On the 17th of October 2022, I led a Michael Chekhov workshop at Royal Conservatoire in Amare for three singers joined by a pianist.
The workshop was thought of as the research's laboratory where I could test different concepts and find answers to the research questions.
As I hope to give many more Chekhov workshops later in my career, the workshop was as well, yet another opportunity for me to gain experience in practicing and delivering Chekhov's technique.
In preparation, I had the singers let me know in the week before the workshop took place what opera arias they wanted to work on. The only conditions were that the singers had to be able to perform the aria by heart and that it would not exceed the time duration of five minutes.
This way, I was able to gather information about the synopsis of the opera, character and scenario of the aria in question well in advance. After this preparation I decided which concepts from the technique I wanted to work with and used the first half of the workshop to do this.
I also asked for the sheet music as pdf files so that the pianist could prepare as well. I wanted to make the best use of time as possible so I chose the exercises in the first half of the workshop to connect with specific concepts we were going to work on in the second half.
I had prepared a thorough structure for the two hour duration of the workshop. The following table gives a rough estimation of the structure.
I video recorded the workshop for documentation. The three participating singers and the pianist signed a consent form stating that I had the permission to record both video and sound during the workshop and to use and display the footage as data in my research project.
Processing
To process the results I made sure to take some time at the end of the session for discussions. It was very interesting to hear what the participating singers had to say and to answer their questions about the technique which made me think about new aspects.
I also had the singers do a survey on the same night that the workshop took place. The survey consisted of simple yes and no questions along with questions requiring written answers. It was important to me that they did it immediately so that the experience would still be fresh in their memory. I am very grateful to the singers for being frank about their experience from the workshop. Their positive feedback along with the constructive criticism I received was extremely helpful.
To test if other singers share my positive experience in using Chekhov’s technique while singing, I asked in the survey, "how was your experience in working with the technique in association?"
The singers had an overall positive experience of the technique in this context and at the same time gave constructive criticism that I could have been less hesitant to interrupt them while they were singing to give further instructions. For my future workshops, I will take this criticism into careful consideration. I will aim to intervene as soon as I see that my students are struggling to sustain the energy from the concepts. Meaning that I will have to be prepared to think on my feet how I can find new ways to approach the concepts and inspire my students. The quotes bellow are by the singers from the survey.
“I really enjoyed it! I felt the exercises in the beginning calmed me down and helped me ground properly, which always helps while singing. During the aria, the idea of radiating energy towards something specific (thinking of the energy that Susanna would feel in that moment) really helped with feeling like a bigger person (both physically and mentally, as I felt more powerful and in control, which fits Susanna’s character)....”
“...the process of finding the right movements in a piece asks for a certain engagement and curiosity. It helps you to feel and discover what the piece communicates and therefore opens your understanding of it. As a result it invites you to make clear decisions. There's no such thing as a "half movement". When you do one, you do it fully. So you also fully have to understand why you do it. And that kind of understanding is important when performing in front of an audience.”
To test the particular concepts from Chekhov’s repertoire that I believed would apply with the arias that the singers had chosen to sing, I had the singers evaluate themselves.
The concepts to be tested were:
Feeling of ease, expanding and contracting, flying, floating, molding, radiating, psychological gesture, forward and backward directions.
I approached the matter in two questions, "were there particular elements that you connected more to than others, and if so, which elements?" and "were there particular elements that you connected more to than others, and if so, which elements?"
As was to be expected, it turned out that the concepts reached the singers in different ways. While some think it’s easy to understand and carry out radiation for example, others might struggle. This tells me that I have to be prepared to deliver and approach the concepts in various ways. I also need to check in with the singers earlier on in the process how they are doing with connecting to the concepts.
“I found the molding quite difficult, but the radiating of energy and imagining air flowing through the legs into the feet (for example) worked really well for me.”
“I connected most to the specific movements of being big, small, brave... The feeling of being a sun, casting light upon objects and people is also very helpful, but for me has less of an effect on my imagination itself. It's more a performing attitude rather than a way to boost my imagination. I haven't tried the sculpting, but I think also that helps you to create very clear images for yourself. It helps you to understand what the character sees.”
To test if vocal projection would be positively affected in a technical way by applying Chekhov, I asked, "While singing the aria, did you notice something happening in terms of vocal technique and vocal projection when trying out Chekhov’s elements?"
The singers all agreed on the positive impact on the vocal performance.
In the discussions that took place afterwards, in the pianists' own initiative and off topic, she mentioned that she had noticed a great difference in terms of the singer’s vocal quality. Singer 2 strongly agreed and mentioned that she felt it strongly while applying the radiation. “The radiation is really nice. It creates the image of me wearing a really big skirt that makes me feel a big space around me. It helps me take up the space that I feel is needed when singing. It feels really nice to be able to feel that from all sides of my body. I felt more alive, bigger and more powerful.”
As previously stated, Chekhov encouraged replacing the idea of vocal projection with the imaginative act of radiation, arguing that the acts of radiation would help actors contact the ease, power and breath required to meet technical demands of different auditoriums and spaces. “If we truly are radiating, and breathing freely and easily, we should have no need to push or strain vocally”.
"...I felt my voice become bigger and more round when thinking about ‘radiating energy’ in this aria.”
“...I felt that when I focused on the method that I managed to make my voice bigger when my body became bigger.”
“Definitely. Moving the body releases certain things that are stuck. It also moves our eternal focus on technical things to movement, spontaneity, expression... That allows us to release.”
To test if I was delivering the technique and its fundamental ideology in a clear way, I asked the participants if they had ever worked with the technique before. Two singers out of three had never worked with Chekhov’s technique before but the one that had did it for the first time under my guidance last summer in a practice workshop. I then asked "Do you feel that you gained a somewhat basic understanding of the technique after participating in this workshop and if yes, could you explain it in a few sentences?".
Judging from the answer's received, it seemed that all of the singers had grasped the fundamental idea behind the technique.
“I definitely did... I believe the technique is about sparking the imagination of the actor while being ‘in the moment’, using f.e. movements or memories of the actor himself to create a certain feeling that fits the emotion of the passage...”
“Yes. Body awareness, channeling feelings through physical expression and being mindful of your surroundings”
“I think yes! Chekhov believes that specific movements provoke specific emotions. Performing movements that provoke the right emotions for a piece or aria boosts your imagination. Practicing your pieces often while doing this, will give you an end result that doesn't require the use of these movements anymore, but still has the same amount of imagination that was opened by practicing with them.”
Room for improvement for future reference
The procedure of this workshop was an invaluable learning experience. From processing the results from the survey, receiving positive feedback as well as constructive criticism, I have a clear idea on how I can improve for future reference. I will look at new ways to deliver the concepts that the singers had a harder time understanding. Different concepts reach people in different ways. While some think it’s easy to understand and carry out radiation for example, others might struggle. This tells me that I have to be prepared to deliver and approach the concepts in various ways. I also need to be aware during the workshop if the concepts are clear to the singers.
1. Had you heard of Michael Chekhov’s acting technique before being asked to participate in this workshop?
2. Had you ever worked with Michael Chekhov’s acting technique before taking part in the workshop?
3. Had you ever worked before with Michael Chekhov’s acting technique in association with performing an aria?
4. Do you feel that you gained a somewhat basic understanding of the technique after participating in this workshop and if yes, could you explain it in a few sentences?
5. How was your experience in working with the technique in association with performing an aria?
6. While singing the aria, did you notice something happening in terms of vocal technique and vocal projection when trying out Chekhov’s elements?
7. Do you think it is likely that you will revisit one or more of the of the elements that were presented in the workshop, and if yes, which?
8. Were there particular elements that you connected more to than others, and if so, which elements?
9. Were there particular elements that you thought were harder to understand then others, and if so, which elements?
10. Was there anything that you thought could have been presented in a better way or done differently?