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Making Theatre Happen
An appreciation of Atlanta actor and director Carolyn Cook
By Manning Harris
If you ask almost anyone working in
theatre in Atlanta about Carolyn Cook, you
will invariably get a smile of appreciation,
admiration and affection. The same is true
with any longtime audience member in the
city.
I remember the first time I heard
her name: It was the summer of 1999,
and Georgia Shakespeare was doing an
outstanding “Hamlet,” starring a New
York actor named Saxon Palmer. I met Mr.
Palmer, and he promptly asked me if I had
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seen Carolyn Cook in Shaw’s “St. Joan,”
also being performed at GA Shake that
summer. I had not, and never did for some
perverse reason, and I’ve always regretted
it — especially when she told me the other
day that “St. Joan” was one of her all-time
favorite roles. Happily, I’ve seen her in quite
a few roles since then.
Yes, Ms. Cook is an actor, but she’s also
a director, teacher and lately, a writer. When
we sat down to lunch, in the middle of the
conversation she paused, smiled and said
simply, “I love making theatre happen.”
That is Carolyn Cook in a nutshell, and it
is the opinion of a great many people in our
fair city that no one does it better.
A French major in college, she didn’t
start acting professionally until she was
28. She was born in Alexandria, Virginia,
and moved to Atlanta some 28 years ago.
She’d been fascinated by the stage as a girl;
she observed her sister in a high school
production of “West Side Story” and in
dance recitals. Perhaps her inner voice said
something like “I Can Do That,” as the
song from “A Chorus Line” says.
Carolyn (anyone who knows her
calls her that; so will I, occasionally)
got a two-year acting internship at the
Alliance Theatre; she’s studied the Meisner
technique, and with acting teacher Robert
Mello and others. She has taught acting
and theatre studies at Emory University,
Oglethorpe University, Pebblebrook High
School and the Robert Mello Studio. She is
also happily married to Matt Cook and has
a 21-year-old daughter named Emily.
Professionally, Ms. Cook’s first love
is acting; but perhaps her proudest
accomplishment is the founding of Theatre
du Reve (theatre of the dream), Atlanta’s
first and only professional French-language
Dear Neighbor,
I am Cassandra Kirk and I was appointed Chief Magistrate Judge by the Honorable Nathan Deal in December 2014. I am the first Chief Magistrate Judge to preside over Fulton County Magistrate
Court since the General Assembly made the position an elected office. Now, I stand for election and humbly seek your support and vote on May 22, 2018. With your blessing, I hope to continue to
build upon my 25 years of service to the citizens of Fulton County.
Since 2015, it has been my mission as Chief Magistrate Judge of Fulton County to empower litigants through innovation, efficiency and accessibility. I have over 25 years of experience serving in a
variety of roles: full-time judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, civil litigator and administrative director. Drawing on this experience, I guided Fulton County Magistrate Court through the transition
period and achieved the goals envisioned by the General Assembly when they reformed the Court.
While serving as a full-time judge on the Fulton County Juvenile Court, I spearheaded the establishment of Choices, Fulton County’s first juvenile accountability court for youth battling substance
abuse, and I was the first judge in Georgia to become a certified Child Welfare Law Specialist. It is the combination of these positions and experience that uniquely qualifies me to continue to serve
as Chief Magistrate Judge.
Highlights of the last three years include: eliminating the Court’s 30,000 small claims case backlog, providing mediation services at the North and South Annexes, supporting the Housing Assistance
Center to provide navigation services to tenants in Landlord-Tenant cases, and creating Fulton’s first Magistrate Court website. Also, during my tenure Fulton Magistrate Court was 1 of 4 courts
selected for a Grant from the National Center for State Courts for a pilot project to simply our high volume calendars.
I firmly believe that in order to consider the weight of rendering judgement on others, you must first serve others. I support the community through service to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., North Avenue Presbyterian Church
(Elder), alumni activities with both the Regional Leadership Institute and Leadership Atlanta, and the Boards of Directors of The League of Women Voters of Atlanta-Fulton County, Star C, and Street Grace, a non-profit aimed
at ending domestic minor sex trafficking. I received my B.A. from Williams College and my J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law.
Included below are a few of the people who support me. I hope you will join them. I will continue to put families first and keep the Court accessible to all. On May 22, 2018, I urge you to vote to Keep Kirk Fulton County Chief
Magistrate Judge. Please visit my website at www.judgecassandrakirk.com.
EARLY VOTING BEGINS APRIL 30, 2018
Chief Magistrate Judge
Mayor
Bill Edwards
Vt
Former Gov.
Roy Barnes
Mayor
Vince R. Williams
•4
City Councilman
Matt Westmoreland
City Councilman
Amir R. Farokhi
GA House Rep.
Wendell Willard
50 May 2018 | DU
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