Upcoming: SPRING 2023

Saturday Class with Ragnar, in Hudson, NY

Impressions from class: Actors Ryan Feyk & Valorie Kissel are talking each other through a game, moving from the exercise into the world of “Kostya” & “Nina” in Chekhov’s “Seagull”. With: Ryan Feyk, Heather Holmes, LeeAnne Hutchison, Keizo Kaji, Valorie Kissel, Grant Neale, Michael Wilson. Sound is recorded by actor Grant Neale. The camera-work is by filmmaker Mathias Magnason.

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When
Saturday, TBD Spring 2023
11:00am – 4:00pm
[4 hours + 1 hour lunch break]

Where

@ Mercury Playhouse
339 Warren St, Hudson NY
Amtrak connection from NYC
15 min walk from the Hudson Train Station

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Tuition
The cost for the 1-day class is $160.
Upon acceptance, a $40 deposit is required to hold your space. The remaining amount is due on the day of the class (check / cash). Space is limited.

The Class
* offers you a training in processes, inspired by Michael Chekhov’s Acting Technique.
* develops your intuitive approach to scene work, to interpret and play with any material at hand.
The class begins with Ragnar leading an ensemble warm-up in technique and process-work, followed by active scene-work dedicated to each actor’s development in craft and art.

Faculty
Ragnar Freidank has been creatively working with Michael Chekhov’s Acting Technique for the past 30 years as actor, director and filmmaker. He is one of the featured master-teachers of the acclaimed DVD series Master Classes in the Michael Chekhov Technique, which he co-directed for the Michael Chekhov Association (MICHA). He co-wrote and directed the award-winning narrative film Beautiful Hills of Brooklyn, starring Michael Chekhov’s last living direct student Joanna Merlin, executive producer Bob Balaban. You can read more on our faculty page.

How to Apply
To apply, please send a short message and Ragnar will contact you.

Testimonials
Ragnar’s work, based on the brilliant explorations of Michael Chekhov, is very much his own. He is an excellent listener and willing collaborator and I cannot speak too highly of the man and the teacher.
(MICHAEL HOWARD, actor, director, acting teacher, founder of the ‘Michael Howard Studios’, NYC)
Ragnar is an artist, both as a teacher and as a director. He is on an impassioned and relentless search to discover ways of connecting the actor with his own resources.
(JOANNA MERLIN, Broadway, film, TV actress; author of ‘Auditioning, An Actor Friendly Guide’)
Being in a rehearsal hall or studio with Ragnar is a constant source of clarity and inspiration; it is a keenly observed exploration into the heart of the matter, or certainly somewhere in that vicinity.
(BRENT CARVER, actor, Tony Award for ‘Kiss of the Spiderwoman’)

Michael Chekhov Technique
If you would like to get a sense of the technique-aspect in this class, you can sign up & view Ragnar’s free Imaginary Classes online. Or you can stream the following 3 videos, which are part of the “Master Classes” series produced by MICHA (Michael Chekhov Association). The 3 videos are available for a nominal fee. The first two are taught by Ragnar; the Ghost Exercise is co-taught with Joanna Merlin:
Class on “Radiating & Receiving“; Class on “Atmosphere“; and the “Ghost Exercise“.

THE ONLINE COURSE

The Michael Chekhov School has put together an on-demand course, comprised of 21 video classes and a collection of 13 audio exercises for streaming, all professionally produced and at a discounted rate of $40. Includes a media collection of conversations with actors, directors & teachers, who are inspired by Michael Chekhov’s work. A subscription gives you access to the complete course at your own convenience and is valid for 6 months, or until we discontinue the course (whichever is longer).

Free Course Sample~