Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s Object Exercise by incorporating five of the ten exercises in a contentless scene.
Class Level:
Beginning
Main Concepts:
endowment, acting naturally, making entrances, etc.
1994 National Standards:
Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining characters in improvisations and informal or formal productions.
Description:
This unit is based on Uta Hagen’s book and acting exercises. They can be used for all levels of student experience from beginning to advanced.
Author’s Note:
Review pages 81-90 from Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen, to ensure continuity and consistency throughout the unit. Also consider having students use a journal to record thoughts and impressions throughout the unit.
Lesson Plans
Lesson 1: The Basic Object Exercise Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s The Basic Object Exercises exercise by rehearsing and performing a 2-minute slice of their life.
Lesson 2: Three Entrances Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s Three Entrances exercise by performing this exercise through a contentless scene.
Lesson 3: Immediacy Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s Immediacy exercise by performing immediacy in a 1-minute rehearsed search for a personal valuable.
Lesson 4: The Fourth Wall Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s The Fourth Wall exercise by performing a rehearsed telephone conversation, illustrating the function of the secondary fourth wall.
Lesson 5: Endowment Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s Endowment exercise by rehearsing and performing the exercise.
Lesson 6: Outdoors Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s Outdoors by performing the exercise.
Lesson 7: History Part I Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s History exercise by choosing a historical-figure and researching that specific time period.
Lesson 8: History Part II Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s History exercise by performing a historically-accurate “simple task”.
Lesson 9: Talking to Yourself and Character Action Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s Talking to Yourself and Character Action exercises by teaching the exercise and facilitating a corresponding activity.
Lesson 10: Conditioning Forces Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s Conditioning Forces exercise by participating in a modified version of the theatre game “Freeze”.
Lesson 11: Rehearsal Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s Object Exercise by incorporating five of the ten exercises in a contentless scene.
Lesson 12: Contentless Scene Final Performance Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s Object Exercise by incorporating five of the ten exercises in a contentless scene.
