Respect for acting

respect for acting

Respect for Acting was first published in 1973 with the cover above. This edition reprints the original without alteration.

respect for acting
uta hagen
with haskel frankel

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Copyright © 1973 by Uta Hagen. All rights reserved Foreword copyright © 2008 by David Hyde Pierce Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Publishedsimultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through paymentof the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online athttp://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created orextended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Forgeneral information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products,visit our web site at www.wiley.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Hagen, Uta, date. Respect for acting / Uta Hagen, with Haskel Frankel. p. cm. Originally published: New York : Macmillan, 1973. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-470-22848-7 (cloth) 1. Acting. I. Frankel, Haskel. II. Title. PN2061.H28 2008 792.02'8—dc22 2008016843 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 43 2 1

To Herbert who revealed and clarified and has always set me a soaring example

Contents

Foreword by David Hyde Pierce Acknowledgments
PART ONE

ix xiii

The Actor
Introduction 1 Concept 2 Identity 3 Substitution 4 Emotional Memory 5 Sense Memory 6 The Five Senses 7 Thinking 8 Walking and Talking 9 Improvisation 10 Reality
vii

3 11 22 34 46 52 60 65 69 73 75

viiiPART TWO

contents

The Object Exercises
Introduction 11 The Basic Object Exercise 12 Three Entrances 13 Immediacy 14 The Fourth Wall 15 Endowment 16 Talking to Yourself 17 Outdoors 18 Conditioning Forces 19 History 20 Character Action
PART THREE

81 91 95 102 106 112 119 124 129 134 139

The Play and the Role
Introduction 21 First Contact with the Play 22 The Character 23 Circumstances 24Relationship 25 The Objective 26 The Obstacle 27 The Action 28 The Rehearsal 29 Practical Problems 30 Communication 31 Style Epilogue Index 145 147 152 158 165 174 180 184 192 201 213 217 222 224

Foreword
by David Hyde Pierce

I had the life-changing experience of acting with Uta Hagen in a two-person play a few years before she passed away. I was excited to be working with this...