Respect for Acting - Expanded Version

The classic book on acting, in an attractive updated editionSince its original publication in 1973, Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting has remained a durable classic and a must-read for all students of acting. As an acting instructor at the Herbert Berghof Studio, Hagen helped to develop the talents of world-class actors like Robert DeNiro, Matthew Broderick, Gene Wilder, Amanda Peet, Austin Pendleton, Whoopi Goldberg, and more. In this book, Hagen offers an indispensable account of the techniques that professionals use to elevate their acting to an art form. This updated edition illuminates Hagen's original text with a new foreword written by Katie Finneran, retaining the David Hyde Pierce foreword, along with added background on HB Studio-one of the original New York performing arts training and practice spaces-and an excerpt from Hagen's autobiography SOURCES.In working through this book, actors will learn physical, verbal, and emotional practice that empower them to connect their own self-concept to the characters they play. Specific, detailed exercises help actors learn to address a range of problems actors face, like maintaining immediacy and relevance, and developing the dimensions of a role over a long performance run. Respect for Acting is a book for actors and audiences who understand the need for truth in the creative process. Discover the acting book that has shaped professional theater performances for decades Learn the history and background of Herbert Berghof Studio, one of New York's foremost acting schools Practice the craft of acting with concrete exercises and instruction on technique Delve into the deep questions that arise when actors truly inhabit the lives of their characters Actors at all levels of their craft will love this stunning updated version of the essential Respect for Acting.

List of contents

Editor's Note by Jesse Feiler xiii
 
Foreword by Katie Finneran xv
 
Foreword by David Hyde Pierce xix
 
Acknowledgments xxiii
 
Part One The Actor Introduction 3
 
1 Concept 11
 
2 Identity 22
 
3 Substitution 34
 
4 Emotional Memory 46
 
5 Sense Memory 52
 
6 The Five Senses 60
 
7 Thinking 65
 
8 Walking and Talking 69
 
9 Improvisation 73
 
10 Reality 75
 
Part Two The Object Exercises Introduction 81
 
11 The Basic Object Exercise 91
 
12 Three Entrances 95
 
13 Immediacy 102
 
14 The Fourth Wall 106
 
15 Endowment 112
 
16 Talking to Yourself 119
 
17 Outdoors 124
 
18 Conditioning Forces 129
 
19 History 134
 
20 Character Action 139
 
Part Three The Play and the Role Introduction 145
 
21 First Contact with the Play 147
 
22 The Character 152
 
23 Circumstances 158
 
24 Relationship 165
 
25 The Objective 174
 
26 The Obstacle 180
 
27 The Action 184
 
28 The Rehearsal 192
 
29 Practical Problems 201
 
30 Communication 213
 
31 Style 217
 
Epilogue 222
 
The Studio Story, by Uta Hagen 224
 
Address to the Austrian Academy, by Herbert Berghof 239
 
Sources, by Uta Hagen 244
 
About Uta Hagen 252
 
About Haskel Frankel 254
 
Index 255

Report

PRAISE FOR RESPECT FOR ACTING
 
"Uta Hagen changed my life. She changed the lives of thousands and thousands of other people as well. To have Uta's books, and to be able to look through them at the drop of a hat, keeps me going and keeps me inspired to keep going."
--AUSTIN PENDLETON, American actor
 
"I read Respect for Acting frequently. As a remembrance of my time with Uta and to keep myself challenged and humble. It should be utilized by every acting student and professional."
--VICTOR SLEZAK, American stage actor
 
"I was extraordinarily privileged to work with Uta Hagen in The Circle in the Square's production of George Bernard Shaw's play, You Never Can Tell. Her book, Respect for Acting, is a must read for any actor at any age. She was committed to revealing the truth and we are the beneficiaries of her brilliant observations."
--VICTOR GARBER, Canadian actor
 
"Uta Hagen and Respect for Acting have profoundly influenced nearly every actor alive today and yet to come in film, television and stage with this unmatchable, impeccably specific process developed from her life's work as the definitive 'actor's actor', and is timeless and invaluable for all beginning and working actors truly interested in the highest level of acting."
--TED BRUNETTI, Award-winning producer, director, acting and directing coach, and actor
 
"Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting is simply the bible for any acting student serious about their craft. Even as a professional, I refer to it time and again for the basics. It is a touchstone."
--LAILA ROBINS, American film actress
 
"I held onto this book for dear life throughout my twenties, and still thumb through it when I need a tune up. If I lose my car keys and I'm frantically turning my house upside down trying to find them I look up at the heavens and hope she's having a good laugh."
--AMANDA PEET, American actress

Product details

• Authors: Haskel Frankel, Uta Hagen, Hagen Uta
• Assisted by: Katie Finneran (Foreword), David Hyde Pierce (Foreword)
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.05.2023
• EAN: 9781119913573
• ISBN: 978-1-119-91357-3
• No. of pages: 288
• Dimensions: 150 mm x 225 mm x 20 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet; Lifestyle, Schauspieler, Schauspielkunst, Lifestyles, Television, Movies & Theatre, Fernsehen, Kino u. Theater