Founder Carolyn Cook passes the torch to incoming AD Anna Richardson
After a year-long national search, the board of Théâtre du Rêve, Atlanta’s French-language theater company, has named Anna Richardson as its next artistic director.
Founder Carolyn Cook is retiring this summer from a leadership role with the company and says she’s looking forward to returning to freelance work as an actor, director, and writer.
Cook says she “couldn’t be happier” with the decision.
“I love this company and will continue to support our mission,” Cook said. “Thanks to our strong board and supporters, we’re on solid ground financially, even after the pandemic. This is a great time for new artistic leadership, and Anna Richardson is exactly the right person for the job.”
For her part, Richardson says she is thrilled to take the artistic helm of a company she staunchly loves and believes in. She returns to Théâtre du Rêve after working with the company in multiple administrative and artistic roles between 2014 and 2022, including Teaching Artist; Director of Marketing, Outreach and Development; and Events Consultant. She also worked as a stage manager, director, and actor for many Atlanta theaters in the 2010s.
“I am over the moon to be working in my favorite theater city again with artists and theatermakers I deeply respect,” she says.
With a degree in French literature from Goucher College, Richardson has studied in France and written a French thesis on the impact of improvisation on adolescent development. She now lives in Boston, but will be traveling frequently to Atlanta for this role and says she plans to take advantage of access to both major cities and the opportunities that lie therein for Théâtre du Rêve.
Of the transition, Richardson says, “I had the honor and pleasure of working closely with Carolyn in 2016 and have continued supporting and collaborating with Théâtre du Rêve since relocating back to Boston. I feel excited to continue with Carolyn’s vision for the company and to build upon the work Théâtre du Rêve has been doing to broaden what French theater means, particularly in highlighting lesser known French speaking figures and peoples.”
Richardson will work closely with TdR Managing Director Jennifer Kimball, with whom she has a lengthy professional history.
“I look forward to teaming back up with the inimitable Jennifer Kimball, an Atlanta institution I have the privilege to continue to learn from,” she says.
Programming for Théâtre du Rêve’s inaugural season under Richardson’s leadership will be announced in the fall, Richardson says. “We remain committed to both our educational audiences and our public audience and will continue to offer programming that challenges and delights both.”