Michael Chekhov
Chekhov was one of the most extraordinary actors of the twentieth century. Stanislavsky said of his brilliant student, “He is a genius.” Chekhov was a part of the pioneering Moscow Art Theatre, where a passion for artistic investigation revolutionized acting and theatre.
“The Moscow Art Theatre became my training school as an actor and director. Also, my subsequent work and experiments with the First Studio of the Moscow Art Theatre, and as head of the Second Moscow Art Theatre, would not have been possible had not Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko created the mother theatre and, later, given me the latitude to explore theories of my own within this cradle of the theatre arts as we know them today.”
Forced by oppressive conditions in Russia to leave his home, he wandered through Europe, England and the United States on a personal and artistic odyssey to find or create opportunity for his art, all the while honing his unique ideas about acting, theatre and how to liberate human beings through these creative endeavors. Through the development of his technique and his lifetime of teaching and directing, Chekhov has deeply inspired and influenced the work of established actors from Broadway to Hollywood and throughout the world for many years.
Chekhov understood that the actor often encountered conditions that inhibited expression and he dedicated himself to discovering a technique - a simple and effective means to awaken the feelings and free the body, allowing the actor’s native artistic instincts to function fully.
Chekhov ‘s technique makes the actor aware of their psycho-physical ability, helping them engage the intuition, the expressive freedom of the body, and the concentration and radiation of inner knowing.
“Our way of developing our bodies is the way to develop it from inside, by means of our psychology, and not only by outer means, which might develop our bodies physically perfectly well, but not quite suitable for acting. Such means make our physical exercises into psycho-physical.”
Chekhov’s technique orients the actor to work with their Imagination - to reach forward to ever new and exciting characters - characters not limited to the everyday, personal experience, but inspired, interesting and delightful.
“There is no limit to developing your Imagination. This ability can be developed to such a state that the imagination will be the artist. It must be so powerful and so beautiful and inspiring that you become the eternal student of your own imagination.”