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TitleTitle

Peter Brook (March 21st1925, 88yrs old)

Daniel DempseyStudent Director 2013

Brooks early life

Peter Brook has had a very full and successful life. Being born to 2 Jewish

iigrants was difficult. !nd was "uoted in an interview #$ don%t

reeber uch. But of what $ do reeber& it wasn%t easy.' (hen he was

) or * Brook was re+orted +erforing a Pu++et show of ,alet. ,e went to(estinster School when he was younger& and then oved to -resha%s

school& and finally receiving his high education at agdalen /ollege in

ford.

Books

he +ty S+ace

he +en Doorhe Shifting Point

hreads of ie

voking and 4orgetting Shakes+eare

Between wo Silences

Esteemed Productions

1566 7 ,alet1589 7 arat:Sade

15)* 7 esure +our esure by

15*1 7 ;a ragork15** 7 he /herry rchard by !nton /hekhov

1550 7 ;a e+?te by (illia Shakes+eare&

155* 7 Don -iovanni by o@art&

2000 7 ,alet by (illia Shakes+eare&

2002 7 4ar !way by /aryl /hurchill200* 7 4ragents after Sauel Beckett

2005 7 ;ove is y sin sonnets by (illia Shakes+eare2010 7 (aru waru by Peter Brook et arieA,

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Classical Theatre

Peter Brook becae a resident Director at

the Eoyal Shakes+eare /o+any in 1582& 3

years after the origination of the co+anystarted. ,is first +roduction was Fing ;ear

with Paul Scofield.

Brook had a fascination with /lassical

theatre and used highly +hysical and

acrobatic techni"ues to dig dee+ into what

the tet was really for. o hi Eoeo andJuliet was a way to #get back to the

violence& the +assion& and the eciteent of

the stinking crowds& the feuds& the intrigues.

,e faously directed a +roduction of

arat:Sade set in an insane asylu. urvery own ark ,unter& Gwho saw that

+roductionH found the sae thees and

thoughts to bring it to /ornell to direct. his

was thought to be the first +roduction of/ruelty that Peter Brook had directed that

was +erfored +ublicly.

Theatre of Cruelty

Starting the heatre of /ruelty in 1586

behind locked doors& Brook used this title as

a nod to !rtaud. =ot to evoke Sadis& but toake theatre ore rigorous. >ou can read

his cha+ter in he +ty S+ace on Deadly&

and read about an earlier inter+retation ofcruelty. his +ers+ective

(Above) A picture from Peter Brooks Production ofLe Mahabharata The full production was 9 hourslong and toured for 4 years!

(Belo)! Brooks ersion of "ing Lear in #9$#in film% which was based on his #9&'production(

(Belo) Brook "ses hi#hly$hysical tech%ical ele&e%tso% sta#e to e&$hasi'eorld a%d relatio%shi$

of heatre of /ruelty is found in #he

Shifting Point' s+ecifically e+loring thereasons on creating a theatre that e+lores the

following stateent #(e need to +ut theirreactions to the test& Iust as uch as own

actions.' G+g. 80& he Shifting PointH

Brook& "uestions all fors that have been

+laced u+on hi in this tie& and they

e+lore the need to have for at all with

/ruelty. #goal was to reinvigorate thetheater through a theatrical vocabulary not

tied to language'G!ronson& 1H.

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%fl"e%ce o% theatre

Brook%s influence on theatre was astronoical. ,e created a sense of freedo within

theatre that was never there before hi. !s one of the first +rolific directors to be abstractand successful he felt as if it was his duty to take on the theatrical world and teach the

world of his +ers+ective of theatre by sharing his books. hat is why Book wrote so any

books. ,e never wants to be alone in his art. ,e wants to continue his art +ast his life.

Theatre Across the World

$n Brooks book #he +en Door' ,e o+ens with telling a story about how he had foundhis work to influence the world around hi. Brook visited South !frica while doing

research for a +roduction and et with a Director. he director told hi how his writings

had touched hi dee+ly. !nd Brooks thought #as ost of the book was written beforeour e+eriences in !frican and stant references to theatres of ;ondon& of Paris& =ew

>ork(hat could they have found of use in it%s tet. he an re+lied by showing

Brook his own "uote7

#$ can take any e+ty s+ace and call it a bare stage. ! an walks across this e+ty s+ace

whilst soeone else is watching hi& and this si all $ need for an act of theatre to be

engaged.'$t was then that Brooks reali@ed that his work had becoe into the #Po+ular' $t was so

early in the directing world that +eo+le had no belief in theatre as an #!rt'& and the

director as an !rtist. Brook is believed to be the one of the first Directors to be labeled asan artist

(Above)! A picture of the )oyal *hakespeare +ompany *tage( This isstill in e,istence today( *ome say that it is due to the risks that Brooktook when directing on the stage(

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*"otes!

Time, which is so often an enemy in

life, can also become our ally if we seehow a pale moment can lead to aglowing moment, and then turn to amoment of perfect transparency, beforedropping again to a moment of everydaysimplicity.

Reality' is a word with manymeanings.

The closeness of reality and thedistance of myth, because if there is nodistance you aren't amazed, and if thereis no closeness you aren't moved.

I am ready to disclaim my opinion,even of yesterday, even of ! minutesago, because all opinions are relative."ne lives in a field of influences, one isinfluenced by everyone one meets,everything is an e#change of influences,all opinions are derivative. "nce youdeal a new dec$ of cards, you've got anew dec$ of cards.

*"otes! (Co%ti%"ed)

Truth in theatre is always on the move.%s you read this boo$, it is already

moving out of date. it is for me ane#ercise, now frozen on the page. butunli$e a boo$, the theatre has onespecial characteristic. It is alwayspossible to start again. In life this ismyth, we ourselves can never go bac$ onanything. &ew leaves never turn, cloc$snever go bac$, we can never have asecond chance. In the theatre, the slateis wiped clean all the time.

In everyday life, if is a fiction, in thetheatre if is an e#periment. Ineveryday life, if is an evasion, in thetheatre if is the truth. (hen we arepersuaded to believe in this truth thenthe theatre and life are one. This is ahigh aim. It sounds li$e hard wor$. Toplays needs much wor$. )ut when wee#periences the wor$ as play, then it isnot wor$ anymore. % play is play.

% stage space has two rules* +%nything can happen and +- omethingmust happen.

/0eter )roo$

(belo)!This is a photograph of Brooks production of A Midsummer-ights .ream at the )oyal *hakespeare +ompany in #9$/( *cenic.esign by *ally 0acobs

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Bibliography_____________________________________

KPeter Brook.K ncyclo+Ldia Britannica. ncyclo+Ldia Britannica nline !cadeic

dition. ncyclo+Ldia Britannica $nc.& 2013. (eb. 10 ct. 2013.

Mhtt+7::www.britannica.co:Bchecked:to+ic:*11)2:PeterABrookN.

Brook& Peter. he +ty S+ace. =ew >ork7 !theneu& 158*. Print.

Brook& Peter. he Shifting Point7 1598A15*). =ew >ork7 ,ar+er O Eow& 15*). Print.

Brook& Peter. he +en Door7 houghts on !cting and heatre. =ew >ork7 Parthenon&

1553. Print.

Brook& Peter. hreads of ie7 ! eoir. ;ondon7 ethuen Draa& 155*. Print.

Other Sources: (For More Information)

htt+7::www.gurdIieff.org:nicolescu3.ht

htt+7::observer.co:2001:06:whosAthereA+eterAbrooksAhaletAleadsAtheAway:

htt+7::www.student+ulse.co:articles:101:theAdevelo+entAofAtheatreA+eterAbrookAandAtheAhuanAconnection

htt+7::roadsofstone.co:200*:03:06:1))AfroAwhiteAboAtoAe+tyAshellArebuildingAtheA

royalAshakes+eareAtheatreAstratfordAu+onAavon:

Contact Information:

Daniel De+sey dde+sey19cornellcollege.edu*10 /oons Ed Q1201 G603H 965A)120

ount Cernon& $!. 62319

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/81172/Peter-Brookhttp://www.gurdjieff.org/nicolescu3.htmhttp://observer.com/2001/05/whos-there-peter-brooks-hamlet-leads-the-way/http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/101/the-development-of-theatre-peter-brook-and-the-human-connectionhttp://www.studentpulse.com/articles/101/the-development-of-theatre-peter-brook-and-the-human-connectionhttp://roadsofstone.com/2008/03/05/177-from-white-box-to-empty-shell-rebuilding-the-royal-shakespeare-theatre-stratford-upon-avon/http://roadsofstone.com/2008/03/05/177-from-white-box-to-empty-shell-rebuilding-the-royal-shakespeare-theatre-stratford-upon-avon/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/81172/Peter-Brookhttp://www.gurdjieff.org/nicolescu3.htmhttp://observer.com/2001/05/whos-there-peter-brooks-hamlet-leads-the-way/http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/101/the-development-of-theatre-peter-brook-and-the-human-connectionhttp://www.studentpulse.com/articles/101/the-development-of-theatre-peter-brook-and-the-human-connectionhttp://roadsofstone.com/2008/03/05/177-from-white-box-to-empty-shell-rebuilding-the-royal-shakespeare-theatre-stratford-upon-avon/http://roadsofstone.com/2008/03/05/177-from-white-box-to-empty-shell-rebuilding-the-royal-shakespeare-theatre-stratford-upon-avon/