Action: Reading

I have finished reading A Challenge for the Actor by Uta Hagen, and I also read A Practical Handbook for the Actor. The two couldn't be more different. And I like that because I think my preferred acting style lies somewhere in the middle.

The title of the second book is such a turnoff. Acting isn't supposed to be practical; it's supposed to be creative. The title makes acting seem so boring. And the approach to acting in the book kind of is. It suggests using substitutions because "you will never be able to believe that you are the character you are playing." I suppose that's true strictly speaking. But I think the point of acting is the willing suspension of disbelief. Really believing I am a certain character might not happen, but I don't have to remind myself that I'm not that character, either. The book also dismisses feelings/emotions. I think there's room for feelings/emotions, but I agree with the main reasoning against feelings. If you're relying on feelings to play a scene, they might not be there for you. And if you think you have to "feel" a certain way, a) it's presupposing an emotional state instead of being in the moment and b) you will "fail" and have nowhere to do if those feelings aren't occurring. Instead, having a strong sense of purpose gives rise to natural character, action and emotion with the flexibility of being in the moment. There are some gems of wisdom I can draw from the book, while dismissing much of the rest of it as being too "practical" and detached for my tastes.

Uta Hagen's book I found to be a fascinating mixed bag. I intend to read it again and make notes of things I like and dislike. Some of it I found to be overly self-indulgent, pretentious or irrelevant. I've never been one to think an actor has to know the character's name and complete biography in order to play a role. Or does it really matter if I'm able to convince myself (using sensory exercises) that a stove is really hot? Other aspects of her book are extremely analytical and illuminating. Physicality can be such a tricky thing for any actor. Her dissections of things such as eye contact or visual focus and the act of waiting (not doing nothing, but doing a dozen little things) make me so excited to get onstage again and use those tools to feel less awkward with blocking, etc.