Michael Chekhov Workshop

Workshop 

Michael Chekhov

Introduction:

Body and Space: Michael Chekhov’s notion of atmosphere as the means of creating space in theatre 

Information to say while everyone is in semi supine or before the exercise starts: 

Atmosphere is a multi- layered text based on the anthropological ( the science of humans), architectural and emotional types of human relationships. It is both the Actor/ Character/ Spectator communication and the, employment of theatre space as sign. Therefore, atmosphere is a dynamic process defining the aesthetic reading of a performance.

A part of Chekhov’s acting technique, is an organising force of theatre space in action. It is created by every individual performer and simultaneously by a group of actors in the circumstances of a particular production. It is a visual and sensory text connecting: actors on stage with each other and people on stage and people in the audience.

Chekhov sees atmosphere in the hands of the actors, in the way their bodies interconnect within the circumstances of a given space rhythm of the action, and the objectives of each particular character using external layers er. music lights to add or create atmosphere.

Exercise 1

• Start with semi supine- get the class to lye in semi supine, this will get them in a focused and personal space 

Explain the introduction and what we aim to get from doing the workshop on Michael Chekhov- To develop an atmosphere within a space, one that we can translate into The Devils

• In Chekhov’s vocabulary the term atmosphere signifies the dominant tone or mood of, amongst other things, a place, a relationship or an art work. It is a sort of tension, which is spread in the air, enveloping people and events and pervading the life of which it is a part.

• Tell them to think of the angriest moment in their life 

• Choose a physical gesture to suppress or express your anger e.g. clenching teeth, squeezing fist, grabbing hair, kicking, biting nails etc. - Hold on to it

• Give them a Scenario: Night time streets of Loudun, you are now your character, the feeling of hate is spreading all over France and is uprising in every single character 

• The only way of expression is with your gesture and eyes- by only using one gesture in this scenario it is like a suppression of sin, you have to still keep order when there is so much disorder inside of you 

• first of you are the only person in the street
• then push the gesture x5
• then all the other characters are introduced and you can start to see the other people walking round 
• push the gesture x10
• now with everything you’ve just felt keep that gesture minimal but still with the same feeling as x10

• Shake it out 

• discuss

Exercise 2

•  Get every one to lie in Semi Supine 

Michael Chekhov believed that ‘ the atmosphere is the soul of the performance’ which the actor can create around him/ her without and given circumstances, by moving and speaking in harmony with it

• Think of your characters suspicions e.g. Adam and Mannoury’s feelings towards Grandier

• Choose a physical gesture to suppress or express your suspicion e.g.. Sharp head movements, scratching of the head, fiddling with the hands etc. - Hold onto it 

• Scenario: St. Peters Church, where Grandier is priest, you can be praying, you can be standing by the door, anything your character would be doing in the church

• Stand up now and start walking to or into the church, your only way of expression is with your gesture and eyes, remember you are completely your character right now, do not think or act as yourself

 Atmosphere still requires the qualities of a sign on stage. It functions as a device of bringing stage and audience together via the actors rhythmical characterisation of his or her stage mask.

• Push the gesture x5
• push the gesture x10

• shake it out- discuss 

Something to take away with you and perhaps looks at:

Chekhov encouraged actors to practice creating atmospheres in their imagination by reading through scenes from plays, getting a sense of the overall atmosphere and then imagining the characters acting and speaking in tune with it. Rather than doing this just once, Chekhov proposes that the exercise is repeated until the inner performance is satisfactory, and then suggests that the atmosphere is altered. 

Note: In your spare time if you have a chance, look at some plays or scenes and imagine the atmosphere on stag or in that moment, it will help to expand your imagination and sense of atmosphere that will ultimately help you with your approach to the atmosphere in the devils and in your scenes. 

Michael Chekhov

Acting Technique- Michael Chekhov

 (PSYCHOLOGICAL GESTURE)

• Characterisation (Imaginary Body & Center), Composition (Balance & Form), Psychological Gesture (embodies the psychology and objective of the character).

• Feeling of Style (specific to genre), Feeling for Truth ( to all elements), Feeling of Ease (to sit with a feeling of ease vs. to relax), Feeling of Form (own body & movement through space), Feeling of Beauty (living beauty & harmony in all characters), Feeling of Entirety (aesthetic wholeness).

• Qualities (sensations and feelings; coaxed not commanded; movement creates emotion), Body (psycho-physical exercises), Imagination, Radiating/Receiving, Improvising and “Jewelry” (final stages/uniqueness), Ensemble, Focal Point, Objective, Atmosphere.

Chapter One - Characterization (Imaginary body & center)

• To create characters with physical features different from his own, the actor must first visualize an “Imaginary Body.” It belongs to hers or his character, but the actor can learn to inhabit it; physically transform herself into the character.

• Every character has a “Center;” an imaginary area outside the body where the character’s impulses for all movement originate. It initiates all gestures and leads the body. (ex. a proud character leads with her chin)

• Finding a character’s center can lead to an understanding of her or his entire personality and physical make up.

chapter two - composition

• In nature & art there are mathematical principles that structure balance & form. This feeling for composition creates contours and prevents the expression of ideas, dialogues, movements, colors, shapes and sounds from being fake.

• The sense of composition guides the artist & the spectator into the sphere of creativity and understanding.

chapter three - psychological gesture

• This is a movement that embodies the psychology and objective of a character.

• Use the entire body; gives basic structure of character; can put actor in various moods required by the script.

chapter four - feeling of style

• Everything on stage is unreal. Work with feeling of style to capture the special nature of a play, rather than strive for superficial reality. Each genre requires a separate and precise experience.

chapter five - feeling for truth

• “Open” yourself; develop your sensitivity to truthful behavior while acting.

• Individual or psychological truth: movements and speech are true to self and own psychology.

• Be true to the given circumstances of the script.

• Historical truth: sense of style and age of character & nation.

• Stylistic truth: experience the style of the play & author (ex. Shakespearean, Brechtian...)

• Be true to the character.

• Be true to the relationships between characters; look for subtleties.

chapter six - feeling of ease

• A rich alternative to Stan’s relaxation technique: it produces immediate sensations and visceral imagery in the actor and avoids the intellectual, conscious process of interpreting a command.

• Ex. “To sit with a feeling of ease” vs. “To relax.” The actor can quickly perform the first command without stopping to think about the 2nd one.

chapter seven - feeling of form

• The actor must be sensitive to the form of her or his own body as well as to his own movement through space.

chapter eight - feeling of beauty

• Hidden in each artist is a living beauty and harmony of creation. Become aware of both! 1st step in allowing beauty to permeate all of her or his expressions, movements and characterizations - even the “ugly” ones (Malkovich!)

• Beauty is one of the outstanding qualities that distinguishes all great works of art.

chapter nine - the feeling of entirety (or the whole)

• An artistic creation must have a finished form: a beginning, middle and end; a sense of aesthetic wholeness. It must be felt by the audience and be second nature to the actor.

chapter ten - qualities (sensations and feelings)

• Feelings cannot be commanded, they can only be coaxed.

• Qualities are immediately accessible to you- especially to your movements. You can immediately move your arms with the quality of tenderness, joy, sadness…even though you do not experience the feeling of the emotions.

• After moving in such a way, you will experience the sensation which will very soon call up the emotion or “feeling.”

chapter eleven - body (psycho - physical exercises

• The human body and mind are inseparable.

• All of the actor’s exercises (actions) must be p-p and not executed in a mechanical fashion.

chapter twelve - imagination

• Nearly all acting is the result of the performer’s ability to imagine and reproduce reality of the play’s fiction.

• The more the actor can train or stimulate her imagination, the greater will be her power to communicate the depth and meaning of the character.

chapter thirteen - radiating/receiving

• Radiating is the ability to send out the invisible essence of whatever quality, emotion, or thought you wish; sent with great strength. It is an activity of your will; charisma is invisible radiation; some need to develop it.

• Receiving is “pulling in” from other characters, atmospheres, audience. . .with great strength.

• Which type of character are you? Radiating or receiving?

chapter fourteen - improvising and "jewelry"

• Improv is also valuable during the final stages of work on a part. Rehearsing invented activities will make it much easier to develop the “jewelry” in your performances; the nuances of uniqueness.

chapter fifteen - ensemble

• Theatre is a collective art; be open and in tune to your fellow actors.

chapter sixteen - focal point

• Not everything going on in a scene is of equal importance.

• The director should guide you; but actor should be aware.

• The actor should know which moments are most important for her own character; how the actor focuses the attention of the audience on those moments is a truly creative task. (ex. use a lift of an eyebrow vs. the spoken word)

chapter seventeen - objective

• This is the purpose or goal toward which your character is striving.

• Each character has an objective and a super-objective.

chapter eighteen - atmosphere

• sensory mediums, like fog, water. darkness, that permeate environments and radiate from people; they fill the theatre they communicate: ex. hospitals, cemeteries…

• Personal atmospheres are also given off: tension, love, hate. . .director & actor work together to maintain it.

Michael Chekhov teaches the actor how to get right into the core of the character, turn the character inside out and upside, so that you aren't just playing a character but are completely becoming the character. In his teachings he breaks the dynamics of acting down into 18 different chapters. I particularly find that chapters 1,5,13,15 and 16 are very relevant to The Devils and are crucial in any actors process.

Chapter 1- Characterisation 

Characterisation is all about finding what exactly your character is about and putting that down to a core that can be created and put inside of you, making you completely become the character. This is incredibly important as without mastering the art of your character and all details however big or small will leave you with an empty role. To see your character as a costume or an ‘Imaginary body’ enables you to step into it and inhabit the life and form of this character, research, attention to detail, investigating and experimenting all help to create this ‘Imaginary body’. Characterisation is important in any play but i find it most important in this play as all the roles in this play are strong characters and belong to a world very far from the one we are in now, If all the cast go into depth with their characterisation the play will be the best it can possibly be.

Chapter 5- Feeling for truth 

In acting you always have to be truthful to your role and allow yourself to develop a truthful approach to finding the character. This includes, doing full character research to the time (1600) and place ( France, Loudun), the history of the character ( background, how they became Governor of the Town, what they would of worn etc.), the status and how they would of reacted to the other characters status’s in the play. If the character is not true or accurate it will not fit into the play or make sense to the audience and furthermore yourself.  Feeling for Truth is incredibly important in this play as there are so many elements that must be accurate because of the subject matter and historical setting of the play. 

Chapter 13- Radiating and Receiving

Radiating is the ability to send an emotion or thought our with strength, sending out the voice to radiate through the other actor you are in conversation with or to the audience. Radiating is not only important when being in a theatre and making sure the voice is being sent out but is also important that the character is being heard by the other/s. With Radiating comes receiving which is pulling in the other characters radiation, whether that be their words, their atmosphere, their whisper etc. and having this almost dance going on in a scene where characters are really  listening to each other and repeatedly giving back what they receive and vice verse. 

Chapter 15- Ensemble 

Being open and in tune to your fellow actors is paramount in this play as we not only have ensemble/ chorus work but need to make sure we are continuously working together to keep the energy levels high and the play flowing. 

Chapter 18- Atmosphere

The play is all about atmosphere and creating a world for the audience to feel a part of. Personal atmospheres like love between Phillipe and Grandier need to be felt by the audience in order for the audience to feel empathetic towards Phillipe and Grandier when their relationship falls apart. This particular atmosphere is amplified by the chorus who stand with them in their first love scene and feel their pulses ( their arm, their neck, their heart). Atmosphere is incredibly important not only for the audience but to make sure that the actors believe what they are a part of and are able to feed off this.

Sources: 

http://actingtruthfully.jimdo.com/chekhov-technique/

Jerzy Grotowski

Jerzy Grotowski 

Acting through focus and awarness.

His actors were so vocally and physically skilled that they could communicate clearly through sounds and movements. The actors would create an inner harmony and peace of mind that would keep them healthy in both mind and body. Grotowski actors believe that acting is a search for self knowledge and awareness. Their style of training taught them to break free of limitations and realise their full potential.

break free of limitations and realise their full potential- Breaking free from limitations, allows us to experiment and not hold back when working physically with our character and delving deep into the characters mind. This play contains a lot of scenes where you just have to go for it and if you think about what others think of you or what your doing to literally you're this is going to get in the way of that. 

Working in silence.

Grotowski stated that an actor must begin by doing nothing! He believed that if a group of actors could remain completely still for several minutes without disturbances, then they would be able to concentrate more intensely and use it as a creative passage.

concentrate more intensely- Paying close attention to others scenes and the directors approach to rehearsals will benefit you greatly as you will have knowledge on all scenes and the story as it passes from character to character. You must concentrate intensely on your character and what others give out and take away from your character. 

Physical Training

His actors were extremely physically skilled. They developed a technique of movement which allowed them to control every move they made, even the smallest in every detail. It is our bodies that express everything about us. Everything we think and feel is expressed through our bodies and everything we experience is felt through our bodies. He gave actors physical skills for fully expressing their imaginations and their personalities.

It is our bodies that express everything about us- Physicality is a main part of this play and it is our bodies that are going to show the seperation between you and your character. Attention to detail is paramount, from the gender ( hips held forward or backwards), where they place their hands ( do they fidget, do they interlink their hands), do the walk heel to toe or toe to heel and the way they stand etc.

Voice

Vocal training was essential. They focussed their voices as though they were coming from different parts of their bodies. They used full registers of their voices from very high to very low. He emphasised clarity and used techniques such as singing, chanting and reciting poetry. All actors were so vocally strong that they were able to recite atmospheric sounds of the world such as mechanics, animals, thunder and so on. To Grotowski the voice is an instrument.

To Grotowski the voice is an instrument- In The Devils my character has a very strong and powerful voice to support his high status. There are many vocal warm ups and techniques that we have picked up to ensure the voice in played like an instrument and perfectly accompanies the acting/ physicality. It is important to be vocally strong also when performing in a theatre so that the audience do not miss a word.

Human Contact

He believed in true contact between human beings. He believed that real harmony in human relationships only developed when people really learned to look at each other and listen to each other. He wanted actors to be more aware of the impact they had on other people.

look at each other and listen to each other- Meisner helps greatly with the subject of listening to each other, and this is another very important factor of working on the play. If we do not listen to the character and what is going on in the scene we lose the atmosphere and the believability of the scene, it is also important to radiate and receive (Chekhov) to make sure the actors understand what is going on and the scene flows from one to the other.

Transformation

In his 'poor theatre' he always aimed for the simplist possible use of staging, lighting, costumes and special effects. This forced actors to use all their skills to transform empty spaces and simple objects into a whole range of imaginative worlds. Symbolism was essential in this form of theatre. In the theatre of poverty, the only important elements were the actors themselves and their relationship with the live audience. Often actors were in the audience's personal spaces, close enough to touch them. Grotowski arranged the space he was using so that the audience would be completely involved in the theatre as possible.

This forced actors to use all their skills to transform empty spaces and simple objects into a whole range of imaginative worlds-  We shouldn't need the lighting and the props, to carry us through and make the world of The Devils come alive, these things should just be an addition to something that could work without it. If we transform the stage into 17th Century Loudun, France, because we really believe we are in 17th Century Loudun France, and are characters are accurate to the time then not only will the audience be fixed but the lighting and props will just be a helping hand not a make or break.

Memory

Like Brecht, Grotowski emphasised the use of emotion memory to recall an experience and recreate the feeling that went with that memory. He demanded total honesty and total commitment from his actors in their use of emotion memory. They had to make use of all their memories, no matter how painful or private. This made their performances genuine. Through this process, actors would come closer to knowing the truth about themselves. It is an important path to self-knowledge. Grotowski demanded total commitment and belief in every activity, even the simplest exercise.

They had to make use of all their memories, no matter how painful or private- Connecting to past memories helps us connect with our characters and finding a mutual ground. Although it is hard to relate to a 40-50 year old Governor of a town in Loudun, France in the 17th Centuary, there are parts in the play when I am scared, or proud, or nervous and these are all things i can relate to or think back to being, this helps fill in the gap between acting and becoming.

Sources:

https://quizlet.com/13274229/jerzy-grotowski-poor-theatre-flash-cards/

Peter Brook

In a reaction to Realism, some artists like Peter Brook or the Living Theatre, deemphasized the realism of theatre.  Instead, they preferred to emphasize the communication between the actors and the audience.  This focus, summed up in Antonin Artaud’s phrase “Theatre of Cruelty,” was directed at eliciting the greatest emotional reaction from audience members.  In other words, make them squirm uncomfortably in their seats.  Some of these directing exercises show this change in focus, as they try to get actors to go beyond the “text,” expressing emotions much more physically. 

Brook believed that when the audience can sympathise with the actors emotions, they have succeeded. When the audience sits bored, listening to an emotionless recital of words, the actor has failed. 

If the actor is not 100% committed to the role, and has not invested the emotional depth and beleif in the character then they are not going to make a connection with their role, causing them not to make a connection with the scene parters, the play and furthermore the audience. In The Devils the audience have to be on Grandier’s side and they have to emotionally invest in him/ sympathise with him for the play to work. George who plays Grandier has the toughest job of investing everything he has into the role so that the end is as hard hitting as intended and the audience feel helpless and grief at the fact that innocence has been murdered. If the actor is simply acting the part the audience will look at them as exactly that and detach from the play and their character ultimately failing their duty as an actor.

To Brook, the human connection is the essence of good theatre. And to establish the human connection, that it can only be achieved through relatable everyday life. Otherwise known as naturalism.

The naturalistic approach can be used in the scenes vocally and atmospherically, although physically we are going for more of an exaggerative look. The naturalistic nature of the conversations and the manner in which they are had create the human connection and can become relatable to the audience this way. The element of naturalism also keeps the play from being too over the top and allows us to tell the story in a clear way that is understood by the audience.

What he is describing is non-directional directing. In order for the actor to authentically feel what his character is intended to feel, he must explore those emotions on his own, without the director telling him what they are, for example "how do you think your character is feeling?”

We have been pushed by our director to do as much exploration on our characters as we possibly can and that this is very much a 50/50 play, the director can only do his half the rest is completely up to us. Through using Objectives, Actioning, Research and experimentation with physicality i have been able to work more and more into my character without having my directors help, allowing me to do a lot of work out of rehearsal time and being able to always bring something new to the process.