Respect for Acting

1. Respect for Acting We must overcome the notion that we must be regular ... it robs you of the chance to be extraordinary and leads you to the mediocre. ~Uta Hagen

2. UtaHagen • June 1919- January 2004 • She was an actor and teacher of Method acting. • a derivative of Stanislavski’s system • She developed her acting philosophy while teaching at HB Studio.

3. UtaHagen • Respect for Acting 1973 • Challenge for the Actor 1991 • Uta Hagen’s Acting Class 2001

4. Uta Hagen's 10 object exercises • the basic exercise • three entrances • immediacy • the fourth wall • endowment • talking to yourself • outdoors • conditioning forces • history • character action

5. Object Exercise #1 • “2 minutes of reality” • your life • you actually doing The basic object exercise

6. Object Exercise #2 (1st entrance) • Your entrance is shaped and influenced by what just happened. • Uta’s step 1, 2, 3 Three entrances

7. Object Exercise #2 (2nd entrance) • Your entrance is shaped and influenced by what just happened. • Uta’s step 1, 2, 3 Three entrances

8. Object Exercise #2 (3rd entrance) • Your entrance is shaped and influenced by what just happened. • Uta’s step 1, 2, 3 Three entrances

9. Object Exercise #4 • use of primary 4th wall • use of secondary 4th wall The fourth wall

10. Object Exercise #5 • Give a thing the qualities of some other thing. • Incorporate the steps from object exercise #2. Endowment

11. Object Exercise #6 • your intimate self • incorporates object exercise #2 • incorporates object exercise #4 Talking to yourself

12. Object Exercise #8 • forces that influence you and shape your behavior • BUT those forces are not what the scene is about … Conditioning forces

13. Object Exercise #9 • Place the character in the clothing and setting of the time period. • Take your character outside the “crisis” of the play. History sample write-up template