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