- ‘The Michael Chekhov Centre UK Past, Present and Future: an Inter-Generational Dialogue.’ An edited selection of interviews with Sarah Kane, Graham Dixon and Martin Sharp. Co authors: Tom Cornford, Cass Fleming and Sinéad Rushe in Franc Chamberlain and Andrey Kirillov (eds), ‘Michael Chekhov in the Twenty-first Century: New Sources, New Contexts, New Perspectives.’ Fleming, Cass. 2013. ‘The Michael Chekhov Centre UK Past, Present and Future: an Inter-Generational Dialogue.’ An edited selection of interviews with Sarah Kane, Graham Dixon and Martin Sharp. Co authors: Tom Cornford, Cass Fleming and Sinéad Rushe in Franc Chamberlain and Andrey Kirillov (eds), ‘Michael Chekhov in the Twenty-first Century: New Sources, New Contexts, New Perspectives.’. Theatre, Dance & Performance Training, 4(2), pp. 316-324. ISSN 1944-3927
Cass Fleming
Staff details
Goldsmiths Research Centres/Groups
Cass’s specialisms are actor training, directing, and the work of Michael Chekhov and Suzanne Bing
Cass Fleming is the Founder and Co-Director of The Chekhov Collective Practice Research Centre in the UK. She is a director and has been a teacher of acting, directing, and devised theatre making at Goldsmiths, leading conservatoires, theatres and organisations in the UK and around the world for more than 25 years.
She originally worked as a young actor on screen and stage, before transitioning to directing and teaching. She trained at WAC, Goldsmiths, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and wrote a PhD on the actor and director training, and theatre making processes, developed by Michael Chekhov and Suzanne Bing and the synergies between their practices.
Academic qualifications
- PhD 2013
- MA 1998
- BA (Hons.) 1994
Research interests
Cass's research focuses on actor training, and directing, in both contemporary and historical contexts. She was lead researcher, with Tom Cornford, on a long term, multi-institutional practice research project that led to a book: Michael Chekhov Technique in the Twenty-First Century: New Pathways, which she edited with Cornford (Bloomsbury, 2020). This publication was one of the Choice Outstanding Academic Titles of the Year. The Chekhov Collective Practice Research Centre has run over 90 open access practice research events over the past ten years, partnered with a large number of organisations and artists from around the world, and has a website which is an open access Research Resource. She has also published articles and given numerous papers on the work of Michael Chekhov in academic and industry contexts. Further details at https://chekhovcollectiveuk.co.uk/
In addition to her work with Chekhov Technique Cass has also been exploring and researching the work of the French actor, director and actor-trainer Suzanne Bing since 1998 and has shared her research widely since that time as published articles, book sections, papers and knowledge-exchange research events.
Cass also has a long-standing interest in developing non-canonical approaches to, and histories of, actor training and she conceived a special edition of the Theatre, Dance and Performance Training journal entitled ‘Against the Canon’ (11:3) which she co-edited with Mark Evans and Sara Reed (Routledge, 2020).
Featured publications
2020:
Fleming, C. and Cornford, T. 2020 (eds.) Michael Chekhov in the Twenty First Century: New Pathways. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama
This book was the culmination of an innovative long term multi-institutional practice research project led by Cass Fleming and Tom Cornford.
2020:
Fleming, C. Evans, M. Reed, S 2020. Guest editors of ‘Against the Canon’, Theatre, Dance and Performer Training, special issue 11.3.
This special edition explores contributions to actor training by artists who have been historically marginalised and who work against 'the canon'.
Publications and research outputs
Article
- UM CONSTANTE PROCESSO DE EXPANSÃO [A Constant Process of Expansion] Fleming, Cass. 2021. UM CONSTANTE PROCESSO DE EXPANSÃO [A Constant Process of Expansion]. Revista Científica/FAP, 24(1), ISSN 1679-4915
- Playing outside the frame: revealing the hidden contributions of the women in the French tradition of actor training Fleming, Cass. 2020. Playing outside the frame: revealing the hidden contributions of the women in the French tradition of actor training. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 11(3), pp. 353-369. ISSN 1944-3927
- Editorial, Special Issue 'Against the Canon' Evans, Mark; Fleming, Cass and Reed, Sara. 2020. Editorial, Special Issue 'Against the Canon'. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 11(3), pp. 245-252. ISSN 1944-3927
Book Section
- Cross Currents and Conclusions Fleming, Cass and Cornford, Tom. 2020. Cross Currents and Conclusions. In: Cass Fleming and Tom Cornford, eds. Michael Chekhov in the Twenty First Century: New Pathways. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. ISBN 9781474273206
- Theatre of the Future: Chekhov Technique for Devised Theatre and Catalyst Directing Fleming, Cass. 2020. Theatre of the Future: Chekhov Technique for Devised Theatre and Catalyst Directing. In: Cass Fleming and Tom Cornford, eds. Michael Chekhov in the Twenty First Century: New Pathways. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. ISBN 9781474273206
- Introduction Chekhov Technique: Past, Present and Future Fleming, Cass. 2020. Introduction Chekhov Technique: Past, Present and Future. In: Cass Fleming and Tom Cornford, eds. Michael Chekhov in the Twenty First Century: New Pathways. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. ISBN 9781474273183
Edited Journal
- Special Issue Theatre, Dance and Performance Training 'Against the Canon' Evans, Mark; Fleming, Cass and Reed, Sara, eds. 2020. Special Issue Theatre, Dance and Performance Training 'Against the Canon', Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 11(3). 1944-3927
Conference or Workshop Item
- Reflections on Jarman Garden Fleming, Cass. 2024. 'Reflections on Jarman Garden'. In: Performance Research Forum. Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom 6 February 2024.
- Master-less: Women Teaching Physical Theatre Fleming, Cass. 2021. 'Master-less: Women Teaching Physical Theatre'. In: Master-less: Women Teaching Physical Theatre. University of Mumbai, India 3 June 2021.
- Suzanne Bing: The Interior Rhythm and Musicality of Play Fleming, Cass. 2021. 'Suzanne Bing: The Interior Rhythm and Musicality of Play'. In: The Makings of the Actor: Rhythm in Acting and Performance Conference. Athens, Greece 26 -28 March 2021.
Digital
- Teaching with the Special Issue ‘Against the Canon’. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training Journal Blog Evans, Mark; Fleming, Cass; Loukes, Rebecca; Reed, Sara and Russell, Amy. 2020. Teaching with the Special Issue ‘Against the Canon’. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training Journal Blog.
Edited Book
- Michael Chekhov Technique in the Twenty-First Century: New Pathways Fleming, Cass and Cornford, Tom, eds. 2020. Michael Chekhov Technique in the Twenty-First Century: New Pathways. London: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781474273183
Film/Video
- 'Faculti - Playing Outside the Frame' film by Faculti Academic Streaming Fleming, Cass. 2023. 'Faculti - Playing Outside the Frame' film by Faculti Academic Streaming.
Performance
- Public Research and Development Performance of The Little Prince Fleming, Cass. 2016. Public Research and Development Performance of The Little Prince. In: "The Little Prince", Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom, September 2016.
- Public work in progress performance of The Little Prince Fleming, Cass. 2016. Public work in progress performance of The Little Prince. In: "The Little Prince", Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom, July 2016.
- Public scratch performance of The Little Prince Fleming, Cass. 2016. Public scratch performance of The Little Prince. In: "The Little Prince", Queen Mary, University of London, United Kingdom, June 2016.
Project
- The Chekhov Collective Practice Research Centre - Research Object Fleming, Cass and Mitchell, Roanna. 2023 - ongoing The Chekhov Collective Practice Research Centre - Research Object.
- The Third Space Fleming, Cass and Mitchell, Roanna. 2020 - 2022 The Third Space.
- Michael Chekhov in the 21st Century: New Pathways Project Fleming, Cass and Cornford, Tom. 2013-2016 Michael Chekhov in the 21st Century: New Pathways Project.
Thesis
- A Genealogy of the Embodied Theatre Practices of Suzanne Bing and Michael Chekhov: The Use of Play in Actor Training Fleming, Cass. 2013. A Genealogy of the Embodied Theatre Practices of Suzanne Bing and Michael Chekhov: The Use of Play in Actor Training. Doctoral thesis, De Montfort University
Professional Experience and Projects
Prior to becoming a teacher and academic, Cass worked as a performer, assistant director, assistant choreographer and subsequently a director with various companies. As a director, she has staged contemporary and classical texts, adaptations, embodied theatre, dance-theatre, devised theatre and screen projects. She also spent time working in live television and was a company member of English National Opera working with the Baylis Programme on Community, Outreach and Education projects.
Cass has worked as an academic consultant and an external examiner at various conservatoires and drama departments, is a peer reviewer of book proposals and manuscripts for Bloomsbury Methuen Drama and Routledge, and articles for the Theatre, Dance and Performance Training journal for whom she was worked as a Guest Editor in 2020.
She is a Senior Associate of Michael Chekhov UK, was previously Scholar in Residence, with Roanna Mitchell, at the Michael Chekhov Association in the USA (MICHA) and was subsequently a Board Director for MICHA.