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The Rhythm of Space and the Sound of Time examines the place of Chekhov's Technique in contemporary acting pedagogy and practice. Cynthia Ashperger answers the questions: What are the reasons behind the technique's current resurgence? How has this cohesive and holistic training been brought into today's mainstream acting training? What separates this technique from the other currently popular methods? Ashperger offers an analysis of the complex philosophical influences that shaped Chekhov's ideas about this psycho-physical approach to acting. Chekhov's five guiding principles are introduced to demonstrate how eastern ideas and practices have been integrated into this western technique and how they have continued to develop on both theoretical and practical levels in contemporary pedagogy, thereby rendering it intercultural. The volume also focuses on the work of several contemporary teachers of the technique associated with Michael Chekhov International Association (MICHA). Current teacher training is described as well as the different modes of hybridization of Chekhov's technique with other current methods. Contemporary practical experiments and some fifty exercises at both beginner and intermediate/advanced levels are presented through analysis, examples, student journals and case studies, delineating the sequences in which units are taught and specifying the exercises that differ from those in Chekhov's original writing. This book is for practitioners as well as students of the theatre.
E-Book Content
The Rhythm of Space and the Sound of Time Consciousness Liter ture the Arts & 14 General Editor: Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe Editorial Board: Anna Bonshek, Per Brask, John Danvers, William S. Haney II, Amy Ione, Michael Mangan, Arthur Versluis, Christopher Webster, Ralph Yarrow The Rhythm of Space and the Sound of Time Michael Chekhov’s Acting Technique in the 21st Century Cynthia Ashperger Amsterdam - New York, NY 2008 Cover Design: Aart Jan Bergshoeff The paper on which this book is printed meets the requirements of “ISO 9706:1994, Information and documentation - Paper for documents Requirements for permanence”. ISBN: 978-90-420-2387-1 ISSN: 1573-2193 ©Editions Rodopi B.V., Amsterdam - New York, NY 2008 Printed in the Netherlands TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments..........................................................................xi Preface ......................................................................................... xiii Introduction.................................................................................... 1 1. Philosophical and Spiritual Influences of Michael Chekhov’s Acting Technique: A History Introduction....................................................................................13 The Influence of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ..............................16 The Influence of Arthur Schopenhauer ...........................................22 Rudolf Steiner and the Influence of Anthroposophy........................26 Theosophy and its Origins: “No” to the Body .................................29 Anthroposophy and its Origins: “Yes” to the Body .........................31 The Three-Fold Nature of Man .......................................................35 The Anthroposophist Impact and “Possession” in Chekhov’s Technique ..............................................................38 The Influence of Leopold Sulerzhitsky ...........................................46 The Influence of Russian Symbolism..............................................48 Eastern Traditional Theatre and its Influence on Chekhov...............51 Conclusion .....................................................................................55 2. The Teaching Philosophy of the Michael Chekhov Association and its Contribution