A Challenge for the Actor by Uta Hagen Part I

So, currently I am reading the acting book, "A Challenge for the Actor" by the famous and influential actress, Uta Hagen. Uta Hagen is a very big follower of Stanislovsky and uses his method of connecting past circumstances to a circumstance of the play. Reading the book was very interesting to me. I had never actually read a book that was all about acting before, so reading it gave me many insights into things that I really need to do and things that I can try for my next character.

Uta Hagen talks all about producing real feelings inside of you that then translate outword. For example if your character is supposed to be upset she thinks that you should think of a circumstance when you felt particularly upset, even if it has nothing to do with the circumstances of the show, and apply that same feeling to the character. This will not only create a realistic feeling inside you but a realistic portrayal of that feeling to the audience. She talks all about what you should be thinking as a character, including your relationships to the other character. She wants everything to be well defined in your mind.

The body of course is also a major tool for the actor and Uta Hagen talks about the bodys use and how the actor should really familiarize themselves with the body and its functions to be able to get across a full range of emotions. The actor should be both extremely in tune to the mind as well as the physical body. These two must portray the same thing at all times in order to be real for the audience. The mind must always be communicating with the body and creating real emotions for both the actor and the audience.

Uta Hagen also stresses how important listening is to the actor and how its a very crucial detail. If you are not listening and you are just thinking about a bunch of other stuff, then you are not really acting, but saying words and lines. When you listen is when you really are able to react and act. When truly listening to your scene partner you are able to react naturally and the emotions will come to you a lot more easier.

I find this reading very interesting. Uta Hagen is a very talented actress and reading a book by her I believe is a must for all actors. I never really thought about all of the thought it takes to create an actor and just how much it takes to concentrate on stage. Basically everything has to be forgotten about on stage and only the character should come out on stage. Even if you are recalling your own memory to recreate a feeling, then you still have to really think and put it in the context of the play to make it work for your character. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book and hopefully learning some exercises I can do to help myself concentrate and create these emotions that are able to realistically fit for the characters.