Michael Chekhov Theatre Studio Deirdre Hurst du Prey Archive

DATE: 1922-2002

LEVEL: Fonds

Records include shorthand notes made by du Prey, of Chekhov's acting lessons dating from 1935 to 1942. These were later typed and comprise about 500 drama lessons. There are also rehearsal notes of Chekhov's discussions with the Chekhov Theatre Players, the Studio's performance group in America .

George Shdanoff wrote the script for the Chekhov Theatre Players' first production, 'The Possessed'. Directed by Chekhov, the play ran for two weeks at the Lyceum Theatre, Broadway, in October 1939. There are scripts and production notes which provide a sense of Chekhov's dramatic vision for the classical theatre. Other productions staged by the Chekhov Theatre Players included 'Twelfth Night', 'The Adventures of Samuel Pickwick', and 'Cricket on the Hearth'.

Deirdre du Prey's transcriptions of Michael Chekhov's lectures at Dartington and Ridgefield, Connecticut amount to more than 3500 pages and take up 11 volumes which she titled 'The Actor is the Theatre.' Lessons from these volumes were extracted for two books edited by Deirdre Hurst du Prey, 'Lessons for Professional Actors' (1985) and 'Michael Chekhov: Lessons for Teachers of his Acting Technique' (2000).

Other literary records include correspondence and various drafts of Michael Chekhov's book, 'To the Actor: On the Technique of Acting', which was begun at Dartington in 1938 and completed in its first version by 1942. 'To the Actor' was not published in English until 1953. Paul Marshall Allen and Deirdre du Prey assisted Chekhov with the writing of the book.

The Fairy Tale and Folklore files were developed by the Fairy Tale Committee at Dartington at the behest of Michael Chekhov. There are also 8 boxes of play scripts including works original to the Chekhov Theatre Studio. The archive also holds Michael Chekhov's bilingual edition of 'King Lear'.

There are at least 135 cassettes, reel to reel tapes, and videotapes of drama lessons by Chekhov and his disciples, as well as oral history interviews with Chekhov's students. Also found with the collection were many hundreds of photographs and slides dating from the early 1930s. These have been collected into a Michael Chekhov Deirdre Hurst du Prey Photograph Collection described in series 10.

Deirdre du Prey's general correspondence and subject files include personal recollections and unpublished confessions of actors who were closely associated with the theatre at Dartington including Basil Langton and Henry Lyon Young. Deirdre du Prey also collected private papers of Michael Chekhov's students for instance Felicity Mason and Peter Kingscote Tunnard. The latter's manuscripts consist of unpublished poetry, and atmospheric short stories written in Dartington, New York, and in the coastal islands of South Carolina and Georgia. Tunnard died in March 1940, before his writing could be submitted for publication. General files also include original correspondence with Michael Chekhov, surviving records of the Chekhov Theatre Studio, and records of the Michael Chekhov Studio founded in New York by Beatrice Straight, Deirdre du Prey and others.

The files are eclectic. Deirdre du Prey made hundreds of notes of everything related to Michael Chekhov and Dartington. She also saved hundreds of press cuttings and playbills relating to dance and theatre.

Artworks and artefacts consist of numerous costumes, costume designs by Michael Chekhov and Mtislav Dobujinsky, and theatrical props.

There is also a large collection of tape recordings of lectures by Michael Chekhov, Deirdre Hurst du Prey, and other Chekhovian teachers as well as oral history interviews, recordings of radio programmes

Deirdre Hurst was born in British Columbia, Canada, in 1906. She attended the Cornish School, Seattle, in 1932 and while there was offered a scholarship at the School of Dance-Mime at Dartington Hall. At Dartington, Deirdre became a life-long friend of Beatrice Straight travelling with her to America in 1935. Beatrice and Deirdre were studying acting when they were advised by Tamara Daykharanova to see Michael Chekhov who was appearing in 'The Inspector General' with the Moscow Art Theatre. Impressed, Beatrice and Deirdre attended private lessons taught by Michael Chekhov and translated for them by Tamara and Maria Ouspenskaya. Following meetings with the trustees of Dartington Hall, Michael Chekhov agreed to establish the Chekhov Theatre Studio at Dartington Hall in 1936. American and European students were recruited from the Cornish School, and through advertisements in theatre magazines. Auditions were held in New York by Tamara Daykharanova who became the Studio's American connection.

Although there were problems with student recruitment, talent, and isolation from London, the Chekhov Theatre Studio flourished until the Munich Crisis of October 1938. By December, the entire school with the exception of some English students, had relocated to Ridgefield, Connecticut, where Beatrice Straight had rented an empty boarding school estate. New students joined the Studio in America including Yul Brynner. The first six graduates received diplomas in October 1939, the same month that the Studio presented George Shdanoff's adaptation 'The Possessed' on Broadway. Other productions including 'Twelfth Night' followed, and from 1940 through 1941 the Chekhov Studio Players had very successful American repertory tours. World War II and the draft quickly took the male actors. Michael and Xenia Chekhov moved to Los Angeles where he was offered film roles, and the first Chekhov Studio was formally closed in 1942.

Beatrice Straight married but continued to act in New York. By 1953 she was on the infamous Hollywood blacklist and had won a Tony award for her role in 'The Crucible'. Deirdre Hurst married Edgard du Prey and they settled in Westbury, New York. In the 1950s, Deirdre began teaching children's theatre at the Garden City Waldorf School. Later she taught drama at the Adelphi University Childrens Centre for the Creative Arts. Michael Chekhov was sought after as a character actor in Hollywood. Chekhov also held acting classes and provided private lessons for many well known actors in the Hollywood studio system, as did George Shdanoff. Chekhov died in 1955.

Deirdre Hurst had become the unofficial archivist of the Chekhov Theatre Studio, preserving a vast collection of his lessons and assiduously collecting Chekhoviana of all descriptions. In 1980, Deirdre, Beatrice, Blair Cutting, Felicity Mason, and Eleanor Faison collaborated in the founding of the Michael Chekhov Studio which was incorporated in New York City in September 1980. The first lessons were held in November with 40 students enrolled in 4 classes. Robert Cole was hired as the executive manager, and Beatrice Straight was the first president of the board of directors. Deirdre Hurst du Prey and Blair Cutting were the first teachers.

The Studio went through a number of changes before closing in about 1992. Deirdre taught at international conferences, worked on her archival collection, and edited two books of Chekhov's lessons.

COPYRIGHT: To be determined. Copyright to Michael Chekhov's writings is controlled through his estate. The executor of the estate is Mala Powers.

Information for Researchers

All papers belonging to The Dartington Hall Trust Archive (with the exclusion of Dartington Hall School pupils individual records) are held at the Devon Record Office. All enquiries relating to research should be made to Devon Records Office, Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7NL
+44 (0)1392 384253
+44 (0)1392 384256
devrec@devon.gov.uk
www.devon.gov.uk/record_office

The following requests should be made direct to the Archives & Records at The Dartington Hall Trust as shown below:
Copies of images as seen on The Dartington Hall Trust online catalogue with appropriate reference number (Ref No.)
Permission to publish or quote from any document held in the Dartington Hall Trust Archive
Former pupils of Dartington Hall School wishing to view their records
Archives & Records
The Dartington Hall Trust
Dartington Hall
Totnes TQ9 6EL
01803 847200
yvonne.widger@dartington.org

This information is copyright The Dartington Hall Trust