Michael Chekhov in Ridgefield, 1940                                                     Ridges of Ridgefield. View from Michael Chekhov School site.

The town of Ridgefield, Connecticut, was blossomed on a raised tract of land carved from shady woods and among lazy lakes in western Connecticut 50 miles from New York City.  It was chartered in 1708.  The enchanting location has attracted a wide variety of artists to make their art and lives here or to spend their sunny summers.  Among its citizens were architect CASS GILBERT, actor WALTER HAMPDEN, and playwright EUGENE O’NEIL.  The renowned composer, SERGEI RACHMANINOFF spent his weekends here in the early 1940s. Famed artist MSTISLAV DOBUINSKY lived in Ridgefield as he worked as a stage designer for the Chekhov School’s productions. 

Michael Chekhov visited Ridgefield for the first time on December 24, 1938. BEATRICE STRAIGHT who purchased the property of the former private boys' high school and prepared it for new acting school-studio, brought Chekhov here on Christmas Eve day. He was enchanted with the wonderful location and beautiful site and houses. On January 16, 1939, Chekhov's Ridgefield School was opened .The School was located on the top of a hill surrounded with poetic landscapes. The 16 acre property and its two houses included a dormitory for students, rehearsal classes, stage set and costume workshops and storages, and a library. The former gym was transformed into a theatre auditorium. In addition to the students who came with Chekhov from his school at Dartington, UK, several American students were recruited.

Road to the Chekhov School site

Intensive work began immediately. Classes and rehearsal started early in the morning; then, after a couple of hours break, continued until 8 p.m. The Broadway opening of the Chekhov  Studio's first production The Possessed was planned for October 1939. GEORGE SHDANOFF, Chekhov's assistant and co-director, wrote the play based on the novel by DOSTOEVSKY. The stage design was made by Mstislav Dobujinsky. The opening was at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway in  October  24, 1939.

During the winter of 1939-40, the Chekhov Studio worked on two plays for the summer tour - Twelfth Night and Cricket on the Hearth (based on the Dickens story). According to The Playbill, "This tour, which covered fifteen states, from Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the North to Texas and Oklahoma in the South, proved successful in every way. They went to territory seldom, and in some cases never before, traversed by professional players." Thus the Chekhov Players brought to life Michael Chekhov's general idea that the theatre is the best way to unify people. "An amazing aspect of these new acting troupe on the American scene is the maturity they have achieved in spite of their youth. There is real conviction in their work…" – a critic wrote after the Chekhov Players' performance at the Institute of History and Art in Albany, NY in October 1940.

After tours, the Chekhov Studio continued its practice in Ridgefield. In the winter-spring period of 1941, they worked on King Lear, the role Chekhov always had dreamed of playing. Chekhov started rehearsals as the leading character, director, and a stage designer. But he needed at least a year to prepare for the great role in English. Finally, the young actor Ford Rainey was the one who played the part. In collaboration with the Studio actress Iris Tree Chekhov wrote and directed the fairy tale play Troublemaker-Doublemaker. Thus, for next summer tours the Chekov Players had four productions in their repertoire. They performed over the East and Midwest States, as well as in the South, including Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. In December, 1941, Twelfth Night ran successfully on Broadway. In 1942, New York's New Opera invited Michael Chekhov to direct The Sorotchinsky Fare by MUSORGSKY.

From the beginning of the Chekhov Ridgefield School, numerous Broadway's actors and directors attended Chekhov's classes and rehearsals in Ridgefield. Interest in the Chekhov Method was growing. This enable classes to open in New York City. Among Michael Chekhov's New York studio students were Morris Carnovsky, Martin Ritt, Peter Frye, John Berry, Jack Arnold, and others.

However, once again, Chekhov's work was interfered with another twentieth century's cataclysm. During the week of Twelfth Night's opening, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and the USA  went to war.  Many of the Chekhov Studio actors were drafted into the armed forces. The company, with only seven remaining actors, still performed several charity productions for the American-Russian Committee for the Medical aid to the USSR. In October, 1942, Chekhov Theatre Studio in Ridgefield was closed.

Michael Chekhov years in Ridgefield were important in his life. The Ridgefield Studio experience refined and enriched his acting method. And it proved its effectiveness as a force in theatre. Here, for the first time, Chekhov’s technique was implemented by a professional company of stage actors.  The Studio nurtured and inspired actors who took a commanding place in American and British theatre. Some of the names? YUL BRYNNER, HURD HATFIELD, FORD RAINEY, TERENCE MORGAN,  BEATRICE STRAIGHT, MARY LOU TAYLOR, AND IRIS TREE.

Chekhov's Ridgefield School Theatre Auditorium