| Activity | Studied theatre with Alexander Koiransky at the Cornish School, Seattle. Deirdre came to Dartington Hall in 1932 from the Cornish School to study at the school of Dance Mime. She assisted Beatrice with the management of the school and worked with Nellie (Ellen) Van Volkenburg's professional theatre group. On her return to the US in 1934 she met Michael Chekhov and assisted him and Beatrice in organising the Chekhov Theatre Studio at Dartington Hall where she became his assistant, noting down his lectures and working on his book, 'To the Actor'. She graduated from the Chekhov Theatre Studio in 1939. When the Chekhov Studio moved to Ridgefield, Connecticut, she continued as assistant to Chekhov and as a teacher and member of the Chekhov Theatre Players touring company. When the Studio was disbanded in 1942 she moved to a cottage at Apple Green, living there for a number of years. Deirdre taught at Adelphi University and later joined Beatrice, as teacher and archivist, at the Michael Chekhov Studio in New York. Her book, 'Michael Chekhov's Lessons for the Professional Actor', was published in 1985. |