ABSTRACT
Thesearchforauniversaltheatrelanguage,onepotentialformofwhich LindsayKempdevelopedoutofpopcultureinthemid-l960s,hasbecome amajorandcontinuingthemeintheworkofPeterBrook.Unlikealmost alltheotherrepresentativesofthemovement,Brookbecameaconvertto theavantgardeatarelativelylatepointinhiscareer,havingalready madehisnameduringthetwentyyearsaftertheSecondWorldWarin brilliant,butconventionalShakespeareproductions,andasadirector ofCoventGardenoperaandlightcomedy(RingAroundtheMoon,Jean Anouilh;TheDarkisLightEnough,ChristopherFry;PennyforaSong,John Whiting).Intheearly1950sAnouilhandFrywerebeingcreditedwith reintroducingpoetryintothenaturalisticmoderntheatre;anditwas throughAnouilhandCocteauthatBrookcametoaconceptofnon-verbal 'poetryofthetheatre'(where'thescenesarelinkedlikethewordsofa poem' 1).Despitetheconventionalnatureoftheplays,suchaconceptis analogoustoBarrault'sidealof'totaltheatre'.Atthesametime,despite apragmaticbox-officeapproachtothestage-notonlyreflectedinBrook's repertoireduringthosedecades,butalsostillevidentinthewayhehas managedandpublicizedhislateravantgardeproductions-thisinterest inpoeticdramacouldbeseen,atleastinretrospect,assignallinghis comingrejectionof'deadlytheatre'- thestandardfareofclassical museum-pieces,socialproblemplaysandcommercialcomedy.
