In Contact With the Gods?: Directors Talk Theatre

by Augusto Boal, Peter Brook, Ion Caramitru

Rarely has the private world of the director in the rehearsal room been so frankly and entertainingly opened. In addition to the art and craft of directing, they discuss: multiculturalism; the 'classical' repertoire; theatre companies and institutions; working in a foreign language; opera; Shakespeare; new technologies; the art of acting; design; international festivals; politics and aesthetics; the audience; theatre and society.

Genres: Theatre

342 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 1997

About the author

Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director, writer and politician. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical popular education movements.

His books are very influential. With 22 published works, translated to more than 20 languages, his views are studied in Theatre schools all over the world.

Reviews

[Emily Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book for a while. It's taken me a while to finish it because I've been piecing it out a bit - trying to ration the inspiration that may have been lurking in its pages. There is a lot to be found here. I will return to Declan Donnellan's interview and the conversation between Peter Brook, Oliver Sacks and Jonathan Miller over and over, I'll wager. My only wish would be to have some more women included and to have an updated edition. There are two women in here and one of them is more playwright than director. Sadly, this reflects the field rather accurately. But come on now, there are several female directors you could talk with. Julie Taymor? Mary Zimmerman? Heck, I'd even read about Susan Strohman. I'm pulling for a more contemporary version of this book with more ladies.