The Open Circle; The Theater Environment of Peter Brook

by Andrew Todd and Jean Guy Lecat

• ISBN13: 9781403963628
• ISBN10: 1403963622
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2003-11-01
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

What quality of space can foster the 'rising to another level' which is the ultimate aim of theatre? How can one overcome the obstacles -- cultural, spatial, material, technical -- which impede the sharing of experience which is the unique prerogative of performance? Peter Brook has consciously engaged these questions since turning his back on conventional theatre buildings in the late 1960s. This book tells the story of the journey of exploration into the fundamental character of theatre space he has undertaken with his collaborators over the last thirty years.

Author Biography

Andrew Todd and Jean Guy Lecat are theater designers who have worked together designing for the Royal Shakespeare Company and London's Almeida Theater.

Peter Brook is one of the most famous directors on the contemporary stage.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements,	vii
1 Home: The Bouffes du Nord,	3	(30)
2 Preparation: 1968-1974,	33	(21)
3 The Rough Arena: Timon of Athens, The Ik, Ubu aux Bouffes,	54	(15)
4 The Conference of the Birds and The Cherry Orchard,	69	(13)
5 La Tragédie de Carmen,	82	(42)
6 The Mahabharata,	124	(58)
7 Return: The Tempest and Impressions de Pelléas,	182	(29)
8 The Acting Island: From The Man Who to The Tragedy of Hamlet,	211	(21)
Endpieces:
Jean-Claude Carrière,	232	(1)
Jean-Guy Lecat,	232	(3)
Sotigui Kouyaté,	235	(2)
Deborah Warner,	237	(2)
Andrew Todd,	239	(9)
Peter Brook,	248	(5)
Bibliography and Filmography,	253	(2)
Performance and Tour Dates of the GIGT,	255	(3)
Places Visited by the International Centre,	258	(1)
Index,	259