Micheal Chekhov Techniques

Course details

A nephew of the playwright Anton Chekhov, Michael Chekhov was one of the leading figures in world theatre throughout the first half of the twentieth century. He began his career at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1912 under the wing of Constantin Stanislavski. From the nineteen twenties onward, he began to evolve his own practice in what became known as the second Moscow Art Theatre. Many years later, he succeeded in getting his thoughts down on paper in the concise form of “To the Actor”, (published by Routledge), a book widely available today in bookshops and on line. Chekhov created a series of psycho-physical exercises as the basis of his work. These exercises facilitate the smooth transition from inner experience to outer expression. A good deal of his work aids the actor in the creation of character. The actor is encouraged to work artistically and to develop and work out of his creative imagination. Some techniques for this purpose work from the body as a stimulus to the inner life. Others, starting with the imagination, produce transformative outer effects.