Perspective

As discussed in the "Important People" section, the author of this book (Peter Brook) was regarded by theatre practitioners of the time (the 1960s and 70s) as an innovator and a radical, an irreverent and deliberate debunker of theatre tradition. It could therefore be reasonably argued that in writing the essays that make up this book, on one level he is essentially offering an explanation (a justification?) of why he is who he is and why he does what he does. The point must be made that even on that level, the book is far from being academic; there is, in fact, the sense that the author feels deeply and passionately about theatre, and about why he does what he does. He's not a rule breaker for the sake of breaking rules, he breaks rules out of a desperate, seeking drive to make the best, most effective, truest...