Research Catalog

The Actor is the theatre : a collection of Michael Chekhov's unpublished notes and manuscripts on the art of acting and the theatre

Title
The Actor is the theatre : a collection of Michael Chekhov's unpublished notes and manuscripts on the art of acting and the theatre: typescript, 1977.
Author
Prey, Deirdre Hurst du, 1906-

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3 Items

StatusContainerFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Box 1Mixed materialSupervised use *T-Mss 2002-012 Box 1Performing Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Box 2Mixed materialSupervised use *T-Mss 2002-012 Box 2Performing Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Box 3Mixed materialSupervised use *T-Mss 2002-012 Box 3Performing Arts Research Collections - Theatre

Details

Additional Authors
  • Chekhov, Michael, 1891-1955.
  • Straight, Beatrice.
Description
(3 boxes); 1.5 lf.
Summary
Consists of thirty-two folders of typescript, compiled by Deirdre Hurst du Prey from notes taken between 1936 and 1942, during the active years of the Chekhov Theatre Studio in Devonshire, England, and in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Subjects
Genre/Form
Typescripts.
Access (note)
  • Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.
Source (note)
  • Du Prey, Pierre
Biography (note)
  • Michael Chekhov was an actor, director, author, and teacher, whose theories on acting and directing continue to be influential.
Processing Action (note)
  • Cataloged
Call Number
*T-Mss 2002-012
OCLC
NYPW02-A108
Author
Prey, Deirdre Hurst du, 1906-
Title
The Actor is the theatre : a collection of Michael Chekhov's unpublished notes and manuscripts on the art of acting and the theatre: typescript, 1977.
Restricted Access
Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.
Biography
Michael Chekhov was an actor, director, author, and teacher, whose theories on acting and directing continue to be influential. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Aug. 29, 1891, Michael Chekhov was the nephew of author and playwright Anton Chekhov. He showed early promise as an actor, and in 1912 he was invited by Constantin Stanislavsky to join the Moscow Art Theatre. After sixteen years with the group, during which he worked as both an actor and director, Chekhov left Russia and worked in Germany, France, Latvia, and Lithuania. In 1935 at the invitation of actress Beatrice Straight, Chekhov established the Chekhov Theatre Studio at Dartington Hall in Devonshire, England, assisted by Deirdre Hurst du Prey, an acting student who helped him learn English. In 1939 the war forced the studio to move overseas to Ridgefield, Connecticut. The group eventually disbanded in 1942, when many of its actors were drafted into the armed forces. Chekhov moved to California and continued to teach, lecture, and act in motion pictures such as Alfred Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND (1945), ABIE'S IRISH ROSE (1946), and RHAPSODY (1954). He wrote a book TO THE ACTOR: ON THE TECHNIQUE OF ACTING, later revised. Michael Chekhov died on Sep. 30, 1955, in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 64. In 1962 MICHAEL CHEKHOV'S TO THE DIRECTOR AND PLAYWRIGHT was published, based on lecture notes. Deirdre Hurst du Prey edited two additional books based on his ideas.
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Added Author
Chekhov, Michael, 1891-1955.
Straight, Beatrice.
Research Call Number
*T-Mss 2002-012
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