Average customer rating:
- An outstanding read!
- The Imaginitive Realm
- Stresses the fantastic and imaginative!
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On the Technique of Acting
Michael Chekhov
Manufacturer: Collins
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0062730371
Release Date: 1993-11-01 |
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Michael Chekhov, nephew to the Russian playwright and student of Stanislavski, left Russia and his mentor behind to pursue a career as an actor, director, and teacher in Europe and America. While he was an early advocate of Stanislavski, Chekhov differed from the great teacher in important respects, particularly in his insistence on the use of imagination as opposed to memory in creating a role. (In a famous anecdote, Chekhov once performed a "sense memory" exercise in which he broke down over the tragic death of his aunt. When complimented on the truthfulness of his emotion, he admitted that his "aunt" was entirely imaginary.) One of Chekhov's innovations of technique is the "psychological gesture," in which a repeated external action leads to an internal revelation. Due to his insistence on the importance of the physical rather than the simply intellectual, Chekhov's book is as focused on following its series of exercises as it is in study; acting, he would remind us, is always fundamentally a verb. For actors who feel "hemmed in" by an overinsistence on "feeling" a part or in drawing from their own experiences to feed a role, Chekhov's focus on the primal and limitless nature of imagination is tremendously liberating. --John Longenbaugh
Book Description
The most authoritive, authentic text of a classic guide to acting
In the four decades since its first publication, Michael Chekhov's To the Actor has become a standard text for students of the theater. But To the Actor is a shortened, heavily modified version of the great director/actor/teacher's original manuscript, and On the Technique of Acting is the first and only book ever to incorporate the complete text of that brilliant manuscript. Scholars and teachers of Chekhov's technique have hailed On the Technique of Acting as the clearest, most accurate presentation of the principles he taught Yul Brynner, Gregory Peck, Marilyn Monroe, Anthony Quinn, Beatrice Straight, and Mala Powers, among others.
This new, definitive edition of Chekhov's masterful work clarifies the principles outlined in To the Actor concerning the pivotal role of the imagination in actors' understanding of themselves and the roles they play. On the Technique of Acting also expands on Chekhov's previously published work with many unique features, including:
- Thirty additional exercises
- A chapter devoted to screen acting
- More thorough explanations of the Psychological Gesture, inner tempo vs. outer tempo, and other key concepts of Chekhov's approach
For actors, directors, and anyone interested in the theater, On teh Technique of Acting is an essential handbook.
Customer Reviews:
An outstanding read!.......2005-09-13
This book is a must for all actors film or stage. It helps one to evaluate your method of acting and helps one to learn using easy step by step methods of each exercise.
The Imaginitive Realm.......2002-12-02
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.
Stresses the fantastic and imaginative!.......2001-10-18
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.
Book Description
This four audio CD program covers material not included in either of Chekhov's books, On the Technique of Acting or the new edition of To the Actor. The highlights include: The Art of Characterization; Short Cuts to Role Preparation; How to Awaken Artistic Feelings and Emotions; Avoiding Monotony in Performance; Overcoming Inhibitions and Building Self-Confidence; Psycho-Physical Exercises; and Development of the Ensemble Spirit.
Customer Reviews:
Michael Chekhov Speaks.......2001-05-08
Thsi set of tapes is wonderful. If you are a fan of the Michael Chekhov Technique, or merely curious, the tapes are an opportunity to hear Michael Chekhov share the elements of his technique with a group of professional actors. I have a set just for drive time in my car - they keep me very connected to the technique and Chekhov's artistic vision.
Average customer rating:
- Great Alternative to the Method
- The Best Book On Acting
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To the Actor
Michael Chekhov ,
Mala Powers , and
Simon Callow
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0415258766 |
Book Description
To the Actor is the perfect handbook for professional and amateur actors and directors. Michael Chekhov's simple and practical method, used by actors all over the world, will train your imagination and body to quickly and effectively call up emotion, develop characters, and strengthen awareness. These exercises are an absolute must for any theatre practitioner.This revised and expanded edition of Michael Chekhov's classic text includes new material on the most popular aspect of Chekhov's techniques, Psychological Gesture. Celebrated director, Andrei Malaev-Babel, has translated this new chapter into English for the very first time and provides an invaluable commentary to provide you with new ways to apply Psychological Gesture. There is also a foreword by Simon Callow and a new biography of Chekhov by Mala Powers.
Customer Reviews:
Great Alternative to the Method.......2005-02-20
Some of the techniques I learned from "Respect for Acting" by Uta Hagen were causing me serious problems in my acting. I was trying to balance too many notions in my head at once, and it was compounding anxiety and tension, and hampering my awareness on stage.
This book gave me a lot of useful replacements for those cumbersome method techniques. Imagination is ultra-important and this book teaches you how to develop it. Chekhov will teach you how to find true honesty from your imagination, and how to connect your physical body with your imaginative powers.
This is a brilliant man, who devoted his life to finding and sharing a hopeful approach to acting. Stanislavsky openly regarded his great talent, and told him he had a great responsibility to try to share what he knew with future generations. He took that to heart and now we have this book.
I only give it 4 stars, because I believe that a quest for an acting technique is personal, and this can't be the solution for everyone, nor was it the complete boxed-up solution for me. If you have had problems with "The Method" give this a shot, though.
Check out his other book, "On the Technique of Acting." It provides some useful complimentary information.
The Best Book On Acting.......2003-09-03
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.
Book Description
This volume collects the extraordinary lectures, including exercises, which Michael Chekhov presented at his studio classes in New York in 1941. His technique and philosophy of acting initially derived from his work with Stanislavsky, but later took on its own autonomous and imaginative vigor.
Customer Reviews:
Not bad, but not the best.......2001-05-08
This book has a nice conversational feel to it (it's basically transcriptions of master classes Chekhov conducted with professional actors), but it is not quite as useful to practicing the elements of the technique as "To the Actor" or "On the Technique of Acting" - which makes sense as it was not written to be a textbook on the technique. It does give a nice alternative perspective to Michael Chekhov and his technique for those who have only read "To the Acto" or "On the Technique of Acting"
Book Description
The first 30 years of the 20th-century produced a theatrical explosion whose reverberations are still felt today. Stanislavsky, Meyerhold, Vakhtanghov, Michael Chekhov in Russia; Reinhardt, Piscator and Brecht in Germany; and Copeau, Barrault and Artaud in France collectively demolished the 19th-century aesthetic and, in their wake, created the modernity which is the hallmark of today's theatre. Most of these men have already been turned into modern icons; there is no shortage of bios on the pioneers of the Moscow Arts Theatre, and the achievements of the others are chronicled and archived for posterity. Only one of these artists remains murky and ill-defined. He is Michael Chekhov (1891-1955), nephew of the famous playwright Anton Chekhov, the man that Stanislavsky described as "the most brilliant actor in all of Russia." A charismatic actor, an inspiring director and a teacher that developed a dynamic antidote to Russian Naturalism, Chekhov remains the invisible man of the modern theatre. Was he, as Lee Strasberg alleged, a dangerous mystic who would subvert the vigor of Stanislavsky's teachings and undermine the integrity of The Group Theatre? Or was he, as his disciples - Yul Brynner, Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman, Anthony Quinn, Jack Palance, Leslie Caron, Jennifer Jones, Patricia Neal, Anthony Hopkins, Jack Nicholson and Marilyn Monroe - believed, a man who had discovered a unique approach to acting which transcended the precepts enshrined in Stanislavsky's "System." Charles Marowitz was granted special access to the Chekhov archives in Devon, England, and he interviewed actors and directors who worked closely with Chekhov both in Europe and America. The book chronicles Chekhov's influential period in Hollywood when he was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as the avuncular psychiatrist in Alfred Hitchcock's 1945 film Spellbound. It also describes his close association with Marilyn Monroe at the most delicate stage of her career.
Customer Reviews:
Died The Day James Dean Did.......2005-03-24
On the heels of Antony Beevor's perfervid THE MYSTERY OF OLGA CHEKHOVA: WAS HITLER'S FAVORITE ACTRESS A RUSSIAN SPY? comes this interesting portrait of Chekhova's former husband, Michael Chekhov of the Moscow Art Theater.
Charles Marowitz has written a splendid biography, which gives the layman an idea of the schisms behind the development of the Stanislavsky "Method" of acting and directing. In particular, we gasp at the perilous journey Chjekhov, the nephew of the playwright Anton, took when it became clear he had turned into an enemy of the Soviet state. It makes you wish there was a full-dress biography of Beatrice Straight and her parents, the chatelaines of Dartington Hall in England. The talent they assembled there, including Chekhov, Kurt Jooss, and Benjamin Britten, turned the estate into a splendid arts factory, training Hurd Hatfield and Yul Brynner and many more.
When Chekhov went to Hollywood, he appeared in nine films of varying quality, including SPELLBOUND and the SPECTER OF THE ROSE, both written by Ben Hecht who had an affection for the old rascal who came dripping "Russian sugar." The young actress Mala Powers, seen as Roxanne in the Jose Ferrer film of CYRANO, makes a prominent appearance here, as the keeper of the flame. She is the executrix of the Chekhov estate.
Chekhov somehow evaded the scrutiny of the House Un American Activities Committee but maybe it would have caught up to him had he not died--oddly enough on the very same day as James Dean did, so his death slipped out of the public's consciousness and many think he is still alive.
A marvelously written tome. I saw only one mistake, Marowitz--himself a famous director and theorist--apparently thinks that Orson Welles appeared in John Farrow's THE BIG CLOCK; it only seems that he did, for it was actually Charles Laughton.
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The critical clamour for a Complete Chekhov in Michael Frayn's translation has borne fruit Sunday Times
Customer Reviews:
Somewhat interesting.......2005-03-05
I had to read this for a class that I had. I know it is representative of Russian literature, but it's very bleak and depressing. None of the plays have a really happy ending, but they do have good endings. My least favorite of the plays was Three Sisters, and my favorite was Cherry Orchard. Three Sisters, in my opinion is about the most bleak, unsatisfying, and depressing play about life and love I have ever read. Cherry Orchard is, in my opinion well thought out, bad things happen in this play, but there are reasons for these occurances, and it also has the most satisfying ending of all the plays in this book. Seagull, Uncle Vanya, and Ivanov aren't really bad, but aren't spectacular. If you want to read a light-hearted and easy going play, don't read this. They were interesting enough for me to give this four stars, they aren't bad for the most part, but aren't spectacular either.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant!!.......2004-07-13
This is a fascinating book, for fans of both great literature and great biography. There have been many collections of Chekhov's letters, but this one points out the errors in those previous ones (such as the one edited by Lillian Hellman) and corrects them. It focuses primarily on the letters in which Chekhov talked about his literature and the productions of his plays, and on his relationships with other artists, such as Tolstoy, Gorky, Stanislavsky and many others less well known outside of Russia. It also corrects many misperceptions about Chekhov created the various memoirs (such as Stanislavsky's) and biographies based on the erroneous information in those memoirs.
The Chekhov that the reader gets to know through this book is a vividly real human being.
Karlinsky si! Chekhov si!.......2003-02-16
A fabulous book!! No one could ask for a better read, late at night, with the blankets tucked around one, and a hot buttered rum at one's side!!
Chekhov was a man!!
The Best Source of Information on Chekhov's Life and Art.......1998-04-25
There are many biographies of Chekhov, including the new one by Rayfield, but this edition of the letters is the best source of the writer's life and thought. Long out of print, it was wise of Northwestern University Press to re-issue this book. The other editions of the letters, by Hellman and another by Yarmolinsky, cannot compare.
This volume is valuable for its superb, lengthy introduction, which is a capsule biography. In addition, each of the fifteen sections are introduced by an engaging biographical headnote.
The letters themselves are the record of an extraordinary person, a man who instructed other writers to succeed in their work by feeling "compassion down to their fingertips."
This book shows the emotions and thoughts of the writer who lived that simple but wise piece of advice.
Among the more amusing letters is the one to his wastrel brother, in March 1886, in which he wittily enumerates the qualities of well-bred people. Among them: "They don't guzzle vodka on any old occasion, nor do they go around sniffing cupboards....They shun all ostentation: empty barrels make the most noise."
This volume is full of such humorous but sage advice, and reveals the man behind the extraordinary short stories and plays better than any biography.
You will remember some of the letters in this book throughout your lifetime.
Average customer rating:
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Chekhov: The Essential Plays (Modern Library Classics)
Anton Chekhov
Manufacturer: Modern Library
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ASIN: 0375761349
Release Date: 2003-08-19 |
Book Description
Because Chekhov’s plays convey the universally recognizable, sometimes comic, sometimes dramatic, frustrations of decent people trying to make sense of their lives, they remain as fresh and vigorous as when they were written a century ago. Gathered here in superb new renderings by one of the most highly regarded translators of our time—versions that have been staged throughout the United States, Canada, and Great Britain—are Chekhov’s four essential masterpieces for the theater.
Customer Reviews:
Great plays.......2003-10-30
Let's face it, Anton Chekhov's works will always be a masterpiece, no matter which pieces of work one decides to read and evaluate. These essential plays (The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard) were very well selected for their inclusion in the "Essentials".
I only give four stars not because I didn't enjoy the plays, but because I believe there could have been others replaced by the ones they decided to include. Once again, that is perhaps only personal preference. All of the plays included are dramatic and comical in their own witty ways. Thorough enjoyment is almost guaranteed in this Modern Classic Library edition of Chekhov. Out of respect for the author and the translator, I will refrain from mentioning other stories that could have been added in lieu of the ones chosen. Maybe I'm being selfish in only giving four stars based on a personal opinion of the plays included, but, after all, that is why this is a review, right? Enjoy the book anyway. A great addition to your Checkov collection.
Book Description
MARINA. [Shaking her head] This house is topsy-turvy! The Professor gets up at noon, the samovar is kept boiling all the morning, and everything has to wait for him. Before they came we used to have dinner at one o'clock, like everybody else, but now we have it at seven. The Professor sits up all night writing and reading, and suddenly, at two o'clock, there goes the bell! Heavens, what's that? The Professor wants some tea! Wake the servants, light the samovar! Lord, how topsy-turvy!
Download Description
A country house on a terrace. In front of it a garden. In an avenue of trees, under an old poplar, stands a table set for tea, with a samovar, etc. Some benches and chairs stand near the table. On one of them is lying a guitar. A hammock is swung near the table. It is three o'clock in the afternoon of a cloudy day. MARINA, a quiet, grey-haired, little old woman, is sitting at the table knitting a stocking.
Customer Reviews:
Uncle Vanya.......2007-05-19
Enjoyed this adaptation by David Mamet very much. It arrived very quickly which was surely appreciated. Thank you.
One of the most thought provoking and beautiful plays.......2004-05-11
"Uncle Vanya" is a beautiful play. I've read it many times in several languages and always enjoyed it very much. Don't read it unless you have attention span greater than that of a child. It's rewarding if you give it a chance. This is Chekhov's best play.
Microsoft Reader Doesn't Print.......2003-01-10
I was disappointed in Microsoft Reader's inability to print. I like the concept of near instant availability for e-books, but prefer to read from the printed page instead of staring at a computer screen. Funny, too, how I found out I couldn't print my document until after I had purchased this e-book and installed the Microsoft Reader software (with the additional step of having to "activate" a pc for it). In fact, Microsoft Reader's Help section doesn't make mention of the fact that one can't print its documents. A search in the help topics only produces the result that the word "print" can't be found.
I'll avoid the Microsoft Reader e-book format in the future.
Bad.......2002-04-23
Really Really boring, don't think anyone should waste their time reading this garbage. Horrible!
Checkov at his best.......2000-08-20
I have read many versions of Uncle Vanya, but this edition is an up-beat, funny, and, ultimately wonderful version of the excellent story by one of Russias beloved writers. I was looking for the right edition to use in my school for the school play, and this edition the kids could connect to. It dosen't have a lot of that Shakespere mumbo-jumbo that you have to read 50 times. This is accesible and very good. rock on David Mamet.
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