Awards

• Winner of Theatre Book Prize 1998
• Winner of Theatre Book Prize 1998.

Overview

The man described by the New York Times as the English-speaking worlds most eminent director charts the aesthetic and spiritual journeys of his own remarkable career.. In graceful and vivid scenes, Threads of Time chronicles the evolution of an extraordinary artistic intelligence, a man whose interests range worldwide from film and theater to myth and the inner life. Brook reveals the myriad sources driving his lifelong passion for finding the most expressive way to tell a story. Over the years we watch his metamorphosis from traditionalist to radical innovator, witnessing his expanding field of vision and sense of dramatic possibility. For fifty years, Peter Brooks opera, stage, and film productions have held audiences spellbound. His visionary directing has created some of the most influential productions in contemporary theater . Now at the pinnacle of his career, Brook has given us his long-awaited memoir, a luminous, inspiring work in which he reflects on his artistic fortunes, his idols and teachers, his philosophical path and personal journey. Born in London in 1925, Brook directed his first play at eighteen and became the enfant terrible of British theater by twenty-one. He had no formal training, but he trusted his instincts and his passionate need for discovering true definitions of quality and meaning.From Covent Garden he went on to direct Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon and new plays in Londons West End. His first love was for the cinema, and with his reputation established, he began to make films alongside his work in theater. In both theater and film, he worked with some of the greatest names of the day: Paul Scofield, Jean Genet, Laurence Olivier, Jeanne Moreau, John Gielgud, Salvador Dal, and many others.In graceful and vivid scenes, Threads of Time chronicles the evolution of an extraordinary artistic intelligence. We see the young Brook--during his first production--peeking in on John Gielgud in a neighboring theater to see where the director is supposed to stand. We see a fiery young director become instantly compassionate when he learns that a young lighting assistant is missing his cues because he is transfixed by the music, and we watch as Brook learns that the most important job of the director is to help an actor find the source of a character within himself.In this autobiography, the man The New York Times has called the English-speaking worlds most eminent director and The London Times has named theaters living legend reveals the myriad sources behind his lifelong passion to find the most expressive way of telling a story. Whether in Indias epic Mahabarata or a stage adaptation of Oliver Sacks The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat , South Africas Woza Albert or The Cherry Orchard, Brooks unique blend of practicality and vision creates unforgettable experiences for audiences worldwide.

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9781582430188

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Author Information

Peter Brook received his M.A. at Oxford, where he founded the Oxford University Film Society. A former codirector of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he currently heads the International Centre of Theatre Research, which he founded in Paris in 1971. He has directed more than fifty productions, and his films include the original Lord of the Flies. He lives with his wife Natasha Parry in Paris.

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