An entire entertainment community has been in shock since Sunday December 22 and the announcement of the sudden death, on December 20, of Nicolas Espié, victim of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was one of the founders and pillar of the Grosso modo improvisation troupe. “It is with deep sadness that we announce the departure of Nicolas,” reacted his partner, Cynthia Espié on behalf of the family. “The spotlight goes out on him who always knew how to give his time, his attention and his love to each of us. His humor, his desire to make people laugh and his optimism were an incredible strength. » And to make a promise: “With his three pearls, Juliette, Paola and Lylia, we will bring to life his legacy which was to love and make the impossible possible. »
This disappearance, without warning, caused a trauma which goes far beyond the family circle and the small world of improv in the department since he also refereed matches with teams from the region (Savoie, Drôme) but also at abroad, in Belgium or Morocco in particular.
Xavier Mordefroid and his wife Magali are having trouble getting over it. “He is one of the founding members of the troupe but he also provided workshops for young people and beginners. He formed an explosive duo of referees with his daughter Paola. He worked at Greta where he gave theater classes as well as at Aspres-sur-Buëch. He had lots of creative projects in mind with many partners. »
The announcement also shocked Martin Pons, the boss of The Hive the restaurant-cabaret where Nicolas Espié organized Thursdays and 24 hours of improvisation. “I did improv ten years ago with him. He asked me when I opened the establishment and my daughter Léana takes part in the children's workshop that he ran, she loves Nico. We wanted to follow him, he was so dynamic and charismatic. »
The news reached the depths of Valgaudemar where his friends Joel Armand and Corinne Dominique live. “I have known Nico since 1989 through improvisation,” explains Joel. He was the clown of the group. As soon as he walked on stage, before he even opened his mouth, he was already making the audience laugh. He was full of energy and projects, but he also had his heart on his sleeve and organized evenings for the benefit of charitable associations. He developed his character as a crazy referee who got crazier and crazier as the match went on. »
His favorite quote, from Pierre Rabhi, was this: “It is in the utopias of today that the solutions of tomorrow lie. »