Chekhov

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Chekhov returned to Lithuania in 1932, he had discovered a magical qaulity called "IT".

He bought the question to the Lithuanian stage "Will something special happen in this room today?". He was on an intellectual quest to find "IT", how to define it and how to summon "IT" on stage.

He wrote a book "To the director and Playwright", which was finished after his death, which discussed the idea of "mask" - a hiddenr esource available ot the actor.

Whats important here: Stanislasky used psychology, Meyerhold used the physical body and Chekhov united the two.

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Linking Chekhov technique to the "mask" - By Per Brahe

Per Brahe was a Danish acting teacher, and there was to be a cultural exchange between 9 Russian students, and 9 Danish students. The danish student didnt want to take with them material representing Danish culture. So Per Brahe went to Bali to have world famous "Mr Ida Bagus Anom" create eighteen masks for a cultural exchange.

This was an attempt to break down the language barrier . After the first class, Zwerev and Khuraschov asked Per Brahe "Do youknow that your masks release work like that of Michael Chekhov?"

They later combined the mask work with Chekhovs exercises, in 1991 in "The Michael Chekhov" studio. In 1998 he went to America, and he enjoyed it so much, he stayed.

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1a ) The Actors still life and Balinese dance

Chekhovs nine exercises supoorted the kind of physcial responsibility required of the body. His belief was that the actor must train specific exercises so that the body develops a confident vocabulary of specificity.

Open broad, simple movements

The ideal centre in the chest

Molding

Floating

Flying

Fire/radiating mmovements

Ease of form

Beauty

Feeling of wholeness when crossing the threshold

These were documented in his first book "To the actor".

He was inspired by Rudolf Steiner who believed the human being was a free individual with huge resources, and when he took over the Moscow Art Theatre he introduced his philosophy into the currciulum.

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1b) Mind

Each of Chekhovs' exercises must be incorporated piece by piece. The actor must approach it with mindfulness and understand that it is an evergrowing process.

The best entrance into the world of Chekhov is through sensation of ease - no moment on stage must be filled with tension. Heaviness leads to lack of creativity.

Many actors confuse ease with relaxation. It is providing a energized quality within the ease of ones movements.

With the help of ease, the body is ready to incorporate the Five Qualities of Movement; Molding, floating, flying, fire and radiation.

THE IMAGES: Start with legato movements, as if you are molding clay. This is the beginning of understanding earth like movements. Then move onto the senstion of flying - not being able to keep your feet on the ground. Then send out flames in different directions in staccato movements.

ETHER BODY: Using the five qualities leads us into an area where the masks open inspiration.

TID BIT: You might be wondering if there are five quialities or four? We are aware of four elements of earth, wind, water and fire. But there is also a fifth that the Greeks call an ether body. It is something that is spontaneously awakened.

ETHER BODY CONT: In Per Brahe's mask work, the fifth element is present as the fire energy is awakened from the body. This is the beginning of the transformation. Chekhov talks about radation, and while it is important to give out: the counterpart is to receive.

Part of ease is not judging it is seen as tension - the classroom are frequently a battleground between students judgement and teachers processes and technique. Howeverr the controlling mind will soon silence itself as the actor accesses the higher creative self.

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1c) Thinking, Feeling and Willing

An actor need to balance thinking, feeling and willing. To do this, Per Brahe asked students to centre themselvestand upright, and take one step in each of the eight available directions, paying close attention to returning to the centre before moving in a different direction. The actor must move with three different qualities:

Thinking: The actors imahine that they move like a walking stick, stiffly and rigidly.

Feeling:The actorsmove the body with an image of a veil, focusing on breath.

Willing: Fusing on the feet, as if the actor weere a marching soldier.

The second exercise in "Thinking, Feeling and Willing" : Is the sea weed exercise. The actor must imagine he is a sea weed, fixed on a stone, swaying back and forth in different directions. Tis opens the spine. Once the actors balance is estabished and the spine is ooened, the physcial body and the mental body are now ready to explore creating a character.

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2a) The art of the character and working gesture

Chekhov used imagination, as opposed to Stanislasky's insistence that acting should be "true to life".

He also disagreed with Stanislavsky's emphasis on the actors ego. Under Stanislavsky's method, if an actor was playing a character whose child was ill, the actor imagined his own child was ill. With Chekhov, the character becomes the focal point which of all is the actors true object.

This lead Chekhov to search for a better way of creating a character and he asked - How dooes the artist reach a level of artistic ispiration? Is it a matter of chance? or gained through methodical application?

The four stages of transformation using the mask

Four stages: The actor holds up the mask and focuses on it, this is CONCENTRATION. He then uses his IMAGINATION to pretend the mask is talking to him. Then he puts on the mask which is referred to as INCORPORATION. Then he allows the mask deep into his soul which is called INSPIRATION. Then the mask takes over.

The mask represents the feeling, thinking and will of the character.

The controlling mind is ever present and the actor must not destroy it.

In Per Brahe's view the argument can be settled between Stanislasky and Chekhov - through mask work. If the actor takes the visual image he mask and tries to act how to character performs (Stanislasvsky) , the actor will become exhausted because he is acting an idea. His work will be filled with judgement because the mask will want to take the actor in a different direction but the controlling mind l get in the way.

On exercise: an actor puts on the mask without looking at it, this allows the audience and his fellow actors to guide him.

Centres

Chekhov discusses the different centres within the body from which an actor chooses to let a character emerge. Centres can be connected to nationalities e.g. french with their love of food and kissing, centre their mouths.

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2b) Psychological gesture: the tool to replace the controlling mind

As soon as the character is in place, the next step is to incorporate PSYCHOLOGICAL GESTURE. Per Brahe used the term "WORKING GESTURE". It is a human faulty that can be transofrmed to a powerful tool. e.g. Everyone who rides a New Yorksubway uses a psychologcial gesture to navigate through a subway car while avoiding physical contact with strangers. Ifa threatening individual approaches, the body contracts.and imagines itself pushing or pressing the person away.

PUSHING and PRESSING are the archetypal gestures - elements of psychological gesture.

If the intimidating person continues then the body transforms the process into a physical action - running. In the freedom of theatre you experiment with these gestures without being hurt.

Ancient Knowledge

The understanding that the body is driven by gestures originated from Buddhism. e.g. The Tibetans say we carry our past lives within ourself.

Expansion and contraction

To understand the power of working gestures, begin with the simple gestures of expansion (open gesture) and contraction (closed gesture).

e.g. Imagine walking down the street and bumping into some who you have owed money to for months. The closed gesture your body takes on is contraction.

Hatfield on Psychological gesture

Hatfield was a student of Chekhov, demonstyrating the power of gestures from chenging from a frail old man to an energetic, alive character. A simple exercise was to expand the body as much as possibel e.g. arms and legs wide. Then to close yourself off, shrinking , smaller and smaller.

Overall gesture

The overall gesture is the gesture you create for the characters objective in the play. e.g. In Ibsens a Dolls house, Nora could have a gesture of tryingto get out of a bodysuit of plastic wrap that her husband has wrapped around her since marriage.

This turns an intellectual understanding of the character in the play to a physical one which stirs up the characters actions.

The art of atmosphere

All these skills create an atmosphere. In one experience Chekhov experienced his consciousness seperate from that of the character. He was btoh performing the character and observing it. Chekhov, the actor, was at ease, while the character, Skid, was experiencing pain. The audience were spellbound and influencing them and the other actors were relating more openly. He had full control as his consciousness watched and gave commands to the character he was performing.

Hence it is in practise that an image is incorporated into the body.

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Balinese dance

To help define "IT". Consider it in Balinese dance.

In the world of theatre , all the revious exercise work towards IT. In Balinese dance, which utilises maximum gesture annd realizing a flow of energy. n fact Chekhov IT has a word in Bali - Taksu.

Some people translate this to charisma

It is seen as a heightened awareness, bough on spontaeously.

However the masks and atmosphere compliment eahch other. In many cases the image of the mask replaces pedestrian, self images with freer, stronger images.

It knocks down the idea of individuality and ego. The Balinese dancer does not add anything to his ancestors tradition. Tasku is found in the Balinese dance exemplifying the maximum ovements for the energy of the body, which is the ultimate gesture. With more practise and precision, more energy he will gain. Until he biginds to radiate - Taksu.