Our Acting Approach
"People who are going to work in film, television and theater are looking for a range of ideas about training."
---Melissa Smith, Conservatory Director at American ConservatoryTheater
We joyfully approach the craft of acting using the Michael Chekhov Techniques. Most all approaches to acting in America and Europe stem from the pioneering work of Constantine Stanislavsky. His unending quest for truth on the stage resulted in a revolution in the way an actor prepared and presented a role. Unfortunately, in America, his system arrived in its nascent form and was not allowed to develop, leaving us with naturalism as the actor's highest artistic achievement.
This work has found its way back to Europe as a result of the current American cinema and now prevails as the dominant approach to acting. Stanislavsky's research continued, however, and took him beyond naturalism. Among his followers, was one of the most important theater artists of the 20th century: Michael Chekhov.
This work has found its way back to Europe as a result of the current American cinema and now prevails as the dominant approach to acting. Stanislavsky's research continued, however, and took him beyond naturalism. Among his followers, was one of the most important theater artists of the 20th century: Michael Chekhov.
We strive in our practice to help the naturalistic film/ television/ theater to flourish and move away from the mere "photographic" representation of life by seeking truth in more inspiring ways. We believe strongly that life on the stage/ screen is bold, expressive, and theatrical. Consequently we practice imaginative methods using psycho-physical techniques, exercises that use the undeniable connection between the body and psychology, movements and principles that generate various sensations and emotions.
A.E.G. is hungry for alternatives to "Method" acting. The Michael Chekhov Technique, rooted in Stanislavsky, influenced by Meyerhold and Vakhtangov, is one of the most viable alternatives. Following Chekhov's principles, A.E.G. members gains freedom of all limitations of the subjective personality and have endless opportunities for the creative authorship in any theater system, director's conception, or performance structure. Chekhov's technique is a completely imaginative approach to experiencing the truth of the moment. According to Chekhov the work of the actor is to create an inner event which is an actual experience occurring in real time within the actor. This inner event as it is being experienced by the actor is witnessed by the audience as an outward expression related to the contextual moment of the play. This event and the ability to create it belong to what Michael Chekhov calls the Creative Individuality of the actor, and is not directly tied to his personality. This Creative Individuality allows the artist actor to use parts of himself that are not just the smaller meaner more banal elements that make up his daily life, but rather parts of his unconscious, where dwell more universal and archetypal images.
We at A.E.G. associate our practice with the power of imagination. Since the strength of acting lies in the ability to communicate through sensory imagery rather than through literary ideas we seek to uncover appropriate actor training devices that heighten our imaginative awareness. We practice to arrive somewhere outside the theater and life--- somewhere deep in our imagination where there is the stages ineffable, magical elements that truly bring us and spectator together.
Chekhov declared that the end product of all actor training is the development of the stage character. He observed that the Stanislavsky actor has been taught to build his role on the similarities between his personal history and that of the character in the play, but this constant repetition of the actors own nature over the years causes a progressive degeneration of talent. The creative means are used less and less, and eventually the actor actual begins to imitate himself relying--- for the most part, on repeated personal mannerisms and stage clichés.
We at A.E.G are concerned with the special physical nature of the actors movement and the creation of new and exciting characters. We have a belief in developing our source of inspiration, feeling, and expressiveness; and that the stimulus should always begin outside the private and internalize world of our own lives. Sensory stimulation for A.E.G. members comes from the creation of atmospheres and qualities, or external expressions which when added to movement provoke the feelings they mime. The marriage of imagination, atmospheres and qualities supplements Stanislavsky "Affective Memory" for us. We feel we can produce more powerful and individualized emotional expressions without having to consciously evoke difficult to control memories of personal experiences. We believe that inspiration cannot be commanded, it is capricious. That is why we must always have a strong technique to fall back on.
Our Regards to Film/ Television:
Chekhov deplored the fact that the television and film actor often has insufficient time to prepare for his or her role. The wonderful freedom and joy that comes from experimenting with a character, from ensemble playing, from discovering nuances is in most cases denied to the modern film actor. A.E.G. knows that even under such adverse circumstances the actors inner resources can be put to use. We practice seeking for and found ways to help ourselves when given little time to prepare a role to reduce our sense of frustration and rely on our own talent to bring true creativity and originality instead of mere clichés. We practice so that with sufficient rehearsal experience and exercise of basic technique, plus some inventive and simple shortcuts to preparing the part, our talent can effortlessly accommodate the hurry up demands of film and TV work. We are practicing to become a totally expressive instantly responsive professional actors.
A.E.G. is hungry for alternatives to "Method" acting. The Michael Chekhov Technique, rooted in Stanislavsky, influenced by Meyerhold and Vakhtangov, is one of the most viable alternatives. Following Chekhov's principles, A.E.G. members gains freedom of all limitations of the subjective personality and have endless opportunities for the creative authorship in any theater system, director's conception, or performance structure. Chekhov's technique is a completely imaginative approach to experiencing the truth of the moment. According to Chekhov the work of the actor is to create an inner event which is an actual experience occurring in real time within the actor. This inner event as it is being experienced by the actor is witnessed by the audience as an outward expression related to the contextual moment of the play. This event and the ability to create it belong to what Michael Chekhov calls the Creative Individuality of the actor, and is not directly tied to his personality. This Creative Individuality allows the artist actor to use parts of himself that are not just the smaller meaner more banal elements that make up his daily life, but rather parts of his unconscious, where dwell more universal and archetypal images.
We at A.E.G. associate our practice with the power of imagination. Since the strength of acting lies in the ability to communicate through sensory imagery rather than through literary ideas we seek to uncover appropriate actor training devices that heighten our imaginative awareness. We practice to arrive somewhere outside the theater and life--- somewhere deep in our imagination where there is the stages ineffable, magical elements that truly bring us and spectator together.
Chekhov declared that the end product of all actor training is the development of the stage character. He observed that the Stanislavsky actor has been taught to build his role on the similarities between his personal history and that of the character in the play, but this constant repetition of the actors own nature over the years causes a progressive degeneration of talent. The creative means are used less and less, and eventually the actor actual begins to imitate himself relying--- for the most part, on repeated personal mannerisms and stage clichés.
We at A.E.G are concerned with the special physical nature of the actors movement and the creation of new and exciting characters. We have a belief in developing our source of inspiration, feeling, and expressiveness; and that the stimulus should always begin outside the private and internalize world of our own lives. Sensory stimulation for A.E.G. members comes from the creation of atmospheres and qualities, or external expressions which when added to movement provoke the feelings they mime. The marriage of imagination, atmospheres and qualities supplements Stanislavsky "Affective Memory" for us. We feel we can produce more powerful and individualized emotional expressions without having to consciously evoke difficult to control memories of personal experiences. We believe that inspiration cannot be commanded, it is capricious. That is why we must always have a strong technique to fall back on.
Our Regards to Film/ Television:
Chekhov deplored the fact that the television and film actor often has insufficient time to prepare for his or her role. The wonderful freedom and joy that comes from experimenting with a character, from ensemble playing, from discovering nuances is in most cases denied to the modern film actor. A.E.G. knows that even under such adverse circumstances the actors inner resources can be put to use. We practice seeking for and found ways to help ourselves when given little time to prepare a role to reduce our sense of frustration and rely on our own talent to bring true creativity and originality instead of mere clichés. We practice so that with sufficient rehearsal experience and exercise of basic technique, plus some inventive and simple shortcuts to preparing the part, our talent can effortlessly accommodate the hurry up demands of film and TV work. We are practicing to become a totally expressive instantly responsive professional actors.