In 2019, Lauren Morris directed Code Noir: Les Aventures du Premier Conte de Monte Cristo at Theatre de Reve. Fast forward to 2022, Lauren reunited with the team to turn the play into a film format as a way to navigate the ever-changing landscape of Covid-era programming. The limited release film premiered in March at the Southwest Arts Center.
Code Noir' shares the story of the first Black French general. You've probably heard of the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo," but have you heard of the first Black French general who inspired it? General Alex Dumas was the son of an enslaved Black woman and a white Frenchman, born in Sainte-Domingue, now known as Haiti. He later became the first person of color in the French military to be appointed brigadier-general, divisional-general and general-in-chief of a French army. Dumas' story is the subject of Théâtre du Rêve's new film "Code Noir: the Adventures of the First Count of Monte Cristo."
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