CELEBRATING PETER BROOK Series Set for Theatre for a New Audience, 9/14-10/5

Peter Brook has been creating work for theatre, opera, and film for over 50 years. During the run of The Valley of Astonishment, written and directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne, Theatre for a New Audience will honor Mr. Brook's achievements with Celebrating Peter Brook, a series of events designed to explore the life of his work.

All events will take place at Theatre for a New Audience, Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place, Brooklyn September 14 and October 5, and all tickets may be purchased online, by phone, or in person at the Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) box office. Ticketing details are below.

TFANA Talk with Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne on The Valley of Astonishment
Tuesday, September 16 at 8:45pm
Free

A free post-performance discussion with Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne on The Valley of Astonishment, the latest in their decades-long artistic collaboration. Also participating in the TFANA Talk will be cast members Kathryn Hunter, Marcello Magni, and Jared McNeill. The conversation will be moderated by TFANA Literary Advisor Jonathan Kalb.

The TFANA Talk is open to the public. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis, however, seating priority will be given to ticket holders for that evening's 7:30pm performance.

Celebrating Peter Brook: Film Series

Peter Brook: The Tightrope (2012)
Directed by Simon Brook
Monday, September 29 at 7:00pm
$10 for the General Public;
$8 for TFANA Subscribers;
$5 per film with the Film Series Package of all 3 screenings

Filmed in total immersion with five hidden cameras, Peter Brook: The Tightrope plunges into the intimate aspects of Peter Brook's work with his troupe of actors and musicians. Without disturbing the truth of the moment, the film reveals the magic inherent in the creative process.

Running time: 83 minutes. In English and French, with English subtitles

Following Peter Brook: The Tightrope, Simon Brook will join the audience for a discussion about the film and his father.

Brook by Brook (2002)
Directed by Simon Brook
Monday, September 29 at 9:15pm
$10 for the General Public;
$8 for TFANA Subscribers;
$5 per film with the Film Series Package of all 3 screenings

This intimate portrait reveals the private side of Peter Brook's life and art.

Running time: 72 minutes. In English and French, with English subtitles.

Tell Me Lies (1968)
Directed by Peter Brook
Tuesday, September 30 at 9:15pm
$10 for the General Public;
$8 for TFANA Subscribers;
$5 per film with the Film Series Package of all 3 screenings

Three London actors in the Royal Shakespeare Company, obsessed by the photograph of a wounded Vietnamese child, try to understand the spiral of violence in the Vietnam War.

Running time: 118 minutes. In English.

Simon Brook will introduce Tell Me Lies.

Celebrating Peter Brook: Books and Films on DVD

September 14 - October 5

In cooperation with BookCourt, a curated selection of books by Brook, including The Empty Space and The Quality of Mercy, as well as biographies about Mr. Brook, will be available for purchase at the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Book Kiosk in the lobby of Theatre for a New Audience, Polonsky Shakespeare Center.

Also available will be several of Mr. Brook's classic films on DVD, including Lord of the Flies and Meetings with Remarkable Men, as well as Peter Brook: The Tightrope, directed by Simon Brook.

Background on The Valley of Astonishment

Produced by C.I.C.T./Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord with Theatre for a New Audience and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, The Valley of Astonishment is written and directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne and features Kathryn Hunter (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Kafka's Monkey), Marcello Magni (Fragments), and Jared McNeill (The Suit). Previews begin Sunday, September 14, for an opening Thursday, September 18, and a run through Sunday, October 5, at Theatre for a New Audience, Polonsky Shakespeare Center.

The Valley of Astonishment explores real people who see the world in a radically different light. Imagine a world where every color has a taste, or where the number 8 is a fat lady. The Valley of Astonishment is a kaleidoscopic journey into the mysteries and wonders of the human brain based on neurological research, true stories, and Farid Attar's epic mystical poem "The Conference of the Birds."

Theatre for a New Audience's Humanities programs are supported in part by a permanent endowment established at the Theatre by a Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), with leading matching gifts provided by Robert H. Arnow, Perry and Marty Granoff, John J. Kerr and Nora Wren Kerr, and Theodore C. Rogers. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Single tickets for The Valley of Astonishment, now on sale, are $60-$85 and may be purchased online at www.tfana.org, by phone at 866-811-4111, or in person at the Theatre for a New Audience Box Office (262 Ashland Place). Box office hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 1:00pm to 6:00pm. A limited number of premium seats are available for $100.

New Deal tickets for ages 30 and under or full-time students of any age are priced at $20 each and can be purchased online, by phone, or in person at the box office. Theatre for a New Audience's New Deal Ticket Program is supported by Macy's.

Performances of The Valley of Astonishment are Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:30pm, with matinees Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00pm except for Sunday, September 14, and Sunday, September 21.

Subscriptions for Theatre for a New Audience's 2014-2015 Season are $147 for a 3-play package and are available by calling (212) 229-2819, ext. 10. Flex Passes are also available for $208 and include four tickets to be used in any combination over the 2014-2015 Season. For information or to subscribe online, please visit www.tfana.org.

Tickets for Celebrating Peter Brook: Film Series are $10 per film for the general public and $8 per film for TFANA Subscribers. A Film Series Package is available for $15 and includes 1 ticket to each film in the series. Tickets may be purchased online at www.tfana.org, by phone at 866-811-4111, or in person at the Theatre for a New Audience Box Office.

Founded in 1979 by Jeffrey Horowitz, Theatre for a New Audience is a modern classic theatre. It produces Shakespeare alongside other major authors from the world repertoire, such as Harley Granville Barker, Edward Bond, Adrienne Kennedy and Wallace Shawn. It has played Off- and on Broadway and toured nationally and internationally.

In 2001, Theatre for a New Audience became the first American theatre invited to bring a production of Shakespeare to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Stratford-upon-Avon. Cymbeline, directed by Bartlett Sher, premiered at the RSC; in 2007, Theatre for a New Audience was invited to return to the RSC with The Merchant of Venice starring F. Murray Abraham. In 2011, Mr. Abraham reprised his role as Shylock for a national tour.

The Theatre's productions have been honored with Tony, Obie, Drama Desk, Drama League, Callaway, Lortel and Audelco awards and nominations and reach an audience diverse in age, economics and cultural background.

The Theatre created and runs the largest in-depth program in the New York City Public Schools to introduce students to Shakespeare, and has served more than 126,000 students since the program began in 1984. The Theatre's economically accessible ticket program includes one of the lowest reserved ticket prices for youth in the city: $20 for any show, any time for those 30 years old and under or for full-time students of any age.