Acting : Watching Uta Hagen taught me so much by Stephen Foster

The whole idea of creation is mysterious and wonderful, it’s a bottomless craft, which is why I love it so much.

—Uta Hagen

I read and used Uta Hagen’s book Respect for Acting, and always thought I could never understand her teachings. It felt like she was speaking of techniques so elevated and lofty that I could never live up to them, like I was always doing them “wrong.” And then I saw her perform in New York City in the two-character play Collected Stories, and the light bulb went off. I understood! I was doing all those things in my acting! Everything she did was specific, honest, and even raw. I became very excited about my acting and the craft of it because I knew I was able to act with that depth while being funny. Every object she touched had a specific vibration, every cross she did about the stage had energy behind it. About five years later, I saw her in another two-character play Six Dance Lessons and lightening struck twice. In her performance nothing was vague. Every word and every intention (even the Kleenex) was clearly drawn.

Watching Ms. Hagen was an eye-opening experience for me, and I went back and reread her book and this time I understood that what she is teaching is “practice.”

What I learned from the experience is: while we can pick up an acting book and study the craft in classes, what really matters in the end is how we use them. Ms. Hagen spent many, many hours in rehearsal and in practice at the HB Studio before she ever put herself onstage in front of audiences. It takes many hours of rehearsal and research to get a part “right.” The audience must never, ever see an actor’s “homework.” They are there for the show! They have bought tickets and want to be entertained, and so do casting directors, directors, and producers. They want to see a performance. That’s why you do “acting practice” in privacy.