Peter Brook, famed stage director of Criterion and Humanity, dies at 97

His own work, he said, was to inspire and enable, to clarify and refine, not to dictate. He stopped preplanning or “blocking” movement on stage as a young director in 1946, when he arrived at the first rehearsal of “Love’s Labor’s Lost” with plans, and after just a few minutes with the cast, he felt ridiculously flexible. Torn immediately.

He never lost his temper during rehearsals, and he sometimes succumbed to an amused detachment. But his seriousness is unmistakable. Mr. For Brooke, theater is “a full mirror of human existence, visible and invisible,” that challenges performers and audiences to rethink the world and their lives.

Mr. Brooke’s long and globe-spanning career He continued well into his 90s. In September 2019, “Why?”, Mr. The play, written and staged by Brooke and his longtime collaborator Marie-Hélène Estienne, opened in Brooklyn after a Paris debut with a planned tour to China, Italy and Spain. A new book, “Playing by Ear: Reflections on Music and Sound,” is published next month.

With his piercing blue eyes and quiet authority, Mr. Brooke had undeniable charisma, although she didn’t want to be described as a guru. He rejected his pseudonym, the Buddha, because he felt he was far from achieving spiritual realization and, in fact, did not think any realization was possible.

He was inspired by George Gurdjieff, who believed that nothing should be taken for granted, everything should be questioned, and cooperation with others was essential. Mr. As Brooke told The Times In 1998, he said, “I’m ready to deny my opinion, yesterday, even 10 minutes ago, because all opinions are relative.”

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Emma Bubola Contributed report.

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