The theatre world is mourning the passing of one of the most influential directors of all time. Considered by many as a visionary who paved the way for modern theatre as we know it, Peter Brook was born in London to Jewish Latvian immigrants on 21 March, 1925.

Peter Brook in his theater (Paris) © Thomas Rome/Flickr

An Oxford graduate, he was already a director of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre at the age of 20. With a reputation for shocking audiences, he left his mark wherever he went. In 1949 he famously directed Salome at the Royal Opera House with Salvador Dalí designing the sets. Brook felt that only Dalí could bring visual form to what he considered the erotic degeneracy of Richard Strauss’s score and the original book by Oscar Wilde.

In 1964, Brook directed a landmark production of Marat/Sade for the Royal Shakespeare Company. It subsequently transferred to New York and earnt him a Tony Award. He also brought his unique vision to the Bard’s work and, in 1970, he stood the theatre world on its head with his “white box” staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, replete with...