Intersections: An Investigation of the Michael Chekhov Technique Through the Lens of Laban Movement Analysis

Laban Movement Analysis (LMA), a method of observing and performing movement, and the Chekhov Technique, an approach to performing and creating a character, are two forms of actor movement training taught in university and conservatory acting programs in the US. Often taught separately as independent approaches to acting and exploration of character, this dissertation proposes intentionally combining the two methods as a means of deepening and expanding the actor’s work. Examining the influential texts written by each of the innovators, and applying knowledge gained through practical study and certification courses in each practice, the author illustrates that LMA provides not only an approach for character work but lends a somatic study to movement for the actor and when used in tandem with the Chekhov technique can yield a greater expressive life for the actor and character. Chapter One provides an overview of various types of movement training for the actor in the US and offers a method of categorizing movement courses available to actors. This is followed by a description of the components of two specific approaches, Laban Movement Analysis and the Chekhov Technique. Chapter Two lays out the organization and the specific vocabulary of each approach. This is followed by a chapter that considers mutual influences in the lives of the two innovators offering a brief discussion of their shared moment in history and of their similar experiences as artists living in exile at Dartington Hall in England, followed by more complex philosophical connections that, though obscure, may prove enlightening. Chapters Four through Six provide a foundation and a basic understanding of the vocabulary used by both practices in relation to the other. Chapter Four focuses on the blending of Laban’s Effort Category and Chekhov’s Psychological Gesture (PG) by providing information about the LMA Effort category with a focus on Effort Actions as deployed in Warren Lamb’s Action Profile, resulting in a multi-pronged robust process for character. Chapter Five further investigates the integration of the two practices with specific focus on the LMA Shape category and Chekhov’s Qualities of Movement (QoM) using Laban Movement Analysis as a means of specifically detailing Chekhov’s QoM. The chapter demonstrates how the detailed language of LMA provides actors with clear and distinct motor characteristics (movements and qualities) to fulfill the physicalization of metaphors used in the Chekhov Technique. Chapter Six offers a discussion of Rick Kemp’s model of the acting process as a means of explaining how and why the use of Chekhov’s Imaginary Body (IB) tool is effective and then provides a method of interpreting IB using LMA Space-Effort Affinities to maximize its effectiveness as both a teaching tool and a practice tool for the actor. The final chapter includes thoughts on future study and experimentation of the integration of the two practices. The chapter concludes with information on the application of Laban and Chekhov to a new character analysis structured around social identity, intersectionality, and power analysis and provides developing ideas of how to apply the two practices to staging theatrical intimacy.