Playing the Role of Angelino - Using the Michael Chekhov Technique

Student Testimonial on The Michael Chekhov Process

One of my international students, Tyrone Delos Reyes, sharing his work and testimonial on working through the Chekhov Process, under my coaching at the Michael Chekhov Studio Orlando!

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Michael Chekhov Studio Orlando

Four Brothers of Art: Cultivating the Higher Ego of the Artist

Mr. Chekhov truly believed that all forms of art, and even all forms of inspired state of action/acting had 4 feelings to it:

Beauty
Ease
Entirety
Form

These four feelings, as it pertains to the artist, is about cultivating the emotional life of the artist! They are about cultivating the Higher Ego of the artist!

In this video, you will see one way of exercising these principles. There are countless ways to cultivate these four feelings of art. I highly recommend that before doing the exercise, that you practice the axiom, "Know Thy Self!" Know your limits and work slowly toward cultivating these four feelings.

When you view anything with a feeling of beauty (pleasure, satisfaction) the feeling of ease tends to appear, and when it does you start to cultivate a feeling of entirety (wholeness, completion) and as a result, creative-inspired forms are being formed by you as you work!

When something is not working the way you desire it - ask yourself: Where's the BEEF (Beauty, Ease, Entirety, Form)?

Staccato/Legato & the Six Directions of Movement

Tempo is the speed or pace of a character's inner or outer qualities. A character may have an inner tempo that varies from his/her outer tempo.

There are 5 Universal Rhythms with which all energy moves in. In fact, all sound and motion can be described with:

1. Legato - Flowing
2. Lyrical - Legato/Staccato, stillness in rhythmic patterns
3. Staccato - Choppy, quick movements
4. Chaos - Legato/Staccato, stillness with no pattern
5. Stillness - Absence of motion

The suggested exercise illustrated in the video below can be done on the stage in preparation for a performance, before the audience is admitted. This is a wonderful way to warm up the instrument. It also allows you to fill the space with your energetic self. It is a creative act to do with other actors, as it helps the ensemble feeling. 

You may also use it as a kind of cleansing as you throw off unwanted stale or negative energy that can insidiously interfere with my best intentions as a performer.

The exercise also helps us to ground these two tempos within the body, thereby incorporating a dynamic understanding of character and quality. We can discover a great deal with these two tempos if we see them as viable means of expression.

Mastery of Tempo/Rhythms is key to being able to deliver the rising and falling action of the climactic moments of the composition of a story, play, screenplay, etc.

Exploring Chekhov Psycho-Physically Using Centers & Thinking, Feeling, Willing Forces

Setting the example by modeling what an artist should be doing everyday. Michael Chekhov says, "the technique of acting can never be properly understood without practicing it daily and continuously." Read below a POA journal of mine I did today on characterization:

Since I have to run a few errands today and pick up some supplies, from the Dramatic Education office, for my children’s acting class, which I start next coming week – I wanted to begin my day right with the 5 Tibetan rites and exercise a tool from the Chekhov technique. Today, I chose to work on Characterization – using Centers and placing them in either Thinking, Feeling or Willing. I wanted to have fun with it so I merged these two tools together. After the Tibetan rites I went into the simply working with sensing the IAC and feeling the energy body by radiating a movement out into the space and then physically doing the movement or gesture. I followed that with the Actors March, allowing this concept of the IAC to really lead me as I walk around the house and really sensing the impulse of the energy forces in each of the TFW forces, while saying the March. From there I went into the Centers/TFW exercises. I chose 3 centers for each of these; so in total I played and explored with 9 centers.

Overall, I really enjoyed the process of once again planning my play date, setting out goals for myself to accomplish and executing my plan. It really does increase this sensibility of the Higher Ego (aka Your Artistic Self), because you realize you’re creating little pieces of art by exercising in this way. You are not using your everyday self. I really enjoyed this sense of productivity and application of the principle of Continuous Acting, which Chekhov teaches us.

Double Stuff: The one thing I would do differently is to continue to explore how the tool, in this case: centers and TFW, can affect or influence my voice more. I know based off of my mentors' observations from the last two intensives I attended this was something they were encouraging me to work through. So I am really trying to allow my Higher Self to direct me in this way. I felt at times that my voice was coming from whatever center I chose, however I also sensed that it was coming back up to “Joe’s” every day self voice. So as a result, more focus and concentration on this is required with any of the tools and its application/influence toward my voice.

My favorite moment had to have been where I placed a center in the lower torso area. The location was more specifically right below the sternum and right above the belly. The quality was a gaping hole (empty and void) that went through toward the back area. The mobility of the center was static. This was an amazing choice; it produced a character that came out of nowhere! I kept wailing “Oh” as if in deep depression or pain. It produced a slightly contracted pattern of energy and walk, and as far as my voice, I felt it was really connected to the image and the center. It had a deeper tone to it and images like a broken down King Lear started to emerge! Or even thoughts of person dealing with unbearable news and the impulses all emerge from that gaping center in the torso. Oh it was fascinating to work in this way (Psycho-Physically)!!!

Chekhov Exploration: Floating POA (Morning)

Great POA from a fellow Chekhov colleague of mine! He's also a wonderful actor:



Chekhov Exploration: Floating POA (Morning): This morning I was inspired to explore the tool of floating. While standing in a coffee shop I  gazed about, taking in random images, until ...

Sneak Preview of Action-Comedy Film, "Sidekicked!"

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You!!!

 

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