Irina Brook

Irina Brook is an Anglo-French theatre and opera director known for her work in both classical and contemporary productions, and a former actress.

Personal life Born in Paris to director Peter Brook and actress Natasha Parry, she was educated between England and France before moving to New York to study acting with Stella Adler, making her stage debut in Off-Broadway productions.

Acting Brook worked for several years as an actor appearing in films such as Captive (1986).

Directing career Brook’s recognition as a theatre director came in London in 1996 with ‘Beast on the Moon’ at the Battersea Arts Centre. She directed productions of ‘Mrs Klein’ at the Palace Theatre and ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’ at the Oxford Playhouse before establishing herself in Paris with her French adaptation of ‘Beast on the Moon’, which won five Molière Awards, including Best Director and Best Play.

Her opera career began directing Mozart’s ‘Die Zauberflöte ’ for the Nederlandse Reisopera. She has since directed a range of operatic works at major opera houses around the world, including Tchaikovsky’s ‘Yevgeny Onegin’, Rossini’s ‘La Cenerentola’ and Verdi’s ‘La Traviata’. Her work at Teatro La Scala in Milan includes ‘Die Sieben Todsünden’, ‘La Rodine’ and ‘Il Matrimonio Segreto’.

In 2003 she formed Irina’s Dream Theatre Company, through which she toured globally with productions of Brecht’s ‘Der Gute Mensch von Sezuan’, Marivaux’s ‘L’Île des Esclaves’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ internationally. Her work at major festivals includes the Salzburg Festival, Barbican Centre, Spoleto Festival, and her production The Island Trilogy, which toured internationally.

From 2014-2021, she was the first female Director of the Théâtre National de Nice, where she produced, curated and directed the theatre’s programme.

Her work in theatre and opera has been recognised with several awards, including the ‘Chevalier and Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’, the ‘Molière Award’ for Best Director & Best Play and in 2023 the ‘Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’.

Theatre

Opera

Awards