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ABSTRACT
This article describes why the integration of the Miller Voice Method and Michael Chekhov Technique is useful for actors seeking to speak their character’s words with spontaneity, clarity, and specific point-of-view. Citing Dr. Arne Dietrich’s Transient Hypofrontality Theory, the article highlights how combining circular breathing techniques, such as Miller Voice Method’s Active Breath, with psychophysical practices, such as the Michael Chekhov Technique, can downregulate the higher order functions of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, leading to an altered state of consciousness. The characteristics of altered states of consciousness and their advantages for the actor is discussed. Also included in this article is an outline, created using the author’s teaching-based research, of a 10-step approach to the integration of the Miller Voice Method and Michael Chekhov Technique, as well as lessons learned from an actor’s case study, from process to performance.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. Active Breath is maintained by breathing in and out through the mouth, specifically. It can be done through the nose, but actors are taught in mVm to keep the lips slightly parted, allowing for the most efficient intake for the purposes of speaking/verbal communication.
2. Top of the breath refers to the end of the inhale and the bottom of the breath refers to the end of the exhale.
3. In passive breathing states, there is a slight caesura at the end of the exhale. We aim to eliminate this in Active Breath.
4. It should be noted that in To the Actor: On The Technique of Acting, Chekhov refers to the higher ego as the higher self.
5. More detailed definitions and applications of the Qualities of Movement can be found in Michael Chekhov’s numerous books, including To the Actor: on the technique of acting and On the Technique of Acting.
6. It should be noted that the MICHA Workbook lists the third sister of the Three Sisters as Floating. Michael Chekhov began developing the “Three Sisters” sensations shortly before his death but did not term them as such. This article uses Rising instead of Floating as it is based on my studies with MICHA teachers Bethany Caputo and Ted Pugh and their current use of this term for the third sister.
7. The masseter muscle runs through the rear part of the cheek and closes the jaw in chewing. An image, and further details, can be found here: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Masseter
8. The temporalis is a fan-shaped muscle on the side of the skull that threads underneath the cheekbone and connects to the mandible. It elevates, retracts, and moves the mandible from side to side. An image and further details can be found here: https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/temporal-muscle
9. The blade of the tongue is just behind the tip.
10. The velum is commonly referred to as the “soft palate.” It separates the oral and nasal cavity. When lifted, there is more space at the back of the oral cavity and airflow can move more readily through the mouth. Further details and an image can be found here: https://www.britannica.com/science/soft-palate
11. In To the Actor, Chekhov suggests, “Having achieved the physical limit of the PG, when your body is unable to extend it further, you must still continue to try for a while (ten to fifteen seconds), going beyond the boundaries of your body by means of radiating its power and qualities in the direction indicated by the PG” (1953, 72).
12. This step might be contradictory to other approaches, in which the text would be spoken at the height of radiation. The reasoning behind speaking the text at the beginning of the gesture, as laid out in the steps in this article, is to merge inhale with initiation of the spoken word and the physical movement.
13. A sample score can be found on pages 16–17 of Part One of “Unearthing Vocal Transparency”: https://doi.org/10.1080/23268263.2021.1896246
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Kristi Dana
Kristi Dana is an Assistant Professor of Voice and Speech in the Division of Theatre at Southern Methodist University. She is the Director of mVm Miller Voice Method ® Teacher Certification, a certified mVm teacher, and faculty member. Kristi holds a certificate of completion from the Michael Chekhov Association (MICHA) and is on MICHA’s faculty and board of directors. She is also certified in Knight-Thompson Speechwork (KTS). Kristi served on the VASTA board of directors from 2018 – 2021. She is an Equity actor and works regularly as a performer in Dallas. Previous faculty appointments include Yale Summer Conservatory for Actors, Penn State University, Brooklyn College/CUNY, and Long Island University/Post.