Lessons for the Professional Actor

by Michael Chekhov, D. Deirdre Hurst (Editor), Mel Gordon (Designed by)

This volume collects the brilliant lectures which the great actor Michael Chekhov presented at his studio classes in New York in 1941. His technique and philosophy of acting initially derived from his Moscow Art Theatre work with Stanislavsky. Under such titles as "The Psychological Gesture," "The Imagination," "Continuous Acting," the Chekhov teaching method of psycho-physical exercises, improvisations, scene study, and "Questions and Answers" reveals its continued importance for actor training today.

Genres: Theatre

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

His uncles Anton Chekhov, Mikhail Chekhov

Mikhail Aleksandrovich "Michael" Chekhov was a Russian-American actor, director, author and theatre practitioner. He was a nephew of the playwright Anton Chekhov and a student of Konstantin Stanislavski. Stanislavski referred to him as his most brilliant student.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is distinctive about this book is the conversation Chekhov has with his students. Some are skeptical. Some are inquisitive. Some of his answers are mysterious, but there's a lot of clarity here, especially regarding the psychological gesture and character.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give it an "A" for inspiration. I was particularly moved by Chekhov's hopefulness and his vision of the Theatre of the Future. His dedication to the form, his exercises and his belief in the importance of Theatre filled me right up with good stuff. My copy is all marked up with stuff I want to try when I get a chance.
Here's the blog entry I wrote about reading this book:
http://artiststruggle.wordpress.com/2...

[Jimena]

Un libro maravilloso que explica la técnica interpretativa de Michael Chejov. Me ha sido muy util.

[Celia Fañanás · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha parecido un libro muy útil que, junto con "Sobre la técnica de la actuación", explican muy bien las bases de la técnica que proponía Chéjov. Este libro, además, es la adaptación de las transcripciones de varias de sus clases, e incluye diálogos con los alumnos, lo que ayuda a visualizar de forma práctica sus propuestas.

[Kevin Pynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this man so much. To really get it though, you need to have a class and actually do the exercises.

[Héctor Toledo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Transcripciones de las clases que Chéjov impartió en Nueva York en el 41.
Es muy útil como primera aproximación a la teoría de este actor, si bien, al ser transcripciones de clases, los temas, las ideas y su desarrollo no están todo lo ordenados y estructurados que sería deseable.
Se pierde, además, con frecuencia, en disquisiciones teóricas que no hacen sino abundar en las mismas ideas, lo que hace su lectura un poco pesada al cabo del tiempo.