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The Five Continents of Theatre: Facts and Legends about the Material Culture of the Actor

majority of contributors, scaffolding is achieved through the sequential study and rotation of the two techniques. Most begin with the repetition of the Meisner Technique as it reduces self-consciousness, develops deep listening, trains outward focus, and encourages authentic responses moment to moment. However, as the Meisner progression advances, students often exhibit ‘somatic’ and ‘imaginative’ weaknesses that prevent the embodiment of emotional preparations, characters, and action (123). Introducing the tools of Chekhov Technique at this stage –archetypal movements, qualities, gestures and characterization exercises – can aid psychophysical connections and free emotions. Both Shipman and Black provide examples of integrative exercises that build meaningful bridges for their students between the two techniques. The penultimate section of the book, ‘Part 4: Techniques in Practice’ contains five essays which outline specific hybrid exercises developed in response to students’ needs. Several contributors integrate Chekhov’s Crossing the Threshold, Concentration, Four Brothers, and Psychological Gesture tools with Meisner’s Repetition to improve the students’ openness, availability and full bodied listening. Savage also integrates the Psychological Gesture with Meisner’s Point of View as an emotional preparation for the Ghost exercise; a pedagogical solution for students whose ‘brilliant POV statements’ remain intellectual ideas rather than embodied experiences (211). In ‘Part 5: Continued Collisions and Strategies for the Future’, Hutchinson’s final essay investigates how Western actor training erases the cultural identity of BIPOC students and perpetuates systemic racism, then argues for decolonization of actor training pedagogy. Overall, this book is an excellent combination of academic critique, personal narratives and practical solutions to pedagogical problems. It advocates for diversity in actor training, and addresses this diversity as a multifaceted, complex phenomenon with many ethical, philosophical, and pedagogical concerns. The editor’s intention to detail the convergences and collisions that occur when combining the Michael Chekhov and Sanford Meisner Techniques is admirably fulfilled. For readers unfamiliar with the techniques two appendices might have been helpful, a list or chart of the pedagogical sequencing –beginner to advanced –in each technique and a glossary of terms and exercises. A short introduction for each section theorizing the main arguments would also assist navigation of the individual sections. Nonetheless, in its examination of the Michael Chekhov and Sanford Meisner techniques within one volume, this publication makes a unique and valuable contribution to the field. It highlights the concerns of contemporary actor trainers whose pedagogical focus is on character-driven work and may inspire its readers to formulate their own integrative exercises. I highly recommend this thoroughly engaging and thought provoking collection.