On the Technique of Acting

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Michael Chekhov was considered by many to be the greatest actor of the 20th century. Famous for his ability to create fantastic, and even grotesque, characterization with immense inner life. He left audiences stunned. Many well established Actors, directors and teachers have commented on the influence the Chekhov technique has had on them. Including Stella Adler, Lee Strassberg, Sanford Meisner, Gregory Peck, Harold Clurman, Anthony Quinn, Clint Eastwood, Jack Nickolson, Anthony Hopkins, Marilyn Monroe, Yul Bryner, Elia Kazan, and the list goes on. Many of these individuals where even taught by him. Stanislavsky himself called Michael Chekhov his greatest pupil. The Chekhov Technique is founded on each actors own creative individuality. Looking beyond the limitations of using your own experiences to call forth truth. He moves into the realm of the Imagination. From psycho-physical movement based work to expressing universal ideas in emotionally truthfull behavior. This book covers it all in a free, creative and nurturing way. It covers the use of atmospheres, quality of movement, objectives (aka: actions, intentions, verbs), calling forth emotion with ease, imaginary center and imaginary body, images, behavior, psychological gesture (as applied to the overall character, individual scenes, objectives, atmospheres, and moments), radiating and receiving, working off your partner, working off the audience, working with the director, improvisation, ensemble, styles from clown to tragedy, and much more. Everything in this book is both practical and fun to apply to the art of acting. Finally to the actor is available in it's entirety. If your an actor, director or teacher, it should be required reading. If your just someone interested in what's involved in the actor's craft, this book will show you the point of view of one of the greatest actor's in history. Highly Recommended.

It would be interesting to read this book alongside Mamet's "True and False." Chekov's passion for creation and exploration through the imagination, set against Mamet's scorn of invention on the part of the actor. Mamet dismisses the idea that character exists and that an actor can "become" the character. Chekov meditated in order to try and commune with the spirit of the character.Two very different approaches.In spite of the practical application of Chekov's ideas, there is a childlike hunger here for the imaginitive and mysterious that I feel is critical for any artist. We can appreciate that Chekov defied Stanislavski in search of something of his own, and here is perhaps the most interesting point: Chekov's method was deeply personal. He created his own approaches, and took bold risks in doing so. I most enjoyed the descriptions that his book has of how Chekov would create his own characters. That any artist could throw themselves into their work with such interest and abandon is thrilling.

Again my mantra about acting books remains . . .Reading an acting book must be taken inside the context of personal experience of either production or an acting class.I value Checkov for the simple reason that, although he often comes across as nebulous and abstract, he stresses the fantastic and imaginative elements of acting.Escewing working from the emotional inside out Checkov, a veteran of the Moscow Art Theatre, stresses finding the character through imaginative excercises that first engage the external elements of the actor's instrument namely in the creation of fantasy atmospheres and communion with the audience.Building upon Jung's theories of the Universal Archetype, I find Checkov's bit about the psychological gesture and "living statues" most helpful in teaching, acting and directing. In a professional world where gut wrenching, self absorbed displays of therepy induced emotion passes for true acting, I find Checkov's teachings most helpful in inspiring the true reasons many find themselves drawn to the stage: the wonder and excitement of telling an imaginative story.