ABSTRACT
An additional primary question that Michael Chekhov would ask Mala Powers when he was coaching her on a role, was whether her character was predominantly radiating or receiving. You may relate this to whether a character is an extrovert or an introvert, but instead this refers to how the character works with energy. Do they send energy out to others around them or do they draw energy in toward them? Neither is positive or negative, but instead choices will determine how the radiating or receiving is delivered by a certain character. A character may be radiating goodwill toward all around them or radiating their disdain for all of life. A character may be receiving with curiosity and caring for others, or receiving in order to use information to manipulate others. While in life we want to have a balance of both giving and receiving energy, contributing to and absorbing conversations, characters are much more interesting when they are out of balance.
Michael Chekhov believed that every moment onstage, any role – small or large – deserves to be a work of art unto itself. Improvisations will include moving the body with ease, props, chairs, or whatever is at hand with ease and then changing the focus to moving with artistic beauty, a sense of form – what shapes do you make with the prop/chair, and then completing a sequence of moves followed by a pause to experience that sense of entirety. One sample improvisation is “Dancing Puppet” where one actor is blindfolded, and the other acts as the puppeteer, both focused on moving with ease, creating a puppet dance of beauty, being aware of form, and then bringing it to a sculpted conclusion for entirety.
Michael Chekhov believed that every moment onstage, any role – small or large – deserves to be a work of art unto itself. Improvisations will include moving the body with ease, props, chairs, or whatever is at hand with ease and then changing the focus to moving with artistic beauty, a sense of form – what shapes do you make with the prop/chair, and then completing a sequence of moves followed by a pause to experience that sense of entirety. One sample improvisation is “Dancing Puppet” where one actor is blindfolded, and the other acts as the puppeteer, both focused on moving with ease, creating a puppet dance of beauty, being aware of form, and then bringing it to a sculpted conclusion for entirety.
Haven’t we all had a fantasy or even a very realistic dream of flying? In this chapter flying is one of the tools which will be explored to bring about transformation in any performance. Beginning with the strongest resistance in movement, which is molding, and gradually moving toward radiating, which is energy having no bounds, you will be introduced to a full range of movement that allows for a variety of expression. When improvising with these tools you may choose a character that is very regimented and controlled via molding, or a character that is very free and expressive via flying. As with the other Michael Chekhov acting techniques, these tools hold neither a positive nor negative charge, but instead offer physical ways of being with endless possibilities. A discovery can be made via these tools which is that any character you will ever play can move somewhere on this spectrum – or incorporate the entire range!
