The Empty Space

By: Peter Brook

Narrated by: Adrian Lester

The hugely influential classic of theater writing—now available for the first time as an audiobook, read by award-winning actor Adrian Lester.

Peter Brook's seminal book, The Empty Space, sets out many of the ideas about theater which have informed his lifelong work as a theater director, from his iconic "white box" production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and his groundbreaking adaptation of The Mahabharata, to his ongoing work at the International Centre for Theatre Research.

More than 50 years on from its first publication in 1968, The Empty Space remains a cornerstone of thinking about theater. Written with refreshing clarity, and full of personal insights, it sets out Brook's influential concept of the four different types of theater—the deadly theater, the holy theater, the rough theater, and the immediate theater—and investigates the evolution of theatrical ideas, from Stanislavsky and method acting to Brecht and happenings, as well as examining different ways of playing Shakespeare.

Read by Adrian Lester—who played the title role in Brook's acclaimed production of Hamlet in Paris, London, and New York—this new unabridged audiobook of The Empty Space will continue to inspire and instruct new generations of theater-makers everywhere.

©1968 Peter Brook (P)2022 Nick Hern Books

Brilliant

Nearly 60 years after it’s initial publication this work is just as powerful today. Peter Brooks’ words were prophetic when discussing the state of live theater. Highly recommended.

Where’s the meat

Published in 1968, Brook writes with missionary zeal about “deadly theater” versus “vital theater,” and a lot of it reads like nostalgia dressed up as principle. The book is absolutely a product of its moment and his particular axe to grind.