“The thing about performance,
even if it’s only an illusion,
is that it is a celebration of the fact that
we do contain within ourselves
infinite possibilities.”
~ Daniel Day Lewis
OUR MISSION
Chekhov Studio International is devoted to brave, emotionally available, physically capable, and viscerally captivating acting that leads to unforgettable performances. We train actors working on Stage, Film and TV. Additionally, we specialize in helping performers, writers and directors overcome creative blocks, communication barriers, dry spells, and plateaus. We wish to offer an artistic home and a creative haven for actors, directors, writers and all artists.
Click here to read what our clients are saying and watch Chekhov Studio students at work.
1. Our methods are holistic, life-affirming, trauma informed, salutogenic, and always consent based. We not only believe that acting is an art form, but we also support our actors to be successful, happy “professional human beings” who have the ability, courage and stamina to explore, and express all colors of the human condition.
2. We wholeheartedly believe that acting is a profession of joy, and of calling. Even when the character is suffering, a part of the actor’s creative being will be enjoying the ride. Learning to empower oneself as a creator in any job situation, and being inspired to love all aspects of the actor’s creative process is crucial for the actor’s personal feeling of success and happiness.
3. We look for those who want to expand their ability for empathy, widen their emotional and physical range, and find organic ways to achieve character transformation, these being some of the key elements to our technique.
4. It is time for you to be seen. Therefore, you won’t be lost in a crowd of people. For the utmost positive effect on your acting, we keep our class size to as small as 6 actors/session, and only accept maximum of 12 people in our classes at all times.
5. We embrace consent based practices, and believe that teacher’s knowledge and ability for trauma-informed pedagogy is necessary in actor training. This must be the new standard for all schools of acting.
“Working with Marjo-Riikka is so much more than an acting class. It’s soul food!
I come here to re-charge my creative batteries!”
Chekhov Studio International was founded by internationally acclaimed actor-director Marjo-Riikka Mäkelä in 2009. Having taught at many greatly respected acting schools and universities around the world, Marjo-Riikka established Chekhov Studio International with a very clear vision of the kind of actor training she believes to be the most powerful, holistic and beneficial for present day actors, and the actors of the future. Marjo-Riikka offers highly individualized actor training, focusing on developing the actors’ bodies, spirits, their emotional availability, and their ability to work both on stage productions, and in film and TV, with great amount of ease.
To read Marjo-Riikka’s article in Back Stage, click HERE
To see a clip of the Marjo-Riikka’s conversation at the Stanislavsky Institute,
Actors Studio-TV, Brazil,
click HERECLICK HERE for
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