ABSTRACT
Chekhov imagined the Theatre of the Future. He was convinced that it would happen and actors would come to meet it fully prepared. The aims of the technique speak about an ideal. Michael Chekhov is quite eloquent about all of this and these ideals are scattered throughout the books and teachings. A long time ago these ideals kept me reading his words and they have stayed with me; I do believe in them. They give us a picture that keeps the destination clear:
Through concentration, the Chekhov technique leads actors to discover a power that is greater than the everyday sense of being humans. The real work of the actor is to transform personal experience into a universal and recognizable form of expression that has the ability to change something in the spectator. To simply reproduce a personal impression as it was experienced is not enough. As actors practising, we are saying, ‘I am’, again and again so that we can come to know the many ‘I ams’ that live in us. As an actor I find a way to say and believe in these words so that they can be a starting point for my work. The feeble ‘I am’ of everyday cannot be enough, I have to look for ways to increase this sense of self so that I can transform into other characters.
