Peter Brook

Peter Brook had a lifelong relationship with Shakespeare which he explored in his productions of plays including A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear and Hamlet. He directed leading actors including Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, John Gielgud and Paul Scofield at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Matthew Sweet talked to him about the place of Shakespeare in his career and his ground-breaking work. Matthew Sweet talked to him about his ideas and his contribution to theatre on the publication of a book of essays reflecting on the playwright, The Quality of Mercy, in 2013.

Producer: Philippa Ritchie

You can find a playlist of discussions about Shakespeare on the Free Thinking programme website https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06406hm and a collection of new versions of Shakespeare’s greatest plays recorded for broadcast and available as the Shakespeare Sessions https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0655br3