Product Description

A perfect handbook for professional and amateur actors and directors. Chekhov's simple and practical exercises are an absolute must for any theatre practitioner.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36064 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
'To the Actor is by far the best book that I have read on the subject of acting. Actors, directors, writers and critics will be grateful for it.' - Gregory Peck

'This new publication of To the Actor should be welcomed by all of us with one of the most universal of Psychological Gestures - open arms.' - James Lipton, Producer and host of 'Inside the Actor's Studio'. Seen on the Bravo network.

'Just practicing, even superficially, the first nine exercises in To the Actor, you can find a satisfaction - a living beauty in you ... Chekhov reminds us what a great feast life can be.' - Anthony Quinn

'You have to teach yourself to act but Michael Chekhov will give you the necessary tools - and for me, Psychological Gesture and Centers are extremely valuable They work like a charm. I've used them all along and still do.' - Clint Eastwood

'While my mother and sister were hiding in the dark and kind of watching me, ya know, hoping I was going to be in the movie business, I turned around and imagined I saw my director making fun of my newly acquired Psychological Gesture from Michael Chekhov.' - Jack Nicholson at the 1998 Golden Globe awards (speaking about his first job)

' There's this need to continue growth; to expand. For me, Chekhov's system is the most complete.' - Robert Davi, interviewed on the set of his TV series, 'The Profiler'

'With Michael Chekhov acting became more than a profession to me. It became a sort of religion.' - Marilyn Monroe, from her book, My Story.

'Its greatest virtue is not so much that you can't put it down but that you have to put it down - in order to try it out.' - Research in Drama Education

'To the Actor is by far the best book that I have read on the subject of acting. Actors, directors, writers and critics will be grateful for it.' - Gregory Peck

'There's this need to continue growth; to expand. For me, Chekhov's system is the most complete.' - Robert Davi, interviewed on the set of his TV series, 'The Profiler'

From the Back Cover
How does an actor learn to:
* Call up emotion?
* Develop a character?
* Strengthen awareness?
These are essential techniques for every actor, and Michael Chekhov's classic work To the Actor explains, clearly and concisely, how to develop them. Chekhov's simple and practical method - successfully used by professional actors all over the world - trains the actor's imagination and body to fulfil its potential.
This handbook for actors (and directors) has been revised and expanded by Mala Powers. It includes: a previously unpublished chapter on 'Psychological Gesture', translated into English by the celebrated director Andrei Malaev - Babel; a new biographical overview by Mala Powers; and a foreword by Simon Callow.

Customer Reviews

A must have for all Actors both amateur and professional
If you are interested in the true art of acting then this is with out doubt the book to buy. The Michael Checkov technique is absolutely mind blowing, it enables you to harness your true creative self using simple yet powerful techniques. If you are an amateur actor or director with a theatre group who is looking to make the performances go beyond an amateur level this is the book that will enable you to do that. 5 Stars.

A SEMINAL BOOK FOR ALL ACTORS
THIS BOOK WAS UNFORTUNATELY OUT OF PRINT BUT NOW IS BACK ON THE SHELVES WITH MORE GREAT INFORMATION FOR ACTORS ABOUT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL GESTURE. THIS EDITION HAS QUOTES FROM THE HOST OF "INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO", CLINT EASTWOOD, MARYLIN MONROE, JACK NICHOLSON AND MANY GREAT ACTORS. IT CONTAINS THE CRITICAL CHAPTER ON COMPOSITION THAT WAS EXCLUDED FROM HIS OTHER GREAT TEXT "ON THE TECHNIQUE OF ACTING". THIS NEW VERSION OF THE 1953 PUBLICATION ALSO HAS A CHAPTER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL GESTURE THAT WAS NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH. BACKSTAGE WEST EDITOR ROB KENDT REVEIWED THIS BOOK HIGHLY BUT SUGGESTS YOU MAY WANT TO SEEK A COACH TO HELP YOU INTEGRATE THE BRILLIANT IDEAS AFTER YOU FINISH THE READING. TERRIFIC FOR WRITERS AND DIRECTORS TOO.

Total Inspiration
I stumbled upon this book while looking in my college library. From reading the forward by Simon Callow: I was hooked. The book Frees The Actor from the simple, dull acting of this materialistic age we live in and it shows The Actor In a simple way, how to unlock the many tresures hidden in Their sub-concious. This book as changed my life and has opened my eyes. To The Actor puts the power back into the actor's hands and gives him a sense of worth. It never doubts the actor's talent. It frees it.