During World War II, he attended Oxford and produced a small movie. Upon graduating, he unenthusiastically found work in the theater. Later, he contrasts the staid traditions of the British with the more vital and chaotic Parisian scene. Brook characterizes himself as energetic, impulsive, and determined, yet conflicted by a desire for harmony and purity. Then he met followers of the Russian mystic Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff.
All cultures create forms of theater to heal, celebrate, and reveal the mystery and pain of life.
Seeking answers, Brook founded a series of ensembles made up of select performers. Brook's forte was devising improvisational methods and exercises that brought out the creativity, inner lives, and relationships among actors. He writes well about his experiments and findings, while commenting on works such as the notorious Midsummer Night's Dream and the spectacle, Orghast at Persepolis . By 1968, Brook had settled in Paris and created the International Center for Theater Research. Portuguese, Japanese, Polish, French, and American actors came together and followed him on a global odyssey.