Evoking (and forgetting!) Shakespeare: Dramatic Contexts

Peter Brook is one of the world's best-known theatre directors. Outstanding in a career full of remarkable achievements are his productions of Titus Andronicus (1955) with Olivier, King Lear (1962) with Scofield, The Marat/Sade (1964) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1970), both for the RSC. Since moving to Paris and establishing the Centre International de Creations Theatrales at the Bouffes du Nord, he has produced a series of events which push at the boundaries of theatre, such as The Conference of the Birds (1976), The Ik (1975), The Mahabharata (1985) and his recent Hamlet (2001). His films include Lord of the Flies (1963) and King Lear (1970). His books, especially The Empty Space (1968) and The Shifting Point (1987), have been hugely influential.

A revised edition of Peter Brook's take on Shakespeare, with a new chapter. The book addresses a number of questions about performing Shakespeare today: Why is Shakespeare not out of date? What do we mean by Shakespeare's "genius" or "creativity".