Drop-In Class at Michael Chekhov Center Cleveland

This event has been canceled or postponed in response to COVID-19 and the government’s guidance to limit mass gatherings at this time. Please contact the event organizer for additional details including ticketing or rescheduling information.

WHEN DO WE EXPLORE?
Sunday, April 12th
6:30-8:45pm
registration required

WHERE DO WE EXPLORE?
Art On Madison
14203 Madison Avenue
Lakewood, OH 44107

WHERE DO I PARK?
Free street parking is available on Madison and nearby side streets.

WHO IS THIS FOR?
This exploration is for a maximum of 8 performer-artists, ages 18 and up, with any level of experience in Michael Chekhov, interested in expanding their imaginative capabilities and embodying that imagination with ease and a sense of play; for the performer-artist curious about what is true for them in this moment rather than what might be perceived as “right” or “wrong.”

THAT’S ME! WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
Have 1-2 minutes of text you enjoy exploring memorized, just in case. This could be from a play, a film, a poem, a song, or your own work. Avoid making choices with the text. Wear clothing and shoes you are comfortable moving in since we discover experientially with full-bodied movement. Bring a water bottle, notebook, and a writing instrument.

TELL ME ABOUT MICHAEL CHEKHOV CENTER CLEVELAND!
Michael Chekhov Center Cleveland is committed to the art of the actor through explorations of the psychophysical processes illuminated by Michael Chekhov. Through educational offerings for artists and performances within the community, we explore what it means when the actor is the theatre.
HOW IS THE CHEKHOV TECHNIQUE APPROACHED?
The Michael Chekhov Technique is a holistic, psychophysical approach to performance that synthesizes the actor’s body and psychology. You discover how the magic of your movement, in tandem with your imagination and feeling life, has the ability to enliven the spaces within yourself and the spaces around you. Solo and ensemble explorations in concentration, movement, atmosphere, and gesture increase your flexibility, honesty, joy, and ease as a performing artist. You learn to free your body as a conduit for the soul of your character. Your Creative Individuality is supported and nourished, and your artistic work becomes more inspired.

WHO LEADS THE SESSIONS?
RAY CASPIO creates beautifully grotesque characters whose comedic allure invites you into their queer realities where they unpack American culture and scrutinize the multifaceted manners in which we relate to each other. Ray’s work recognizes the immediacy and impermanence of performance by embracing theatre as a living event. Those in the space matter. The work becomes as alive as we are: consciously existing in that moment when we all gather to play. Ray is a performance artist, teaching artist, and the Founder of Michael Chekhov Center Cleveland. They have created pieces spanning theatre, cabaret, installation, web, and personal storytelling, and served as performer-creator in numerous devised works, originating over 30 roles. Ray’s creations have been performed at BorderLight International Theatre + Fringe Festival, Playhouse Square, Cleveland Public Theatre, Theater Ninjas (Associate Artistic Director 2012-2015), and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Caspio appeared on Best of Theatre lists for Cleveland Scene (2014 & 2017) and WCPN/NPR’s The Sound of Applause (2014, for the conception and performance of the immersive cabaret exploration of gender, sexuality, and marriage equality, TingleTangle). Caspio has taught for Playhouse Square, Disney Musicals-in-Schools, Cleveland Play House Theatre Academy, MetroHealth Arts in Medicine, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. They are trained in Bouffon, Eccentric Performance, the Alba Method, and Improv & Sketch Writing (Second City Chicago). Ray studies with master teachers of the Michael Chekhov technique at the Michael Chekhov School, Hudson, NY, and the international faculty of MICHA, the Michael Chekhov Association. Caspio founded Michael Chekhov Center Cleveland after a decade exploring the technique to share their understanding of Chekhov’s principles with Northeast Ohio artists. Ray received a 2016 Creative Workforce Fellowship.