Michael Chekhov's Acting Technique: A Practitioner's Guide

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to Michael Chekhov's acting technique,including principles,practical exercises,and interviews with actors who have worked with the technique. It illustrates Chekhov's approach through references to Rushe's own productions and contemporary examples.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 24 January 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This book is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the renowned acting technique developed by Michael Chekhov, intended for actors, directors, teachers, and researchers. It offers a clear and thorough exploration of the method, providing a comprehensive overview of its principles and practical exercises that illustrate how they can be applied to dramatic texts.

Part One of the book provides an outline of the ideas that underpin the technique, helping practitioners to become responsive and receptive, and to awaken their imagination. Part Two charts a journey through the foundational psychophysical exercises that can orient an actor's training routine and be applied directly to the development of a role. Part Three focuses on more specific and elaborate methods of scene work, characterisation, and the art of transformation.

Drawing on the full range of Chekhov's writing in English and French, the book also examines unpublished material from the Dartington Hall archives and features interviews with actors who have worked with the technique, including Simon Callow and Joanna Merlin. It illustrates Chekhov's approach by referring to Rushe's own productions of Nikolai Gogol's short story "Diary of a Madman" and Shakespeare's "Othello," as well as characters and scenes in Sarah Kane's "Blasted" and the contemporary American television series "Breaking Bad."

Michael Chekhov's Acting Technique is an accessible, comprehensive, and contemporary point of reference for those already trained in the method, as well as an initiation and toolkit for practitioners who are just beginning to discover it. It provides a deep understanding of Chekhov's principles and techniques, enabling actors to develop their craft and bring their characters to life on stage and screen.

Weight: 462g
Dimension: 139 x 215 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781408156889