Directing with the Michael Chekhov Technique: A Workbook with Video for Directors, Teachers and Actors (Theatre Arts Workbooks)

Directing with the Michael Chekhov Technique explores the collaborative process between a play's director and the entire production team, making the journey of a production process cohesive using the Michael Chekhov Technique. No other technique provides the tools for both actor and director to communicate as clearly as does Michael Chekhov. Directing with the Michael Chekhov Technique is the first book to apply the insights of this celebrated technique to the realities of directing a theatrical production. The book chronicles the journey of a play, from conception through production, through the eyes of the director. Drawn from the author's rehearsal journals, logs and notes from each performance, the reader is shown how to arrive at a concept, create a concept statement and manage the realization of the play, utilizing specific techniques from Michael Chekhov to solve problems of acting and design. As with all books in the Theatre Arts Workbook series, Directing with the Michael Chekhov Technique will include online video exercises, “Teaching Tip” boxes which streamline the book for teachers, and a useful Further Reading section. Directing with the Michael Chekhov Technique is the perfect guide to the production process for any director. Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication Page 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Foreword 11 Prologue to Using This Book 14 Preface to Using This Book 23 Chapter 1: PREPARATION—ANALYSIS AND COMPOSITION 34 Chapter 2: CASTING AND CLASSWORK USING ARCHETYPES 52 Chapter 3: CREATING THE ENSEMBLE 70 Chapter 4: ESTABLISHING THE LANGUAGE OF CLASS AND REHEARSAL 86 Chapter 5: USING PSYCHOLOGICAL GESTURE AS ACTION 100 Chapter 6: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER THUS FAR 120 Chapter 7: CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS 132 Chapter 8: WORK ON SOLILOQUIES 156 Chapter 9: CHARACTERIZATION 168 Chapter 10: SCENES AND BLOCKS WITH MULTIPLE CHARACTERS 176 Chapter 11: TEMPO/RHYTHM AND ATMOSPHERE 190 Chapter 12: SPY-BACK 214 APPENDIX I:LINKS TO WORKBOOK VIDEOS 224 APPENDIX II:CONCEPT STATEMENTS AND CASTING FROM OTHER PLAYS 225 APPENDIX III:SAMPLE SCORES FROM OTHER PLAYS 237 APPENDIX IV:ADDITIONAL EXERCISES AND HELPFUL DOCUMENTS 257 APPENDIX V:A BRIEF HISTORY OF MICHAEL CHEKHOV 266 APPENDIX VI:HOW THIS BOOK CAME TO BE 268 APPENDIX VII:ADDITIONAL NOTES ON A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM 271 Index 279