The Empty Space

Regular Price
£9.99
Sale Price
£9.99
Regular Price
Sold Out
Unit Price
per 

Add some text content to a popup modal

Details

by Peter Brook

Adapted from a series of four lectures, originally delivered as the first of the Granada Northern Lectures Peter Brook's The Empty Space is an exploration of four aspects of theatre, 'Deadly, Holy, Rough and Immediate'.


'I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage' In The Empty Space, groundbreaking director Peter Brook draws on a life in love with the stage to explore the issues facing any theatrical performance. Here he describes important developments in theatre from the last century, as well as smaller scale events, from productions by Stanislavsky to the rise of Method Acting, from Brecht's revolutionary alienation technique to the free form Happenings of the 1960s, and from the different styles of such great Shakespearean actors as John Gielgud and Paul Scofield to a joyous impromptu performance in the burnt-out shell of the Hamburg Opera just after the war. Passionate, unconventional and fascinating, his book shows how theatre defies rules, builds and shatters illusions and creates lasting memories for its audiences.


Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH CBE (b. 1925) is a highly influential British theatrical producer and director. During the 1950s he worked on many productions in Britain, Europe, and the USA, and in 1962 returned to Stratford-upon-Avon to join the newly established Royal Shakespeare Company. Throughout the next the 1960's he directed many ground breaking productions for the RSC before in 1970 forming The International Centre for Theatre Research in Paris.

Help Us Support Theatre

Every purchase you make from the National Theatre Bookshop helps fund the vital work of The National Theatre. Whether that's putting new work on stages across the world or supporting our outreach and learning programmes, every purchase you make really does make a difference.

Editorial content

We Recommend

Our staff are insightful and knowledgeable, many of them work as actors, artists and playwrights. Have a look at what they recommend this month and see if you can find your next piece of inspiration.

National Theatre Gifts

Our exclusive National Theatre gifts will be sure to add a smile to their recipient. Whether a budding playwright, a natural performer or a National Theatre super fan there is something for everyone.

Subscriptions

Give the gift of reading. Our experienced booksellers hand select, wrap and post a beautiful book to you every month. With Plays, Fiction or Poetry you can delight in making the words come to life in your hands.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Signup for our newsletter to stay up to date on sales and events.

*By completing this form you're signing up to receive our emails and can unsubscribe at any time