Michael Chekhov’s Acting Technique

Sinéad Rushe is a theatre director and acting coach. She trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama London. She is Lead Acting Tutor at RADA and Artistic Director of Creative Actor Training. She is the co-translator into French, with Sarah Hirschmuller, of four plays by Howard Barker (Editions Théâtrales). She is co-director of Michael Chekhov UK, Faculty Council member of Michael Chekhov Association USA (MICHA) and patron of Living Pictures theatre company in Wales. She gives masterclasses and talks worldwide on acting and the Michael Chekhov technique and offers regular training at Creative Actor Training.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction: Guiding PrinciplesA Note on the Context of Chekhov's workPart One: PreparationThe ideal centre The four brothers: feeling of ease Receiving The four brothers: feeling of form The four brothers: feeling of beauty The four brothers: feeling of entirety Radiating Expansion and contraction Part Two: PracticeQualities of movement: moulding, floating, flying, radiating Further qualities of movement: staccato/legato, curved/straight Directions in space Archetypal gesture The three sisters: rising, falling, balancing Image and imagination Improvisation Transition: TransformationPart Three: PerformanceImaginary body Imaginary centre Stick/ball/veil Archetypes Psychological gesture Subjective atmosphere Objective atmosphere Extras: ghost exercise, character biography Conclusion: Theatre of the FutureChronology of Michael Chekhov's Career

A long-time practitioner of Chekhov's acting technique, Rushe (Central School of Speech and Drama, UK) has delivered a valuable, comprehensive look at many of the acting tools Chekhov pioneered at the turn of the 20th century … Particularly noteworthy is Rushe’s creation of a careful pathway through all the material. Each exercise builds on its predecessor in a way that shows the author’s attention to detail and mastery of the subject matter … Though aimed at modern practitioners of acting, academics should not shy away from this guide, given its thorough research and its historical relevance. This volume will be a useful resource for those studying acting theory, theater history, or the pedagogy of acting.