This week we are focusing on exploring who we are and idetifying tactics that we can use to explore the multiple "selves" that we inhabit on a day to day basis. Uta Hagen argues that the more we know about ourselves, the more we can bring to our work. Think about the two quotes below and ask yourself how much you rely on one particular facet of your idenity while others are rarely used? What might you do to make yourself available to the multiple possibilities of yourself, the good and the bad, that can be used in your work as an actor?
"Your own identity and self-knowledge are the main sources for any chracter you might play."(Hagen 1973,"Identity" pp.29)
"We must overcome the notion that we need to be regular."(Hagen,1973, pp.31)
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I have a huge issue with letting go of who I am and being something that I know I can be as soon as I am given an assignment or objective. So I think one thing that would help is if I gather focus right before coming into class and realize that everyone else in class is doing exactly what I am doing and we are all trying to grow together but also as individuals. The thing I feel that I am good at is comedy; I use what the other person is saying and also the blessing of how fast I can talk to get across exactly how I want it to look. But I think if i stopped trying to make it look a certain way and just went with things I would really surprise myself. I love the second quote because all I wanted to be when I was in grade school was cool and like everyone else and now all I want to do is act and form into someone new everyday if its possible, and by no means is that regular and that’s ok with me!
ReplyDeleteDanielle Cooper
ReplyDeleteThe activity that we did on Tuesday really made me realize how much in tune a person has to be with their reactions and feelings to situations that blatantly confront our lives. Similar to the improv scene that I participated in, I had to become a middle school girl who was fighting over a boy. I had to REALLY remember my personal identity as a middle school-er and what type of emotions to deliver also what kind of mannerisms, so that I can distinctly broadcast a girl that I feel represent a middle school student. And what I found really helpful is from the Hagen readings is that we have to become observant of ourselves enough to be able to recognize our needs and define our feelings clearly, and when we do this we need to connect to those discoveries an deliver what we feel is right for the person we are bringing to life.
Alisa Schemmel
ReplyDeleteHagen made the quote “We must overcome the notion that we need to be regular,” and I find it hard to do just that. When I have to act like someone I am not I always go right for the stereotypical image of that certain character. I really want to learn to work outside of those stereotypes and create new characters.
Jackie Kelley
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this reading. Like you said, it was easy to read and it made sense. There was one particular passage that stood out to me, and that was Uta Hagen’s argument that our own self expression depends on our personal background and where we grew up. Particularly middle-class America, where children are taught to behave and be respectful, is where Hagen finds limited “spontaneous emotion.” I agree with Hagen on this point. Having been raised in middle-class America myself, and in the bible belt of all places, has taught me to be restrained in my behavior, always polite and never loud or impulsive. I think that although people do respect me for the most part, I find it hard to release genuine emotions on stage because I have always been taught to keep those emotions inside until I can release one that is proper. In fact, I have been told that I can be intimidating because people never know what I am thinking. It’s something that I have come to recognize in myself; it’s part of my identity. Now that I recognize it, I hope I can overcome it to become a better actress.
“The normal procedure of identifying with observed events which we went through as children should not ever stop for the adult actor.” (Hagen 1973,"Identity" pp.31)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hagen about the importance of the matter of being a child-like performer. It doesn't necessarily mean to be childish but the open minded attitude of most children is perfect for an actor to adapt for improvisation.
The creativity and imagination of children is infinite. All of us have played astronauts, doctors, nurses, pirates, husbands or wives, knights, models, mothers or fathers and so on and so forth as a child. We not only embodied but we were these people in our imaginations. The character was based on what we've heard, seen and made up about the topic but mostly intuitively straight forward what we would personally do at their place. The personality of children is not as developed, shaped and stuck as one of an adult which makes it easier to be someone else. Therefore actors should be flexible and separate their useful experience for the character development from cumbersome personal beliefs or ideas of morality that might differ from the attitude of the character.
Actors should be also as naturally individual as children. A regular actor is boring and replaceable. To imagine to go through a situation that the actor actually experienced in reality and compare it to the scene he is asked to execute helps to fit the situation most accurately. Emotion memory is the key of the actor to appear trustworthy.
Who am I? The question is so simple, yet the answer is not. I know surface things like, I am a woman, a wife, an artist, a cook, a student, etc. But I really don’t know myself. As an actor I need to start to explore who I am to better understand the characters I create. I did not understand this until I read the chapter on identity this week in the assigned reading. I have felt recently that my acting has become very one note. My characters are flat and lack personality. I hope thought the work that we do in this class to be able to explore not only new approaches to acting, but also what I personally can bring to my characters. I am trying to focus on the extraordinary in my daily life rather than settle for the ordinary. How I feel, and why I reacted the way I did.
ReplyDeleteThe reading really helped me begin to question myself and the way I act. I think generally speaking, most of us act the way we think we should act i.e. the character is experiencing rage and shows so in the text and thus we raise our voice our body tenses up whether we are truly upset or not because admittedly, if we are acting and this situation arises and if we truly do not feel enraged or upset, we can not keep acting the way we would if we say "Hello, how are you?" so we take on these mannerisms in hopes that it will guide us through the scene. It sort of reminded me of earlier work I read in Acting I by..Brecht I believe? Such as if we are to act enraged we would clench our fists and tighten our jaw and do the physical side of it, the emotional side will come. (In Theory)
ReplyDeleteIn response to the quotes it forces us to dwell deep inside the uncomfortable emotions we face in private. Overcoming the notion to be regular is something each actor faces in each work because society teaches us to act a certain way in all that we do. So perhaps, in a sense each actor is already equipped with everything they need and all we really need to do is learn how to break down our barriers, instead of adding false layers to acurately portray a character/scene/emotion in which it calls for.
The biggest problem I have with myself is how I am shy until someone gets to know me. I am a quieter person at first but once you get to know me, there is a lot more to my personality. Acting has always been a way to express myself in any situation and I never had inhibitions about what I was doing which is why I find it so relaxing. I am working on being able to break out of my shell faster and it is a process which is slowly coming along. I have done serious and comedic roles and don't really know yet which is my strong point. Whenever I have a new role to play I try and look at the character at all angles in order to portray the character honestly. I know I still have a lot more to work on and am nowhere near where I could be as an actress but I am willing to work hard and see where things take me.
ReplyDeleteCollin Stephens
ReplyDeleteI think finding our “multiple selves” is not as easy as it looks. Most people, especially me, go straight to their underlying strength for their character to use for a scene. For me that would be comedy. For other, it could be seriousness or any others an actor might use. I think that actors usually go straight to their strength because that particular characteristic is what they feel most comfortable with. Something that I need to work on is trying to not always go straight for the comedic character who tries to take control of the scene. Something that I, as an actor, need to realize is that I don’t have to be in control of the scene. I can follow through with my objective in the scene without being in control. That’s why I really believe Uta’s second quote mentioned in the blog. I think that the “regular” is each actor’s strength that they usually go to. But we don’t need to be regular all the time.
Megan Kane
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of myself as an actor, I think of comedy. Comedy is my comfort zone when I am in front of a crowd. As I continue to learn about myself as an actor, my strengths and weaknesses are showing. I need to work on my dramatic side as well as listen to other people while on stage performing. I feel that I can learn so much from not only the teacher, but also the other students learning. We can all learn different things from each other which will help mold ourselves as actors. I look forward to continue discovering my identity of who I really am, which to me, I am not regular.
Well, i'm dumb and turned this in but kept forgetting to post, better late than never i guess..
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hagen in the fact that I believe that knowing oneself is one of the first steps in learning to be a character or “someone else”. By knowing yourself you open the door too a dimension of REAL emotions and expression. That I think is the key to “being” someone else. Hagen speaks of overcoming regularity and I agree, you have to recognize yourself as an individual in order to access what you need. Not everyone in the acting world is the same. One situation or memory might create two different emotions or reactions from two different people. You cannot base your acting self off of someone else. You can learn from others techniques and explorations to learn what works for you. However, ultimately you are going to find that the best way to fit in as a talented and skillful actor is to be individual about your methods and “not fit in”. I try to not judge myself too harshly when it comes to relating to characters in movies, books or plays. I remind myself that these characters are “people” too. For a nerdy example, if Anakin Skywalker turns to the dark side because he is tricked and manipulated I find a way to understand. To me he is not “evil” as Darth Vader and that is the end. I try to understand WHY he is the way he is and think realistically of whether I would be any different. This is how I try and relate to characters whether they be good or evil. I think that if I can understand why these characters are it can help me understand how to portray or “be” that myself. Because if you don’t understand why they are the way they are, then you are simply pretending to be angry or cruel. If you can recognize the reason, you can find how to bring up that emotion for yourself. The product of this is not a portrayal but a reality of emotion and character.
Joe Carr
When we discussed identity and finding out who we really are as an actor, I thought about what I was most comfortable with and that is a sarcastic humor. I don’t know why that comes out the most in my acting, but I feel like I’m flexible to play any character or part. I like to sit back and observe how others act with their personalities; I think the exercises we do in class really help find my own originality. I liked explaining why I am an actor to the class on the first day because I really had to go back to my memories of the first love I had for acting as a child. I believe that our identity is uniquely formed from all of our life’s lessons, and that what I love to bring to any scene. Hagen’s quote on not being regular is completely moving and true. I don’t want to be “regular” I want to be extraordinary in my work.
ReplyDeleteLike so many others, I always resort to comedy in a scene. I think it’s because I’m a person who tends to shy away from conflict. Serious or dramatic characters are difficult for me because I’m the exact opposite. I never really have big confrontations with people or serious arguments. Also, I’ve never really been one to show my emotions openly, which makes it difficult to produce them easily in performance. People find it hard to know what I’m thinking because I’ve maintained such a neutral demeanor all my life.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the most important things for a young actor to do is to watch well-renowned actors very closely. They all had to go through the same process, so I imagine it would be beneficial to watch them from a learning perspective. Hagen also gives us great advice in one of the very quotes posted on this blog, “We must overcome the notion that we need to be regular.” When you truly think about it, what does it mean to be regular? Everyone comes from entirely different backgrounds, and so do characters. The word “regular” should just be deleted from an actor’s vocabulary to start the process of opening up different facets of their identity.