The Avignon Theater Festival since its birth has not only promoted this old town, but it has also brought a new life to the French Theater. Small towns that used to be cultural deserts have provided some of the most interesting theater authors and directors. Toulouse, Rennes, Strasbourg and many other cities, started new projects with very positive outcomes. The response to all these new theater experiments brought to the constitution of the 'Théâtre National Populaire' in Paris in 1951; Vilar was officially appointed its director.