Peter Stephen Paul Brook (1925-2022) was one of the most important theatre and film directors during the second part of the 20th century. He had a significant contribution to the research of theatrical forms, and he also developed the concept of the “empty space” in theatre. The concept tackled in his book, “The Empty Space”, reconfigured the view on performing arts and decisively influenced many theatre creators. The first performance directed by Peter Brook was “Dr. Faustus”, at Torch Theatre in London. In 1947, he went to Stratford-upon-Avon, as assistant director for “Romeo and Juliet” and “Love’s Labour’s Lost”. He created many memorable performances after William Shakespeare’s plays, included “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, staged in 1970, considered by specialists to be better than the play itself. Determined by the idea of performing his research and exploring human creativity, he left for Paris, where he founded The International Centre for Theatre Research, along with Micheline Rozan. He worked with actors, dancers, musicians, and other artists of various nationalities, travelling with them, and performing a series of artistic experiments in the Middle East and Africa. Until 2008, he created at Bouffes du Nord Paris - the headquarters of his exploratory studies. Among his most important performances, we note “Hamlet” (1955), “Marat/Sade” (1964), “Orghast at Persepolis” (1971–1972), “Conference of the Birds” (1979), “The Tempest” (1990), “Tierno Bokar” (2004), “The Grand Inquisitor” (2004).
Constantin Chiriac:
“A personality with great impact on the theatre life of the 20th and 21st centuries. Founder of the International Centre for Theatre Research, Peter Brook is awarded a star on the Walk of Fame for his amazing capacity to reform the theatrical reasoning and creation of the last 70 years worldwide.”
Supported by: BRD Groupe Société Générale
