”How’ is the mystery of art; it is the secret of the artist who always knows ‘how’ without any explanation, any proof, any analysis, or psychological abilities.

Our business is not the what, it is the how.’

– Michael Chekhov –

Michael Chekhov (St. Petersburg 1891 – Beverly Hills 1955)

Michael Chekhov was one of Russia’s foremost and innovative actors and directors. He captivated his audience with role interpretations that were particularly lifelike and imaginative. He was a keen observer of the creative process. He developed an acting technique, the so-called ‘psycho-physical approach’, in which transformation, working with impulse, imagination, atmosphere, and the ‘inner gesture’ are central. The ability to imagine is the key to his technique.

Michael Chekhov began as a student of Stanislavsky, known for Method Acting. The major difference between the two methodologies is that Stanislavsky’s technique goes back to the actor’s personal memory/psychology, while Chekhov’s technique creates from the perception and imagination of the actor in the present moment.