Respect for Acting: Expanded Version - Hardcover

by Uta Hagen (Author), Haskel Frankel (With), Katie Finneran (Foreword by)

The classic book on acting, in an attractive updated edition

Since its original publication in 1973, Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting has remained a durable classic and a must-read for all students of acting. As an acting instructor at the Herbert Berghof Studio, Hagen helped to develop the talents of world-class actors like Robert DeNiro, Matthew Broderick, Gene Wilder, Amanda Peet, Austin Pendleton, Whoopi Goldberg, and more. In this book, Hagen offers an indispensable account of the techniques that professionals use to elevate their acting to an art form. This updated edition illuminates Hagen's original text with a new foreword written by Katie Finneran, retaining the David Hyde Pierce foreword, along with added background on HB Studio--one of the original New York performing arts training and practice spaces--and an excerpt from Hagen's autobiography SOURCES.

In working through this book, actors will learn physical, verbal, and emotional practice that empower them to connect their own self-concept to the characters they play. Specific, detailed exercises help actors learn to address a range of problems actors face, like maintaining immediacy and relevance, and developing the dimensions of a role over a long performance run. Respect for Acting is a book for actors and audiences who understand the need for truth in the creative process.

• Discover the acting book that has shaped professional theater performances for decades
• Learn the history and background of Herbert Berghof Studio, one of New York's foremost acting schools
• Practice the craft of acting with concrete exercises and instruction on technique
• Delve into the deep questions that arise when actors truly inhabit the lives of their characters

Actors at all levels of their craft will love this stunning updated version of the essential Respect for Acting.

Front Jacket

Few acting books can claim to be as widely read and sought after as Uta Hagen's Respect For Acting. Since the publication of the original edition in 1973, hundreds of thousands of practicing and aspiring actors have benefited from its timeless and practical wisdom.

The Expanded Edition of Respect For Acting includes a new Foreword by renowned actor and former student of Uta Hagen, Katie Finneran, and additional background on HB Studio in New York City--one of the original New York performing arts academies, and the artistic home where Hagen developed her training methods.

In the book, actors will discover the physical, verbal, and emotional techniques that enable them to connect their own self-concept to the characters they play. Hagen's approach helps actors learn to solve many of the most common problems they face, like maintaining energy levels during long performances. From -discussions of emotional and sense memory to explicit instructions on how to think, walk, talk, and improvise, the author has laid out a comprehensive guide to the art of fine acting.

A timeless and essential presentation of acting as an art, Respect For Acting has earned a prominent place in the libraries of some of the world's finest players and in the classrooms and studios wherever actors are trained.

Back Jacket

The latest edition of a celebrated and bestselling acting resource

"I held onto this book for dear life throughout my twenties, and still thumb through it when I need a tune-up. If I lose my car keys and I'm frantically turning my house upside down trying to find them, I look up at the heavens and hope Uta's having a good laugh."
--AMANDA PEET

"Uta Hagen changed my life. She changed the lives of thousands and thousands of other people as well. To have Uta's books, and to be able to look through them at the drop of a hat, keeps me going and keeps me inspired to keep going."
--AUSTIN PENDLETON

"I read Respect for Acting frequently. As a remembrance of my time with Uta and to keep myself challenged and humble. It should be utilized by every acting student and professional."
--VICTOR SLEZAK

"I was extraordinarily privileged to work with Uta Hagen in Circle in the Square's production of George Bernard Shaw's play You Never Can Tell. Her book, Respect for Acting, is a must-read for any actor at any age. She was committed to revealing the truth and we are the beneficiaries of her brilliant observations."
--VICTOR GARBER

Author Biography

UTA HAGEN, Tony Award-winning actor and renowned acting teacher, co-founded HB Studio in New York City with her husband, Herbert Berghof, where she trained actors including Al Pacino, Jason Robards, Jack Lemmon, Whoopi Goldberg, and Christine Lahti. On stage she starred in groundbreaking productions with José Ferrer, Paul Robeson, Anthony Quinn, and Marlon Brando. HB Studio is her legacy where new generations of actors come from around the world to study.

HASKEL FRANKEL worked as a journalist and critic for publications including The New York Times, The Saturday Evening Post, Saturday Review, The National Observer, Show and Playbill. He wrote and collaborated on many books including Milton Berle: An Autobiography, The Admiral's Daughter with Victoria Fyodorova and All My Patients Are Under the Bed with Louis J. Camuti.