Peter Brook’s “The Empty Space”.
Chapter 1: The Deadly Theatre.
Reading Brook’s essay on The Deadly Theatre (even re-reading it after several years) is a bit like taking a splash of cold water in the face. The first of the four essays of “The Empty Space” is a wake up call where Brook describes the “best and the worst” of theatre. This chapter leaves you with the feeling that not much has changed in commercial and mainstream theatre practice since 1968 when Brook wrote it. What was deadly then is just as deadly today.
The term “Deadly Theatre” does not refer to a specific genre of work or a particular type of theatre (e.g. commercial, community, political or musical comedy); it refers to a practice. The deadly can be found in a “sure ticket” opera or an over-toured hit, but can also be found in a moment of a performance or in a week of rehearsals or in the habitual practices of an actor. As he makes his way through his topic, Brook makes some penetrating observations, lining up all the “usual suspects”. Performer, director, playwright, critic and even the audience member all bear responsibility for creating the deadly.
In his opening paragraphs Brook reminds us of the boring and pompous theatre we mistake for “culture”, which we swallow like bitter medicine because we’ve been bullied into thinking it is good for us. Television has trained us to be disengaged critics, judging things based on our personal likes and dislikes rather than their purpose and merit. Our preoccupation with art that imitates life has skewed our perception of excellence. We often praise skilled imitation instead of truth. It is in this observation that Brook makes a strong platform for his views on process. He points out that in order to make good theatre the rehearsal process must re-enter a creative process and re-discover the text as it applies to the living components of performance. It should have roots in the time, place, country, beliefs and tensions of the people creating and attending it.
Brook makes his best points in his conclusion where he says he is not against fun or frivolity. He is against superficiality when it is being practiced without knowing it. This chapter also begins his process of stripping the stage back to “The Empty Space” by asking how to connect the stage to its community. He discusses his various experiences in touring a show to audiences of different geographical, political and economic backgrounds and how these factors influenced the work.
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