The “Psychological Gesture” as an Element of Michael Chekhov’s Creative Theory

The name of Michael Chekhov is firmly associated with the expression “genius of the Russian stage. In his theoretical work “On the Technique of Acting”, M. Chekhov outlined the main components of acting, where one of the most striking and effective elements was the “psychological gesture”. However, the isolation of the empirical part of Chekhov’s legacy, due to the actor’s move abroad, creates the problem of interpreting the theory. So, in an effort to master the principle of working with the “psychological gesture”, many modern actors take liberties in interpreting methodological techniques, without taking into account the practical clarifications formulated by the master while working abroad.

The article analyzes little-known and popular examples of the “psychological gesture” that appear in the theatrical literature of the Russian and foreign periods of M. Chekhov. There is considered the experience of working with this tool of the great actor’s direct students. The material for the study is the transcription of a video recording of the practical seminar of M.A. Chekhov’s friend and colleague G.S. Zhdanov, made by A.A. Kirillov, and the transcript by I.Yu. Promptova. The comparison of the documents and evidence makes it possible to systematize information about the “psychological gesture”, clarify the essential nuances formulated and transmitted by M. Chekhov to his students “from hand to hand” during the period of his working abroad, and warns against erroneous interpretation of the theory. The considered examples empirically confirm the capability of using the gesture to activate the actor’s imagination, to reveal the speaker’s psychology, to emotionally concentrate on the meaning of a word, a line, a phrase, a monologue. The article shows that the PG is intended for the actor to work on the text during the rehearsal period; it can awaken feelings and will in the actor’s soul, helps in finding the undertones, contributes to a deep penetration into the content of the role’s text, and affects the sounding speech.

M. Chekhov’s search in the field of interaction between psychology, gesture and speech has been confirmed by recent studies. Thus, modern linguistics has scientifically supported the intuitive guesses of the great actor, proving that the gesture reflects the cognitive processes of the speaker.

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