On April 24th, Thierry Dubost, professor emeritus in the Foreign Languages Faculty, became the first non-American admitted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. This eminent distinction highlights an outstanding career in research on the North-American theater. Thierry Dubost reacts to this unprecedented award.

What is the College of Fellows of the American Theatre?

The College of Fellows of the American Theatre (CFAT) constitutes a kind of academy of American theatre, which laureates integrate after being proposed by three members. The CFAT rewards excellence in research, writing, and creativity in the field of professional and educational theatre. The members include actors, critics, scene directors, playwrights (Edward Albee, Paula Vogel, James Still…) along with scholars whose works focus on American theatre.

You are the first non-American member to be admitted. What main subjects of your research allowed you to be introduced?

My research essentially focuses on Irish and American theatre. My American works (on Eugene O’Neill and many other playwrights), along with my current research on food in American theatres, are somewhat out of the expected frame of research, which probably explains this acknowledgment.

You spent your whole career at the University of Caen Normandy. What are the best credentials of your work in our university?

Between 1993 and 2022, I have successively been a Non-Tenured Teaching and Research Fellow, Senior Lecturer then Professor. My educational career also includes a year of teaching in the United States. Currently, I teach at the University Multimedia Teaching Center (CEMU) and within the English department. I also directed the CEMU during 11 years and the Irish Studies Research Group during 8 years.