2. Prologue: What Does It Take?

Hagen begins her book with a definition of talent which I like:

"...high sensitivity and responsiveness to sight, sound, touch, taste and smell, of exceptional sensitivity to others, of being easily moved by beauty and pain, and of having a soaring imagination without losing control of reality."

I like this definition because all of these qualities can be developed if one wants to develop them. Ruth Gordon said that talent is learned rather than inborn, and Hagen's definition certainly supports that thesis. As a teacher it gives a very useful place to begin.

My first few classes should be devoted to exploring and activating the imagination, first in relation to the senses, then in terms of specific environments and relationships (to internal/external objects and people).

Hagen continues to catalogue what it takes to be an actor: an unshakeable desire (amen), a need to express, an insatiable curiosity about the human condition, a sound body, a trained voice, tenacity and discipline, and a broad education.

I agree with all of the above. She goes on an autobiographical streak after that, detailing how her personal upbringing and life experience provided her with all of those qualities. I barely had patience with that bit though I know it's useful in some ways. Many acting teachers use their classrooms (or books) as a stage for their personal, self-validating performance...Uta, blessed as she is, is no exception.

That said, I'm also thinking of engaging the students in a discussion of what actors they admire and what qualities they can identify that they think make those actors' work effective. Starting first, perhaps, in their journals and then brought into a circle discussion. This could happen on the first day of class and I could tie it into Hagen's observations. I'm still debating whether or not I want them to actually read these chapters. In fact, I'm still debating whether it's useful to have them read the book at all or just to teach from it. It's a required text (by the University, not by me), and of course I think it's very valuable, but I don't know how effective it is to be reading the book while you're being taught from it. Kenny always discouraged that with the Meisner work because he said it would put us in our heads.

We also did an interesting exercise last year in which we wrote our theater history. A 1-2 page essay about the important events in our lives that brought us to the theater and makes us want to be actors. We shared these in class and it was a wonderful way to get to know each other and identify our motivations. Could also be nice to use in conjunction with Uta's next chapter, The Actor's World.