorded in 2006 by BBC Radio Nottingham's Alan Clifford.

The true story of Philippe Petit's high wire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in 1974 is being told on stage at the Nottingham Playhouse in June and July. He's been telling us all about his life and the latest adventure.

Since the age of 17 Petit had been, in his own words, a 'wandering troubador', making a living by doing magic in the salons of Paris. Notre Dame became the site of Petit's first illegal wire-walk, on 6 June 1971.

On the 7 August 1974 Philippe Petit committed 'the artistic crime of the century' when he put a rope between the towers of the World Trade Centre in New York and spent nearly an hour walking back and forth across it, pausing to kneel and lie down on the wire.

He brought much of Manhattan, a quarter of a mile below him, to a standstill, and succeeded in pushing Richard Nixon's resignation off the front pages of the newspapers the following day.

Philippe Petit

Since walking between the twin towers Petit has done wire-walks all over the world including Tokyo and Jerusalem. He has, uniquely, devised plays to be performed on the high wire and has also become artist in residence at the cathedral of St John the Divine in New York, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world.

The start

"I learned by myself at the age of 16 the high wire. My first walk illegally at 20 years old was between the towers of Notre Dame. Almost immediately after that, without warning, came the highest towers in the world. It was at the beginning of my professional life not at the end as it should have been.

"I, like everybody else, have a certain fear of heights and I have to be very careful when I am in the clouds but it is also what I love, it is my domain, so when you love something you don't have fear.

The crime

"I spent six and a half years of my life hypnotised by the idea - how to bring a ton of equipment in secret in the towers, rig at night without being caught and, of course small detail, walk on it.

"I spent eight months - day and night - disguising myself, sneaking in the towers. I did all kinds of measurements, photography, hiding, bringing equipment...

"It was an artistic crime, a moment of beauty.

"I am the poet of the high wire - I never do stunts I do theatrical performances.

The play

"I wanted all my life to give my world into other arts - books, plays, movies - but I didn't want to sell out. I wanted to keep it close to me and I wanted to collaborate and that is exactly what is happening with the Nottingham Playhouse.

"I wanted to be part of an artistic process. I have collaborated throughout the year with Giles Croft the director and Nick Drake the writer. Today I have had sessions with the entire cast. Today I had the strange pleasure of shaking hands with myself, the actor playing me.

"I had my doubts at the beginning. How could you put the twin towers on stage? But anyway I believe it is going to be fascinating and wonderful. There are some magnificent ideas of design by Mark Bailey. It's not going to be dull."