MICHAEL CHEKHOV

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL GESTURE An Acting Methodology

MICHAEL CHEKHOV

(1891 - 1955)

Michael Chekhov (1891 - 1955) was the nephew of the playwright Anton

Chekhov, and was considered by Konstantin Stanislavski to be his most

brilliant student. Indeed, Stanislavski once said that if anyone wanted to know

what he was teaching, they should go and see what Michael Chekhov was

doing. Michael Chekhov had a great talent for characterization and was a keen

observer of the creative process. After heading the second Moscow Art

Theater Studio, Michael Chekhov traveled and worked extensively in Europe

in the 1920's and 1930's, and in 1936, established a training studio in England

where he laid the basic foundations for his technique. In 1939 Michael

Chekhov moved to the United States where he taught in both New York and

Hollywood.

In 20th century America and Europe, most approaches to acting stem from

the pioneering work of Konstantin Stanislavsky, whose methods resulted in a

revolution in the way an actor prepared and presented a role. Although

Stanislavski's research continued throughout his life and evolved for beyond

mere "naturalism," his impact in the United States is largely limited to the

"Method" School of acting. In fact, Stanislavski and his disciples moved far

beyond the original ideas. They developed a theater that was bolder and more

expressive and imaginative, using psychophysical techniques that liberated and

excited actors, but have only recently begun to be appreciated and understood.

The psychophysical approach is most fully exemplified and realized in the

work of Michael Chekhov, considered by Stanislavski to be his "most brilliant

student," and widely recognized as one of the greatest actors of the 20th

century. Michael Chekhov developed an approach to acting that affords the

actor access to resources within himself-feelings, will impulses, character

choices-that are based not merely in personal experience as they are in

"Method" training, but on the actor's imagination and physical life.

Chance and history have deprived the larger acting community of Michael

Chekhov's work. Michael Chekhov was warned to leave Russia in 1928 at the

height of his acting and directing career; his productions were too

experimental for the Soviets and were labeled "alien and reactionary." Michael

Chekhov then spent eight years in Europe, acting, directing, and teaching, but

was greatly handicapped by language, political factions, and the threat of war.

In 1936, Beatrice Straight invited Michael Chekhov to establish the Chekhov

Theatre Studio, a training program for a company of actors at Dartington Hall

in England. In 1939, the threat of war with Germany caused the group to

relocate to Ridgefield, Connecticut until it was forced to disband because it

lost its male members to the draft. In 1942 he was invited to Hollywood,

where Michael Chekhov became an acting coach to the stars, acted in many

films, published his book, "To the Actor," and taught a group called The

Drama Society. Prominent actors in Hollywood who studied with him were:

Gary Cooper, Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Peck, Patricia Neal, Clint Eastwood,

Leslie Caron, Anthony Quinn, Ingrid Bergman, Jack Palance, Lloyd Bridges,

and Yul Brynner (who wrote the preface to Chekhov's "To the Actor.") But,

Michael Chekhov died in 1955, before his work became widely known, and by

then the "Method" was widely established as the dominant approach to acting

and training. Other prominent actors who did not study directly with Michael

Chekhov, but who benefited from his techniques are Anthony Hopkins, Jack

Nicholson, and Richard Kiley.

ll tch^e I CheKl'"u, l>17ch" l"rytco IQ"f"*, ono( the Tk^Ktry #"^rt

floyd Rumohr

first encountered the work of Michael Chekhov as a firsl'year gmduate student at Temple Universityin 1985. My teachet Kevin Cotter, had such a pfofound impxct on me thxt I began immediately toapply the work. within only two weeks, I was spellbound by its effectiveness and a bit awed by its

ease, having previously been subiect only to fie internal sufferings of the Method actor. I rvondered why

I had never heard ofa "psychophysical" approach before. By 1988, I had applied the technique to criti-

cal acclaim in several Philadelphia performances, which resulted in a few requests by my peers to teach

them. Mth more experience as a practitioner than a teacher, I wasn't quite surc how to go about it,

though I thought I might as well give it a try My handftl of students at that time evolved into a six-monthwaiting list by the tirne I arrived in New York City in 1990. Theif confidence in me provided opportuni-ties to improve my teaching and test some of my ideas.

As demand for private coaching increased beyond capacity, I stflrggled with a cenlral questionr Vhatam I haining these artists to do? Having recendy graduated ffom a world-class conservatory program and

landed an agent who was primarily focused on television in the New York market, I realized that my bestyears in the theatef could quite possibly be behind me. I wasn't a good enough singer or dancer tbr

Broadway, and the handful of classical theater companies in Nev York paid very little, if any thing at all.

So, was I to spend my late twenties doing commercials for chevrolet, which paid more for hvo days' work

than I made in an €ntirc year in the fteater?I struggled with this id€a. Was I to "train" actors very much fie way I vas trained, which ultimately

constituted overkill, giy€n that I really didn't ne€d that lev€l of trainiDg to do commcrci'als 0r daltime TV?

what was I training them for? To be unemployed? To wait tables? After a lim€, I found it difficult to tak€

their money when I knew they were struggling to surrive.some of my more ambitious students approached me about forming ar ensemble. This sounded like

a good idea, but I was not so sure that New York Ciry needed yet another new theater among the threehundred and lifty that already existed off- and ofi-0ff-Broadway. our emphasis on the work of Michael

Chekhov would certainly distinguish us, but I wasnt convinced that would be enough.After some discussion among th€ actors, drawing upoll my six years of expedence at Theatre for a

New Audience, and turning to Mr Chekhov's suggestion that the oeative spirit grows stronger wiftin us

when we do things for othe6 without a "selfish note in it," we decided to offer artist residencies to threeNew York City public schools free of charge. lollowing training worl$hops that dev€loped th€ir teachingskills, 6e actors visited the schools to teach aesthetic skills and rehearsal strategi€s in partnership withpublic school teachers once each veek for seveml weel$. The pilot project was such a success that it hasevolved into one of dre most comprehensive and successful ans-in-education pfograms cu[endy in the

United States, reaching nearly four thouszurd teachers, children, zLnd their families in all five boroughs ofNew York City, with pilot activity in Florida md Pennsylvania. The progr n, called "Stqcs of l,cffning"',"wlLs inspired bv illr Ch0khov's rrlistic Irilrciples nnd employs lf(ists tridned in his xpl)r(,x(ll

, \ , . t^ / / , , A 'h, I I ' / , , A . , t I A , ' t . , , ' ' ' , , ; . . . , " , ^ t G . t h - . . , , ^ / t A . l A , ^ / , ^ i / h , , , 1

MR. CHEKH0V AND HIs TECHNTQUEAny apprcach to acting,let alone a psychophysical approach,lends itself to misinterpretation or confuscdapplication, particularly when that application is dedved from the wriften word. For this reason, t willfocus on the meaning of "psychophysical" and its relationship to psychological gesture, which is an .unal-gam that embodies nearly all of the separate components of fte Cheklov technique. Not to say that whatyou read here is beyond interyretation, but my inteftion is to cladt/ oul terms, provide an overall framc-work for psychophysical development, and attempt a wrilten description to an approach, which is indis-pensable to a good teacher

Perhaps one of the aspects of Mr Chekhov's work that is the most compelling is that he was an actorfirst-not just a good one, but a great one. In a 1993 letter to rne, Bobby Lewis desc bed him as "thcgreatest actor I ever saw." He is known curently in the Soviet Union as "the acting genius of the century"Mr Chekhov, a consummate actor who exped€nced the ebb and flow of success and deprivation, soughtto "go heyond" the plall[right and the play to embody the character in the most profound wal.s.

Michael Chekhov ioined Konstantin Sl.anislavsky's Moscow Art Theatre in 1912, at the age of twenty-one, and within months was irvited into the First Studio, where he appeared in tvalk-ons and later inmajor roles. Behveen l9l3 and 1923, Ch€lihov's reputation as a creative and indep€ndent thirkcrincreased drarnaticallv

In 1923, chel''hov became the director of the Second Studio of the Moscow A11 Theatre uponStanislavslqi's request. Soon, his innovations became a threat to the Soviet governm€nt, und hc wir"sdcnounced in 1927 as an "idealist" and rnystic. Moscow newspapers cited Chel,.hov as "a sick artist" ,.lnd

"alien and reactionary." ln 1928, director Ma{ Reinhardt iNited Chelhov to emigrate to Germany. l'orseven years, Chekhov "wandered"rin Austria, Berlin, Paris, Latvia, and Lithuaria, pursuing his lifelongquest to ffeate his own troupe and method of actor training. Upon the invitation of Sol Hurok, Cheklmvc'.une to Arnerica, where h€ met Beatrice Sfnight, who generously suppofied Chekhov's vision.

By 1938, Chekhov's method had been eslablished. In fie fall of 1941, the Chekhov Theatre openeda New York studio on 56th Street in New York CiW. but n'as unable to sustain ils€lf without ft€ finmciilassistanc€ of Beatrice Stmight.

Between 1943 and 1954, Cheklov staned in nine Holllwood films. In 1945, after receiving anAcademy Award nomirution for his role as the psychoana.lNt in Alfrcd Hitchcock'ASpellbound,Chel<hotresumed teaching his technique to young Holl),wood actors. Mariltn Monroe, Jack Palance, zuld AnthoD!

Quinn were arnong his stud€nts. In 1955, Michael Chekhov died ofheaft failure in his Holllwood homc.Today, ther€ are dozens of organizations exploring his technique all over the world.

Ir Chekhov'.s technique, th€ "intemal" and "extemal" are inexorably linked, so much so that scp,,l!.lrt-ing them rvould be more an academic exercise than'artistic expression. Such separation might be necesslnfor discussion and training, but the stage bares the inevitable truth every time: If dre actor cannot reconcik.the unification of the "imer" and "outef," his acting is likely to b€ stflrined, nnimaginative, and llat.

''Psychophysical" refers to the uoilication ofthe bodywith all that lies withir it,lhough it rray al)pcllat tirnes, and indced il can bc truc, that the body and soul can be irdependent o[ erch othcr The "so l '

is that intangiblc reservoir within us that acquires expedencest Thev can be imagincd, dxntght aboul, olitcluitllv cxpeliencccl. Like a s1lory sl0N, thq soul acquires ingredicnts upr-rn rvhich the spirit rvill rvoIk.

' lhe spiri l is lhul Nhich uscs thc bodv to tiLkc lction, drrwing upl)n the rcsources ol thc soul. l l tt,r l) ir l l xtrxlA:lrrr. l l t.r, r lrnrh rtrtr. .trtrl r lr 'urrs cr'rx:l lr\rrnrs, \rlI( lt lhcsrrrrl r ' :rrrrrItrkr.

t '

For actors, the soul, spirit, and body are in constant interplay, inhabiting each other in sptce, nei-

ther one before or after the other, like sea waves rippling ilto ftat which came before and all thal fol-

lows. The soul and spirit require the body to express these ripples, which we might refer to as r"/tsotlot t

offwlingschekhov would suggest that movement awakens "sensations" of feelings. Sensations afe physical

responses to stimuli, like Soose bumps. The goose bumps call up feelings, some from real hfe and oth-

ers from the imaginatloz. These sensations draw out feelings. The felationship between sensation ,uld

feeling might at first seem insignificant, but nothing could be funher from the tru6.

on slage, movement is sometimes visible, reaching the audience through their eyes. Other times, the

movement is invisible and direcdy penetrates their hearts, such as in the case of sensations that llarc out

beyond the stage. The l,,Ltter is still movement, even if the actor is not visibly moving. This is so because lhe

actor is "radiating" at every moment. For example, when sitting, lhe actor is not a foozen satue, but living

within that shape. l\s th€ actor lives in space, pauses become loaded rvith vav€s of imaginative impulses

dcher than any single memory could provide. Inagine a character sjtting in an icy rcom on death row. Thepossibilities for sensations, inner gestures, and radiations are numerous and possibly innmte.

The body is capable of expressing an affay of psychological values if we involve it from the inside,

even if drese values are so plentiful they de& intellectual inquiry and anal)6is. Such inquiry impli€s a pos-

sible distinction between the "inner" and "outer"-at least in the beginnilg. vhen pmcticing staccato

movement, vhich is shar!, abrupt, we should try to experience this quality inwardly, even though we

begin it outwardly what is it like inwardly to experience any part of your body noving in a sharp way?

what is it like psychologically to change thought pattems abrupdy or think in a black-and-white way?

Perhaps start with one body part, such as a hand or arm. The shary movement will eventually awaken

inner dloughts and impulses appropriate to that qualiqa'? Eventually, the whole body must be inco.po-

rated. New feelings and sensations should not be limited only to lhose areas of fte body that afe already

within your awareness and in nine with your imagination. You miSht have a habit of practicing a staccatoquality in your arms because you're good at it or because it feels $e most comfortable. That's fine for

now, but eventually, you nust awaken this quality in youl whole body if you want to have access to the

widest possible range of expression, which includes inner or "psychologica.l" gesture, a hallmark of the

chekhov technique.Great acting is comprised of movement, or "gesture," at every moment, but you need not explicitly

develop gestures for every moment ur ess you want to. This is because you are intuitively already doing

thern wh€n you are acting at your best. Any good pedormance is ph)6ically 'rlive at every moment; thepe!'former is radiating €nergy even rvhen at rest; as Matha Graham said, we are still dancing inwardly

even when we are still. Generally, psychologica.l gestures, or "inner gestures," are helpftrl when you get

stuck on a moment that iust isn't working or the character's core is elusive. The "core" emerges ftom the

question, "V4lo is this character?" The answer usually lies in fte arche[pe of the charact€r.

ARCHf,TYPES AND PROTOTYPES

Archettpes are folms, s],rnbols, or irnages that have universal neaning and inspire an original model, orprotoq?e. The protome, in the case ofan actot is the character he creates.

Archet!?es appear iD our drearns, works of art, and historically in aspects ofour culture, cspecially

in su(h things irs pi nli|lgs. lilcmture, xnd rcligiurs rcDrescntations. Th0 ancicDl (ireck tool./f(tJ.'tttt',tDs

l l { ,*,^-^t / , , A.ht l l l , . A - , / ( A , t t . " . t " . , . i . t , i , . . / ( ; . t ^ o . , , , ^ / t A . / 4 , ^ / t , r l h ^ , / l ( l

"the first," "T!pe" means to "imprint or impress" or "pattern." These impressions, as fie psvchologist

Jung discovered, arise spontaneously from the unconscious in the form ofimages. "Because ftey aplcaras univ€rsal, colleclively owned images, their slrnbolism evokes similar feelings, raises sirnilar issucs, lndconstellates similar behavior wherever they arise and enter into the Iifc of an individual or a culture,"rnotes Robert A. Johnson.

Imagine, for example, fie archetl?e of the Varrior We might see ar image immediately, even if wchave no expericnce with one, almost a.5 if it were i lprinted on our consciousness. The Waxriot Pdsoncr,and Skeptic.arc trpes, but human beings are mad€ up ofcombinations of rypes, making us many-facetcd,a-s in the following example from Johnson:

Years ago a young graduate student came to work on his dreams with me, and a masculine ligurebcgaa to appear repeatedly in his dreams. The student spontaneo sly invented his orvn mme forlhis friendly male companion that showed a universal character He called him "de tribal brother"The drearner and his tribal brother lived among l t|ibe of Vikings in ,n ancient age in llurope.

In some drerms he ,and his companion were waffiors and went to bnttle togethex In others,lhey were he^lers. In one they discovered a radiiurt .uld magical woman i[ a white robe who becamethe dreamer\ conso( Together, they went through zrll the struggles and numerous discoveries ofyorng manhood. The dreamer's friendship with his inner figure was so close, and felt so real, thathe felt lonely whenever he had to go for many days without seeing him in fus dreams.4

This archerype, as widl all of them, is psychologically complex. For the actor, axchetl?es cm bcpowedrl tools to inspire a character protom€ and its inner Life, because such archeq?es will spontu-ncouslv awaken sensaton in the bodla The s€nsations arc what the body remembers and can repeat-leelings ate less reliable and harder to recreate. You can try to corrumnd youNelf to experience a feeli0gon the stage, but the result will probably be inanistc and rna4inally successful at best. But yor ciur ilskyour imagination to show you the archetlpe of dre Vanior Often, the result is (l) a strong image thatdcscribes the "outer," (2) sensations resonating throughoui your body that fill the "inne!" ald (3) acharacter protoq?e that is uniquely your own.5 other examples of archet ?es include the Stat Magicitu,Addict, Lover, Prostitute, Prophet, ard Clown. In ofder to awaken sensations, you will have to pfncticc

imagining them-ar exercise that will become more fun fim labor if you do it oftcn enough.Your imagination will respond if you can ask questions in the spirit of play. A,sk yourself, "Vho is

my character?" Remember, you are going for fte character at its core. Thc Prisoner on death rory forcxample, might luve a way of rv'.rlking or mzurnerism that is padcular to his personaliry Archet'?icaillihc is fte Pdsoner ElemeDts of behavior and personality ciLn be added later lt's important to begin withthc chnracter at is corer thc root, th€ impulse. Think of it as the original impression o[ who fie pers(nl

is. Bc carcful of layering on persona.lity traits too soon, because it is possible that you will liDit thc (huF

Nctcl to preconceiv€d notions bom ofhabit rather than imagination. The,re4&?rc? ofthe \yofk is inpoltlult hcre: Start with the archetl?e and then layer on the personaliry

Itegin by looking at the firsl thr€e or four things the chru-,rctcr r/oes in the script. llomco, lbr exanrl)lr:

. Stuys out.dl nighl with Rosaline

. (if('('ls lhc liilr in the cxrly 0x)rnirg xnd prolcsses his lovc

. l lr.rrorrrrr 'r 's lt i :. hrrc rrl l ir:. lr l irr( up rr sr.r ' irr11.l lt l i t1 iI J l) i l ftt

The unfonunat€ trap that many young Ron€os fall into is that of the Lover-a dull and unimagina-

tive response to the facts that Shakespeare gives us. At a recent workshop on archemes, several of my

ethnically dive$e colleagues carne up with the following possibilities for Romeo:

. Alley cat

. Tomcat

\lhat wonderful responses to a character who has been around for four hundred years! To you,

some of them might be ster€otlpes, which are usually preconceived and ove$implfied ideas of the char-

actedstics that t'?iry a person or thing. Don't be alarmed if you thhk in stereomical terms, but seek to

go more deeply before you start to make choices aboul the personality of the character You may not agree

with the above responses, but firLt's okay. Your unique imagination will create sornething entirely your

own ifyou let it. Inaginethe\itches in Macbetb. They appeaq hail, cook, conjure, ard predict-arnong

other things. \Yhat do you see? Certainly th€ Prcphet is among the possibilities-quite a different direc-

tion than what wr might think of as a nore ster€otlpical witch.

once you have a sense of who the character is (the archetJpe), imagine yourself as the character,

and walk around the space asking, "vhat do I want?" Pay close attention to what your body is doing. Let's

imagine the Pdsoner Is your body opening, closing, clutching, pushing? EY€n lh€ smallest movements of

the finge$ should be considered. Does the movement suggest som€ son of a push, as if the archelpe

wanls to escape?whatever the body is doing should be favored over ary discussion of the topic. Don't try to label or

talk too much about what is happening. If it's a push, then it's a push. K€ep it simple. Behavioral move-

ment, such as scratching, smoking, etc., can be layered on later It's the purity ofyour initial impulse that

produces inner Sesfure.

GDSTUR[

once you have an archetlpe that feels right to you, and you have a sense of what your chamcter wants,

then your body is probably aheady trying to t€ll you somethhg. Ifyou're not carefl , howeve! the "sneak-

ing and sniffing" anal),tical mind, as Chek:hov cautions, could put a stop to it and kill sensation.

Mlat is the "sneaking and sniffng" weasel that Ch€khov refe$ to? lt's arlthing that klls your enthu-

siasm for creative play-a thought or impulse, prcbably born of some inhibiting habit, that prevents you

from experiencing new sensations in your body. Its porver over us can be strong, suggesting thoughts like,

"t'm not good enough," "That actor is so bad, and because of him, I can't concentmte," or "My belly is

too big, and I hope nobody sees it." This side ofyour psychology can play a major role if you are unable

to focus on the positive, the imaginative, what you like about this or that actor or yourself instead of what

you don't like. tnsecurity with any part of the body can result in enough self-oiticism to inhibit the cre-

ation of your own character promqpe-klled forever because of a critical impulse arising ftom an

agenda that is anl,thing but creative.The "Higher Intellect,"6 as chekhov points out, is born of the heart and does not have the des[uc-

tive quality of the "cold, calculating mind." This "thinking heart" is the companion of the crcative spirit

rnd should alwavs be invited to p,uticipate in the process. The Higher Intellect is curjous, hclpflrl, md

suppoflivc. lls aDdvsis is exlctingi hut gcntlc, defering to thc s!'nthcsizing powcr oflh0 cr('iltilc sl)ilil.

. Gambler

. Businessman

. A Playa

. Salesman

. Snoop Doggy Dog

. Peacock

l'1,a, ^,^/ /,, A, h,l I ' / , ,1^ ,1 ( A , /A , " , t ' , q l ' , ! , " ' , . / G, r t - ' , , ^ " , / /A , lA ' "1 ' "4 lh^ ' / .I

chekhov never intended for our acting to be brainless. In fact, if it were, our choices would lack clarity.But the intellect must have a supportive quality in order to be eff€ctive in our creative work.7

Assuming the calculating nind has been subdued, in favor of lhe Higher Int€llect, begin moving aboutthe space, guided by the impulse ftom what you char"cter wanti. A teacher or pla)'rnate is padicularly

helpful at this point, because you will need feedback as to how ard in what ways your body is responding.Pay pafticular attention to those seemingly meaningless litde movernents that might exprcss the want. Asnall opening of the chest area might suggest, for example, that your character wants to expose his or hcrhea11, ol to "open." Imagine such an impulse coming from our archetlpal Prisoner. Here, we would havca chzLracter who perhaps has committed violent acLs and yearns to admit or reveal something ill fte dcq)-cst recesses of his soul. I ctn't help but be reminded of Sean Penn's exqdsite pefiormll:cetn Dead MsnWalking,Nhenl imagjne the archet)?e this way. A ftll erploration of the impuls€ will provid€ you with thcinformation you need to determine if "opening" is the artistic choice for youf portraFl.

V4 le working on.4,4fi&ummer Night's Dream with two actors of the Chekhov Theatre Ensemblc,for example,l asked the actress playing Helena what she wanted in order to invoke the inner gesture. Shcprovided a long and detailed answer, going on and on until I eventually iust stopped her and said, "All

dut might be true, but tell me in one word or less what she wants." Her brain, having toiled over a com-plicated intellectual answcr, didn't have enough information to be succinct. Her body, however,|esponded immediately, spontaneously, and visibly. At lcast to m€.

ller arms and fingers were clearly pulling-the mov€ments were very small, but they were there. Atfirq she didn't understand how the tini€st pulling ofher fingers had arlthing to do wi6 Helena, untilshcrcalized that Helenawants Demetrius-she needs Dem€tdus so much that the Addict came to mind as anarchet]?e. Imagine thatl Helena as the Addict. I'm sure most people would not mdidonally approach itthat way, but if you penetrate into the core of who she is, you might discover dut dre Addict could bc apossibility, depending on how your director is thinking of her in the context of the production as a rvhole.

Now, the actress needed to experience th€ €ssence of pulling him toward her, but not with just herlrnqers.

The task before us now was to develop a gesture that embodied the essence of "pull" in her wholcbody. Iler feet rcmained flat on fte ground-important so that the shape of fie gesture can easily hrrcpeded without going off-b'alance. We started the movement in the opposite place ofthe "pull" in ordcrto llive us the greatest poladry.3 Her arms w€re pushed ouh{'ardlv with her torso full ftont. Her fcct wcrrrbout three and a half feet apa(. Slarting fron this position, she then "pulled" with her arms, shifting hcrweight onto her back foot, as she rcleased a sound: "A,trhhhhhhhhhhhhh."e After a bit of side coaching,she elentually involved the whole body, including her head.10

when she eventually had a gesture that seemed dght to her, we wofked on the shape, tempo, nl<lrrlitv ofthe gesture, until il inspired her as she said, "l want Demetrius." We discoyered that r stxccilk)tlllrlity secmcd truer to her thzu a mofe legato quality, even though legato was more sensual, which nrighthirvc becn oul choice had we remained at the surface level of the Lover

It is impodlxrt to play with a gesture a bit before reiecting it, because the zurswcr might lic in holil is doDc ';Ls much as in its shape. Repeat the gesture at least three times, radiaiinS at the end of cr(hfoflr rnd i viting thc voice along. You can start out with a release of sound, such irs irr''Ahhhhhhhhhhh,'rr l lowing the gesture to color the voice. Let thc voice evolve to larguiulc- l \ra0tlX!rctri0s -xnd thcn l)lxy with othcr lircs o[ lext with thc gesturc. With circh sn(ccssive radiatiul, lh(gt.sttrr 'c sil l ht'r 'rrrttt ' ntr

Repeat the gesture at least thre€ times, pausing at the end of each repetition to allow the radiations

to flow through you. walk around the room, see yourself doing the gesture inwardly, and now, speak some

of your lin€s. You rnight discover that doing $e gesture inwardly becomes more powerfirl thrLn physically

doing it. Imagine Helena as described above: as the Addict, inwardly pulling, professing her lov€ with a

need that bums--{uite a different r€ndition than we might expect from a s}'l'Llpy lover "

once the actor gen€rated the essence of "pull" through repetition and radiation of her 8estufe, she

arvakened a desperation and urgency in the character that was as amusing as it was heartbreaking

Allowing bleath to rel€ase with each subsequent pull, the actress evolved onto solid sound arld eventually

speech through her gesture. Her resulting performance was remarkably complex and emotionally rich-

all energing from fie embodirnent and simplicity of "pull." The "pull" was a distillation of more com-

plex elements.\rlhen her "pulliug" Helena was combined with the "pushing" Dem€tdus, we were able to stage lh€

scene in forty-five minutes. The actor's imagination created the inner life, and her body awakened sensa-

tions of feelings that were complex ald compelling. Because the actors had approached the underlying

psychology of the scene through gesture, rather than dLrough an ernotional memory or personal substi-

tution approach, they were able to step out of the play and back into their everyday lives without harm to

their p€rsonal psychology.'r

This approach served us well when we had only four weeks to stage /(lt g lear, which some schol-

ars consider impossible to stage, even widl an iofinite amount of reheaNa.l time. Not only was it possible,

fte Ensemble received an Off-ofi-Broadway Award, which cited the outstanding acting, arnong other dis-

tlnctions.By distilling characters or scenic momenti to lheir core Sestures, you can achieve perfonnances that

are so psychologically complex that it would tak€ reams of paper to describe them. In Helena's final

moments in the scene before Dernetrius rejects her, th€ actress mdiated hope, despair, desperation, Ioss,

rage, confusion, and decisiveness in h€r fl€eting moments, as w€ experienced hef yearning need for him

were I to ask her to feel all of these things, she probably wor d have failed-not to mention that lhe

process would have been as unpleasant a.S it would be ineffective,

GETTING STUCK

The invadable question arises when w0rking with movement: what's wrong if my gesture doesn't awaken

anlthing in me? There are two possibilities that I have seen over the years: (l) the archeqpe, gesture, afld

rhlthms, tempos, or other qualities need to be modified until you feel some sort of inspi$tion, or (2)

you are not sufliciently "in your body" to experience the gesture, and some preliminary $'ork needs to be

done.The fomer is easi€r to deal with, because a few adiustrnents, often minor, could awaken you in

entirely new ways. If you ar€n't "in your body," there could be a stiftl€ss brought on by years of habitual

use of the body. this is true, then it is too soon for you to engag€ in psychological gesture: Releasing

extrareous tension in the body should be pdotity one. There are many good approaches to do this

through conventional movement trainings (such as Alexander or Feldenkrais), which make wonderful

introductions to the basic exercises of Michael ChekhoY Every effort should be made to inhabityour body,

or "be in your body," while doing the basic exercises or engaging in other movement training"ln your body" mcims that evcrv aqrect ofvour inner world coc\ists with evcry ilsp('(:l of-vt)llr ()tll('r

H,+,^-^t /,, Atr,"r f l , , 1 . . , , / ( t , t ^ . , . | ' ' , . t , . : . - , , ^ | ( ; , / , . , , , , t , , / tA . J4 , , . / t , , l h , , t I

world. The body is constandy acquiring knowledge, expressing feelhgs, and awakenhg sensation in thcwhole body: toes, feet, back of legs, inner thighs, and the oblique muscles that are often leglected. Our

rvorld has become so civilized that we often forget that we inhabit oul bodies for only moments on dte

spectrum of time. Ifyou spend a lot of time sitting dovn with,vour legs cross€d, find a way to hang upsidc

down and pretend to be a bat.

BAsIc BnRCISES'fhe basic exercises ar€ ess€ntia.l to establishing and maintahing pq'choplqAical alignment. They encour"

age the imagination to strsain through th€ body, awakening areas that might be stiff or not panicularly

cxprcssiye. As a visual artist's palctte contains many colors, so, too, mrst an actor! body and voice corn'p se a palene of "psychological values." vithout this kind of psychophlsical development, the acbr

nright fall victim to, "But Mr l)ireclor, | 4m feeling the inner life of the character," and the directorrespondJ, "But Mr Actor, thatb not whafs coming across."

The actor's job is not to iee|butn express and embod! dl xspects of character in a theatrical con-text. Ilow can he do this if the character wants to move in a legato way and the actor is only able to expresshimself through staccato forms? Not only is it impossiblc, but interminably ffr.rstrating for actor, director,

xnd audience.Basic exercises used at the Ensemble to develop psychological values and best enable hner gesturc

inchrdel

. Staccato iuld legato . Expansion/contraction

. llving, floating/florving,r' molding, radiating . Ease, form, beauty, and the whole

Ilecxuse the basic exercises and atmospheres are thoroughly er?lained in to tbe Actot Md irs s]b-

scqucnt incamations, I will describe the followirg exercises in order to provide an idea ofour particuhr

xl)proach to drem.

/foccot"llcgjn by moving one part of your body in a shary way. Invit€ another part of the body to ioiDin, iurd then another, until the whole body is involved. Blink the eyes in a staccato way; twistthe torso, reach with the arms, open the legs, ard lengthen the spin€. Breathe rud releiusc

sound. what is the experience like? what sensations and feelings accompany the movement?

Vhat kirtls ofsounds come out ofyou? Variations include adding language in improvisationalcircInlst'nnces.

/ ertofo

lJ( ' l l iD hy nroring 0nc l) lr t of v()uf ho(l t in r sr looth and sciu lcss wlvri lDl i te.rDothcr pirf l of

thc brrr ly nntl thcrr iLrrothcr, IDl i l lhr \ \ tolr l i (xly is i0vol!c(1. l i l i Ik th( ' (v( 's in a I( l i l to wx\; twist

the torso, reach with the anns, op€n the legs, and lengden the sphe. Pay panicular attention

to the lower body, ard invite it to move searnlessly. Breathe and release sound. what kinds of

sounds come out of you? vadations include adding language in improvisational circumstances.

Qot fic.cfton o1 /en1 ofion

Make your body as small as you can by placing your forehead on the floor, arms and hands

flopped to the side.'7 lmagine yourself as tiny as you can. Allow bread into your body ard

release sound. \trhat is it like to be so small? V/hat sensations are awakened in your body?

E (7 "+,y

ion o1 /tn1 ofio n''

Make your body as big ds a shining sar-arms, legs, and face spread apart. Allow breath intoyour body and release sound. what is it fike to be so large? what sensations are awakened inyour body?

(ontr"rfto n/ fry a"n1 ion c"1 Qe1lureThis time, begin with your two feet flat on the floor; weight distributed so that you can move

with ease. Make your body small in a way that feels comfortable for you. Allow the sensations

of contraction to awaken, but do not squeeze your muscles. Then, grow de body into expan-

sion, and end the gesture with the sensations of expansion. You can play with the tempo,

rhlthm, and ofter qualities. Try it slow fast, staccato, legato, heary light, and so on. How dothe different qualities affect you inwardly? Repeat the experience, but staxt in an expand€d way

and move to a contracted shape. How does the movement of "closirg" affect the experience?

It is important for me to reiteBte that the use of breath and voice evolved over time at the Ensemble

and is a departure ftom Chekhov we have found that, without an integrated approach, actors are often

able to ftrlfill dre character in the body but not the voice. The result has beer that voic€ and speechprocesses have had to "catch up" to reflect the complex psychological values developed in the body-a

dichotomy ftat is frustrating and avoidable. Perhaps it is helpful to think of the voice as emerging from a

complex array of muscles, some of which are small and most of which are int€mal but no less absentfrom the whole body than any ofter pan of us.

FINAL TIPS

Chekhov never intended for psychological gesturc to be performed onstage. Lik€ the technique of

[. Matthias Alexander (a contemporary of Chekhov), psychological gesture is intended I[s I "meims-

whcreby" 10 enablc the [ullest possible expression.'3 'Ihis "means-whcrcby" is particrlilrlv Inrfln1xnl lo

. l r ll,*t-va/ /,,t 7lh'r1 l . l , ,A , * l ( A , t t ' " . t i . t , r " t . 4 , , " l G , t t " " , , . " / tA , lA , , ' / " " 1 l h " ' l

note: Ultimately, any technique should liberate you to be brilliart and inspired. It must never be used as

r substitute fof your talent, but, like any good technique, must be used to et arl" it. Yon might find there

me roles that you play brilliandy with httle such developmenl, But you will need a tech que to inspire

]ou for roles that are less accessible. Even then, your goa.l should be to play the characteq the scene, thcplay a^s beautiftrlly as possible-with audacity, imagination, and thealrical trulh-using the technique to

cnable such expression ard never a.s a substitute for it, which is perhxps the greatest example of the part-

nership between the "inner" and the "outq "

If you are going to undertake fie chekhov work, it will be necessary to tlain with a good teacher

Most artists camot derive all thal they need to ffom book, not even Mr CheL:hov's. That said, sorne things

to kccp in mind when wo*ing:

. Approach chdractff through archetlpes. It is likely to lead you to a uniqu€ protoq?€.

. Do movements ftom the inside. what sensations, feelings, and impulses are awakened within you

when you are moving? Use your body in entirely new ways. If it feels strange or odd, then you'rc

explodng new territory (iust don't hurt yoursel0.. Release brcath and sound. Though Mr Chelilrov precluded voice and speech from his work until his

collaboration with Rudolf Steiner our work at the Chek:hov Theatr€ Ens€mble has shown that inte-grited breath awareness is as much a part of the psychophysical process as any oder part of thc

body. Do not force breath out, manufacture language, of indulge an impr se to mrke the releasc

audible: Breath should. stream out ofand through the body as a rcsalt ofthe nouement, simi-

larly to the way a sigh comes out ftom an impulse of relief. lt rnight be a good idea to do some olyour Chekhov exercises with a voic€ and speech t€acher with whom you have worked to see what

hc or sh€ has to sav about it.

l'sychological gestures should:

. llc archetlpal and irvolve the whole body.

. (icneraily involve two feet flat on th€ lloor.

. lle wcll-shaped with a sense of beginning, middle, and end.

. lnvolve breath and sound.

. limbo(b the chancter as a whole, a fragment of it, or a mornent in the scene.

. llc Delformed inwardly whe[ acting.

. lJr fepeated three times in succession with radiation between each rcpetition.

. Inspifc you.

l[ vour psychological gesture do€sn t inspire you, change it or get rid of it nntil you find sontethin8

rhtrt (l(x's. l'lxy with its rhlthms, tempos, and qualities. You might discover that the same shapc dra0lali-|ullr chrLngcs in psychological values with the smallest adjustment.

.l.ctyolrinllginxtionsotlrbovecommonbounds,butdonotexteDdyoursclfbcyondthi rvhich yru

cun tlo with u lccling o[ r1|"sc. You'rc not compcting.. lrrrit( 'vorr I l i lhcr Inl( ' l l( 'ct inlo lhc l)r 'o('ss to hclp yor Dl (e irrl istic (hrl iccs.

,lt