Re-considering affects in applied theatre: from the perspective of Michael Chekhov’s psycho-physical acting approaches

APA Citation

Thompson (2012) urges applied theatre practitioners to pay more attention to affective properties in applied theatre. This dissertation uses Chekhov’s (1991) psychophysical acting theories, as an artistic and acting approach, to examine how body/mind interaction stimulates affective properties in an applied theatre setting. Autoethnography is applied as the methodology for contributing the interpretation of affect from a subjective angle. I found that psycho-physical acting provides a new angle to enable understanding of how body and mind affect each other and produce the effect of self-understanding and the development of well-being. This dissertation suggests that understanding body and mind interaction could help practitioners to discover more potential benefits in applied theatre.