Peter Brook (1925–2022,) fully Peter Stephen Paul Brook, was an English producer-director of Shakespeare’s plays whose innovative and influential productions of other dramatists’ works contributed significantly to developing the 20th century’s avant-garde stage.
Born in London, Brook began his career as a director in the 1940s, making his directorial début in 1945 with a production of Christopher Fry’s The Lady’s Not For Burning at the Oxford Playhouse. He went on to direct numerous plays in London’s West End. He became the artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1962.
Brook quickly gained a reputation for his innovative productions of Shakespeare and other classic plays. His most famous productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company include Titus Andronicus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and King Lear. He was known for his experimental approach to theater, using minimalistic sets and lighting to highlight the actors’ performances. He also incorporated non-Western forms of theater, such as Japanese Noh and Indian Kathakali, into his productions.
In the 1960s, Brook founded the International Centre for Theatre Research in Paris, where he developed his groundbreaking approach to theatre, emphasizing collaboration, improvisation, and a focus on the actor-audience relationship. In the 1970s, Brook turned his attention to film, directing a series of critically acclaimed movies, including Lord of the Flies (1963,) Marat/Sade (1967,) and The Mahabharata (1989.) He also continued to direct plays, including a highly praised production of The Cherry Orchard (1981.)
Brook’s productions have been staged worldwide, including the landmark productions of “Marat/Sade” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” In addition to his work in theater and film, Brook wrote several books, including The Empty Space (1968) and The Shifting Point (1987,) which examine his philosophy and approach to theater.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Peter Brook
We are aware that the conductor is not really making the music, it is making him—if he is relaxed, open and attuned, then the invisible will take possession of him; through him, it will reach us.
—Peter Brook
Topics: Music
The actor searches vainly for the sound of a vanished tradition, and critic and audience follow suit. We have lost all sense of ritual and ceremony—whether it be connected with Christmas, birthdays or funerals—but the words remain with us and old impulses stir in the marrow. We feel we should have rituals, we should do something about getting them and we blame the artists for not finding them for us. So the artist sometimes attempts to find new rituals with only his imagination as his source: he imitates the outer form of ceremonies, pagan or baroque, unfortunately adding his own trapping—the result is rarely convincing. And after the years and years of weaker and waterier imitations we now find ourselves rejecting the very notion of a holy stage. It is not the fault of the holy that it has become a middle-class weapon to keep the children good.
—Peter Brook
Topics: Actors, Acting
Never stop. One always stops as soon as something is about to happen.
—Peter Brook
Topics: Resolve, Endurance, Perseverance
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