FOREST PARK, Ga. — As Tre Floyd walks through his intimate, black box theater in Forest Park, he acknowledges his dream is about to become reality.
"Dorothy Dandridge was the first African American woman to be nominated for an Oscar," Floyd explained, looking up at the photos of legends lining the wall.
"Whitney Houston, Josephine Baker, there's Stevie Wonder," he shares, pointing to each. "Something that was very important to me was to honor the people who have done things before me."
Floyd, a former Atlanta public school teacher and administrator, is now hoping to blaze his own trail in the metro's theater scene, opening the first live theater in Forest Park.
"It took a lot to bring this together," he explained of the grassroots effort to see the theater come to fruition. "I needed a community that I felt would enjoy it."
Floyd first started writing and producing five years ago, saving his paycheck from each production to buy his own space. Ultimately, he found a home in Forest Park, and fellow business owners have already noticed the community buzz.
The intimate black box theater will not only be Forest Park's first but also the first black-owned theater in the area, bringing the arts closer to the community and shining a spotlight on black artists and stories.
"This community wants to see faces that look like them, and hear stories about them," Floyd added. "And that's exactly what I plan to bring to them."
His hope for the theater and the representation it offers is echoed by local actors who will soon perform here.
"It's going to be good to tell these stories, so people can hear it from our perspective," actor Andre Lamar explained.
That mission is also supported by Forest Park's mayor, who pointed to the theater as a sign of progress for her city.
"There's nothing like having your own narrative coming from your own mouth, and I think that is perfect representation of what Tre is doing," she said. "Telling stories that may not have been told in the correct light to a community that can relate."
As artists prepare for opening night on Feb. 17, Floyd hopes the theater will become its own story and a sign of more to come.
"I'm happy that I can open the door," he added. "And I hope that we can leave the door open."
A ribbon cutting for Tre's Place will be held Friday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. at 4913 West Street in Forest Park, GA. Learn more and find tickets for upcoming performances here.