Robert Brustein, a prominent figure in the theatrical world as a critic, playwright, and founder of regional theaters, has passed away at the age of 96. Known for his advocacy of boundary-breaking works and modernizing classics, Brustein founded the Yale Repertory Theatre and the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard. He continued to express his opinions on various topics even in his 80s.
Robert Brustein , a giant in the theatrical world as critic, playwright, crusader for artistic integrity and founder of two of the leading regional theaters in the country, has died. He was 96.
Even in his 80s, Brustein continued offering his opinions on everything from art to politics, lashing out at the Tea Party and describing the pain of breaking ribs on his own blog. He was a distinguished scholar in residence at Suffolk University, a professor of English emeritus at Harvard University and longtime critic at The New Republic.
After a painful, highly publicized dismissal from Yale, Brustein in 1979 switched to Harvard, where he taught English and founded the American Repertory Theatre in 1980. Then in 1987, he founded the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, a two-year graduate program. He retired as artistic director from A.R.T. in 2002 but continued serving as its founding director.
“I was looking for the energies of popular theater applied to traditional work. I was also looking for new American plays. This was a very important function of ours, to encourage and develop new American playwrights.” Brustein was a staunch believer that theater should be first and foremost an art form, not just a political platform. He once criticized the African-American playwright August Wilson for declaring that Black people should not participate in colorblind casting but should form their own separatist companies. The pair then aired their differences in 1997 in a high-profile confrontation at New York's Town Hall.
Robert Brustein Theatrical World Critic Playwright Artistic Integrity Regional Theaters Death Boundary-Breaking Works Classics Yale Repertory Theatre American Repertory Theatre Advocacy Opinions
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