Peter Brook with Karen Brooks Hopkins and Bryan Doerries

Peter Brook (1925-2022) distinguished himself in theater, opera, cinema, and writing throughout his career. He directed his first play in London in 1943 and has since directed more than 70 productions in London, Paris, and New York. In 1971, he co-founded the International Centre for Theatre Research in Paris and opened its permanent base in the Bouffes du Nord Theatre in 1974. Brook’s longstanding relationship to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where many of his productions have been seen in New York, dates back to the 1970s, when BAM presented his innovative rendering of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Brook’s autobiography, Threads of Time, was published in 1998.

President Emerita of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Karen Brooks Hopkins worked at the institution for thirty-six years, serving sixteen as its president. As president, Hopkins oversaw the institution’s 230 full-time employees and its multiple theaters and cinemas, ranging from the 2,100 seat BAM Howard Gilman Opera House to the flexible 250-seat Fishman Space. Her widely read book, Successful Fundraising for Arts & Cultural Organizations, is currently in its second edition. Following her retirement from BAM in June 2015, Hopkins recently served as the Inaugural Senior Fellow in Residence at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, board member of the Jerome L. Greene Foundation, senior adviser to and board member of the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, among others.

Writer, director, and translator Bryan Doerries currently serves as Artistic Director of Theater of War Productions. A self-described evangelist for ancient stories and their relevance to our lives today, Doerries uses age-old approaches to help individuals and communities heal from trauma and loss. Doerries’ books include The Theater of War: What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today), The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan, and a collection of his translations of ancient Greek Tragedies entitled All That You’ve Seen Here is God. He has received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Kenyon College, and in 2017, he was named Public Artist in Residence for the City of New York.