Theatre 301 --
Acting I
Uta Hagen Exercises
Written Assignment Format
(To be completed for each exercise and turned in prior to the presentation)
Each written exercise consists of three parts:
I. Objective
Very simply, this is what you want in the exercise. Think in terms of needs; the more dynamic and essential the need, the more fuel you'll have to make your story interesting and compelling. There should be two objectives: one that is a long-term, overriding objective, the other should reflect a short term objective that you will attempt to accomplish over the course of the exercise that will help you move closer to achieving the larger objective. This section can -- and should -- be stated in two sentence: "I want to _____________. In order to get this, I have to _______________."
II. Obstacles
What is in the way of you getting what you want? There are two segments to this that should be clearly and explicitly identified: internal and external. External refers to all of the things outside of yourself that keep you from achieving your objective. Internal refers to those things inside of you that get in your way. Internal obstacles are usually best thought of in terms of fear, i.e., what you are afraid will happen if you achieve your objective. All obstacles work toward creating tension and conflict, which are essential to an interesting story.
III. The Scenario
This is a beat-by-beat account of the story you are telling. Tell it in the first person, present tense, making it as active as you possibly can. In other words, this story is happening to you and it is happening now. Your scenario should begin prior to the start of the exercise and continue past the end point of your exercise. In writing the scenario, the more detailed you are, the better, but make sure that all of the details contribute in a significant way to the telling of the story. While there are many ways to tell a story, your story should, in some way, address the following questions:
1. WHO AM I?
For the Uta Hagen exercises, you will always be yourself. But in life, you are always different, depending on the very specific circumstances that you're engaged in. Who are you this time? What is your present state of being? How do you perceive your self? What are you wearing and how does that affect how you perceive yourself?
2. WHAT ARE THE CIRCUMSTANCES?
Basically, this is everything that affects the story that you are telling. Be very thorough and specific in your exploration of the circumstances that surround the story you are telling. Explore questions such as
• What time is it? (The year, the season, the day? At what time does your selected life begin?)
• Where are you? For the Hagen exercises, your story should always take place in doors in a room that you are very familiar with, preferably a room in your house, apartment or dorm.
• What surrounds you? (The immediate landscape? The weather? The condition of the place and the nature of the objects in it?)
• What are the immediate circumstances? (What has just happened prior to the start of your story? What do you expect or plan to happen next and later on?)
3. WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS?
4. WHAT DO YOU DO TO GET WHAT YOU WANT?These include everything that surrounds you, including the people who affect the story that you're telling. It also includes your relationship to the circumstances, the place and the objects that you connect with during the course of your story.
This is probably the most important aspect of your storytelling, for these are the actions that drive you toward achieving your objectives. This is what you do, moment by moment, in pursuit of your objective. It should also take into account how you adjust to what happens as you pursue your objective.