Respect for Acting: Expanded Version

At the invitation of Herbert Berghof, Uta Hagen joined the faculty of the HB Studio in 1947. Since then, teaching has always been a challenge for her, as well as for the many prominent actors whom she has helped to develop. For many years, she has been asked to write a book. Now, here it is: an account of her own struggle with the techniques of acting and based on her teachings.

The first part, The Actor, deals with techniques that set an actor in motion physically, verbally, and emotionally. It deals with the actor's concept of himself and with the art of acting, as well as with the ethics that have made the theater what it is today and what it could be tomorrow. Part Two, The Object Exercises, offers specific and detailed work for the actor, covering a broad range of his problems. Part Three, The Play and the Role, concerns itself with the definition of the play and identification with the character the actor will undertake. It also covers practical problems, the rehearsal, style, and communication. Respect for Acting is a book for people who respect (or wish they could) the theater on both sides of the footlights, for actor and audience who favor truth in a creative process. The constructive stages of work delve into performance as well as into the issues surrounding a necessary change in the theater. It is all quite authentic, since Uta Hagen has never hesitated to throw herself into a good fight for a better offering in the theater in the time of her life.

This edition will include an excerpt from Uta Hagen's memoir, SOURCES, along with an additional foreword by Katie Finneran.