Theatre Communications Group Publishes Peter Brook's 'THE QUALITY OF MERCY'

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has announced the publication of Peter Brook's The Quality of Mercy: Reflections on Shakespeare, in which one of the world's most revered theatre directors reflects on the world's most revered playwright.

"Exquisite... enthralling... This short, modest and brilliant book does more than many more grandiose tomes to renew the reader's fascination with the plays, and the theatre-goer's wonder at the extraordinary and diverse sensations locked up inside the First Folio. It should be required reading at all universities and drama clubs." -Robert McCrum, The Guardian

In this sequence of essays-all but one published here for the first time-Peter Brook debates such questions as who was the man who wrote Shakespeare's plays, why Shakespeare is never out of date and how actors should approach Shakespeare's verse. He also revisits some of the plays which he has directed with notable brilliance, such as King Lear, Titus Andronicus and, of course, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Taken as a whole, this short but immensely wise book offers an illuminating and provocative insight into a great director's relationship with our greatest playwright.

"Contains within its scintillating reflections the essence of all that Peter Brook has learned over a lifetime. Whoever imagined that a book about Shakespeare could also be such fun?" -John Heilpern, Wall Street Journal

Peter Brook is one of the world's best-known theatre directors. Outstanding in a career full of remarkable achievements are his productions of Titus Andronicus with Laurence Olivier, King Lear with Paul Scofield, and Marat/Sade and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Since moving to Paris and establishing the Centre International de Créations Théâtrale at the Bouffes du Nord, he has produced a series of events which push at the boundaries of theatre, such as The Conference of Birds, The Ik, The Mahabharata and The Tragedy of Hamlet. His films include Lord of the Flies, King Lear and The Mahabharata. His books, especially The Empty Space, have been hugely influential.

For over 50 years, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, has existed to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. TCG's constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to nearly 700 Member Theatres and Affiliate organizations and more than 12,000 individuals nationwide. TCG offers its members networking and knowledge-building opportunities through conferences, events, research and communications; awards grants, approximately $2 million per year, to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and serves as the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute, connecting its constituents to the global theatre community.

TCG is North America's largest independent trade publisher of dramatic literature, with 13 Pulitzer Prizes for Best Play on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning American Theatre magazine and ARTSEARCH, the essential source for a career in the arts. In all of its endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre. www.tcg.org.