The Actor's Chekhov : Interviews with Nikos Psacharopoulos and the Company of the Williamstown Theatre Festival, on the Plays of Anton Chekhov - Softcover

Jean Hackett

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1880399059 ISBN 13: 9781880399057

Publisher: Smith and Kraus, 1993

Synopsis

Over a 25 year span, director Nikos Psacharopoulos and a continuing company of actors at the Williamstown Theatre Festival committed themselves to staging Chekhov's plays again and again, in the process forging a phenomenon: an American technique for approaching and realizing the work of one of the worl's greatest playwrights. the Actor's Chekhov reveals how this came to be. At the heart of The Actor's Chekhov are Nikos' teaching tapes and notes on specific plays and scenes by Chekhov, as well as 18 substantial interviews with past and present members of the company.

Includes interviews with: Austin Pendleton, Blythe Danner, Tom Brennan, Olympia Dukakis, Louis Zorich, Lee Grant, Kate Burton, Roberta Maxwell, Christopher Walken, Laila Robins, Joyce Ebert, John Glover, Stephan Collins, Carrie Nye, Peter Hunt, Laurie Kennedy, Maria Tucci, and Frank Langella.

About this title

About the Author:

Jean Hackett graduated from NYU and studied acting at the Circle in the Square Theater School and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She has acted extensively in theater and on television, including many years with the Williamstown Theater Festival, where she took part in Nikos Psacharopoulos' last production, The Legend of Oedipus. She is also the author of The Actor's Chekhov.

From Library Journal:

Psacharopoulos became the artistic directior of the famed Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) in 1955. Until the time of his death in 1989, he directed some of America's greatest talents, who came to the Berkshire Mountains not to have their egos stroked but to grow in their craft. He mostly eschewed the usual light, summer stock fare for the works of Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and Anton Chekhov. This two-part work centers on the Chekhov productions as performed by theater luminaries such as Lee Grant, Blythe Danner, and Austin Pendleton. In fact, there are 18 substantial interviews here with actors who discuss Psacharopoulos and his approach to Chekhov. That, in itself, is a wonderful treasure of material, but what follows is another little gem entitled "The Acting Notebook." Here, extensive notes on five Chekhov plays--including Psacharopoulos's synopses of specific scenes and more interviews with actors--are presented. While there are other books available on acting approaches to Chekhov, this one should not be overlooked by libraries with solid theater collections. Also, since the WTF is such a major summer theater company, this work supplies an important look into its production history.
- Diane H. Albosta, Episcopal H.S. Lib., Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Smith and Kraus
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 1880399059
• ISBN 13: 9781880399057
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 314