Uta Hagen Basics
Where was Uta Hagen Born?
Germany
What is substiution?
Replacing imaginary circumstances with a real life memory
What does the “Door Exercise” train actors to do?
Recreate real-life behaviour honestly
What is a character’s objective?
What the character wants
Name a famous actor trained by Hagen.
Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver, etc.
What New York acting studio did she teach
HB Studio
True or false: Substitution means reliving trauma.
False- Hagen warns against this
What is the “Moment Before”?
The emotional/mental state right before a scene begins
What is an obstacle?
What stands in the way of theobjective
How might an actor prepare for a real-life character like Jordan Belfort?
Research behaviour, history, physicality, objectives
Name of one of Uta Hagen books
A Challenge for the actor
What question drives substitution?
What does this scene mean to me?”
What is the purpose of the “Fourth Wall”?
To create a believable imaginary environment
What is a tactic?
The strategy used to get what the character wants
Why must actors stop reading the script during rehearsal?
To react truthfully and connect to their scene partner
Why style is Uta Hagen most associated with
Realism
What is transference?
Transforming your personal emotion into the character’s version
Why does Hagen make actors observe themselves?
To understand natural human behaviour and avoid clichés
What does “living truthfully under imaginary circumstances” mean?
Acting with realistic behaviour in a fictional world
How does substitution help with difficult emotional scenes?
It gives the actor a real emotional spark to work from
What Major award did Uta Hagen win
The Tony Award
Why is substitution only the starting point of emotional work?
Actors must eventually shift their focus to the character’s world
What does the “History Exercise” ask actors to carry?
The character’s past (emotionally and physically)
Which theorist influenced Hagen’s work?
Konstantin Stanislavski
Why is Hagen’s method useful in film acting today?
Film requires subtle, realistic behaviour