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THIS WORK IS
CReATIVe
HeALTHY &
ACCeSSIBLe
AS CHeKHOV SAYS:
We HAVe TO eXPAnD OUR SenSe OF OURSelVeS
Jess Maynard Photography
Sidra Rosemary
THe miCHAel CHeKHOV TeCHnIQUe:
A PsYcHoPHYsIcAL APPROACH TO ACTInG
The Chekhov approach to acting is based on the understanding that the human being's physical, mental, & energetic lives are interwoven. Therefore we engage the body and spark the imagination to give us a new experience of ourselves, which leads to strong inner activity and transformation.
mY lineAge
Sidra Rosemary
ImAGInInG &
emBODYInG
An eneRGeTIC LIFe
BRImmInG WITH ACTIVITY & mOVemenT
Sidra Rosemary
THe STUDIO AT 138 WeST 15tH ST...
...has a long lineage of Chekhov Training.
There are photos of my teachers Ted Pugh and Fern Sloan in the mid 80's leading a class when the studio was cinder blocks and plywood. I was a student of Lenard Petit's in this studio in the early 2000's when it finally had wood on the floor and paint on the walls. There are gestures embedded in the walls and discoveries and inspirations woven into the curtains.
My teachers were Joanna Merlin, Ted Pugh, and Fern Sloan, as well as Lenard Petit and Dawn Arnold. In the last 8 years I was assistant to Joanna where we taught at NYU Tisch Grad Acting, as well as The Actors' Center, at Chekhov Studio NYC, and for The Michael Chekhov Association, where I've been on faculty since 2014. In this same studio, I co-taught and managed the Chekhov Studio for Lenard 2008 - 2014.
On the shoulders of Giants...
Jess Maynard Photography
As a cis-gendered white woman, I am actively aware every day of my privilege, and I aim to interrogate my racial bias for my students' sake and my sake as an individual and a citizen. As a queer woman, I am committed to breaking gender stereotypes and want very much for everyone to feel comfortable in my studio regardless of sexual orientation, gender orientation, or racial identity.
As a former actor and acting student myself, I actively rejected any overt forms of authority from understood hierarchies to subtle abuses of power. It was not always easy and it was not always graceful, but now, as the head of an acting studio, and the person responsible for holding space for others’ growth, I am diligent about removing judgment or criticism from our shared experience so that each actor not only feels safe, they feel free to play.
I am only ever a work in progress on any given day, but I pledge to continue to progress. I welcome feedback only as far as someone feels generous enough to offer it. My goal and only heart's content is for actors from a wide range of lived experiences to feel safe and excited to explore the craft of acting in my studio.
It is with great honor and privilege that I am now able to provide Chekhov training in this space to all those who are curious.
- bc