The Open Door: Thoughts on Acting and Theatre

By Peter Brook

Book Overview

From King Lear to the Tragedy of Carmen , from Marat/Sade to the epic Mahabharata , Peter Brook has reinvented modern theatre, not once but again and again. In The Open Door the visionary director and theorist offers a lucid, comprehensive exposition of the philosophy that underlies his work. It is a philosophy of paradoxes: We come to the theatre to find life, but that life must be different from the life we find outside. Actors have to prepare painstakingly yet be willing to sacrifice the results of their preparation. The director's most reliable tool may be his capacity to be bored. Brook illustrates these principles with anecdotes that span his entire career and that demonstrate his familiarity with Shakespeare, Chekhov, and the indigenous theatres of India and Iran. The result is an unparalleled look at what happens both onstage and behind the scenes, fresh in its insights and elegant in its prose.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400077877
• ISBN13: 9781400077878
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Anchor Books
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Brook at his finest

This is really an extension of Brook's ideas in "The Empty Space." It is my favorite work of his, as the writing is much simpler and digestable than I am used to, yet it is no less insightful and inspiring. I feel that anyone who loves theater should read Brook: I always come away from his ideas feeling inspired and invigorated: my mind spinning with countless new possibilities. Thinking both as a director and an actor, I find Brook very useful. Perhaps his best quality is his love of experimentation- of finding what works but being ready to reject it for something better. Brook is an explorer more than a theorist. This collection of essays/speeches is an important aid to understanding where his journeys have taken him in his understanding of what makes good theatre.

Great for someone looking for the immediacy of classic drama

This is a collection of three shorter pieces: essays, transcriptions of speeches, etc. The book is well-edited and provides a good insight into the experiences which seem to have motivated Brook to do the kind of ground-breaking he is noted for. However, if you're looking for a single, clear thesis, try a different book.I highly recommend this book.