Abstract
This article explores the work of Michael Chekhov's Theatre Studio at Dartington in the context of the pre-eminence given to craft-work by artists from Britain, Europe and Russia, who briefly came together to form an English modernist movement in the inter-war period. It argues that Chekhov's artistic technique represents an attempt to generate a parallel tradition of craft-based artistry in acting and in the theatre more widely. Far from seeing this 'turn to the crafts' as either nostalgic or naive, the article proposes the performative language of Chekhov's technique as a means by which the contemporary theatre may free itself from divisive assumptions, rooted in dualistic thinking, about the functions of its various workers and generate, in Chekhov's phrase, 'a new kind of conversation' between collaborators.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 189-203 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Theatre, Dance and Performance Training |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 29 Jul 2013 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
Keywords
- michael chekhov
- actor training
- craft
- dartington
- modernism