Theatre Du Reve Reflects On 20 Years Of Francophone Theater

The dream was Atlanta actress Carolyn Cook’s, and she led the company for its first 10 years as artistic director. This July, she is returning to that position after Park Krausen’s decade of tenure.

Under Krausen, Théâtre du Rêve expanded its reach across Atlanta and the world, bringing in international playwrights and directors to work with the company along with touring around the country and France.

“There are so many artist we could work with to create these cross-cultural dialogs,” said Krausen. In addition, Théâtre du Rêve has reached new audiences from the Alliance Française to West African communities in Clarkston.

“[In Atlanta], you have strong Canadian, Haitian, Swiss, Belgian, French populations already. And the year I took over, the Haitian [community] was actually the largest growing immigrant population in Atlanta, so there are a number of communities,” said Krausen.

Along with performing plays in Atlanta, the company hosts a variety of educational programs like community classes and summer camps.

But regardless of which opportunity they are pursuing, Théâtre du Rêve stays committed to French and theater.

“I think that there is a great case to be made for art to bring people together, to build bridges, to explore differences … and to seek connections that we assume are not available to us,” said Cook. “Our theater company, because we work in two language, and because we are not only trying to teach people French but to allow people to live and breathe within a room of French art, we are in a unique position to break down cultural barriers.”