Ask any Japanese theater lover to list his or her favorite foreign directors, and most would include Peter Brook, the English-born, long-time French resident who has been bringing his productions here and encouraging audiences to explore new artistic realms since way back in 1973.
Among Brook's triumphs here was his legendary 1988 production of the Hindu epic poem "Mahabharata," which he premiered at the Avignon Festival in France three years before. However, few of his fans would be familiar with the name of Marie-Helene Estienne, the Frenchwoman who cast that show and has been Brook's creative partner for more than 30 years.
As was reported on this page, last autumn's Festival/Tokyo 2014 featured "The Valley of Astonishment," which Estienne wrote and directed together with Brook. But while she was here for that production, she also conducted a workshop with Japanese directors and actors in which I participated, too, and was astonished by her sharp powers of observation, her warmth and the way she inspired each one of us.
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