Thoughts and feelings are suspended in a vacuum unless they instigate and feed the selected actions, and it is the characters actions which reveal the character in the play.
Uta HagenRead
Once in awhile, there's stuff that makes me say, That's what theatre's about. It has to be a human event on the stage, and that doesn't happen very often.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Theatre should reflect human experiences, which is rare and significant.
Uta Hagen emphasizes the idea that theatre is a medium for showcasing authentic human experiences and emotions. She suggests that true theatre occurs when the performance resonates with real-life events and feelings, making it a profound and meaningful form of art, though such instances may not happen often.
Themes
TheatreHuman ExperienceArtPerformanceEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about a recent play, one could say, 'Once in awhile, there's stuff that makes me say, That's what theatre's about.'
More from Uta Hagen
All quotes →Theoretically, the actor ought to be more sound in mind and body than other people, since he learns to understand the psychological problems of human beings when putting his own passions, his loves, fears, and rages to work in the service of the characters he plays. He will learn to face himself, to hide nothing from himself- and to do so takes AN INSATIABLE CURIOSITY ABOUT THE HUMAN CONDITION
Uta HagenRead
If you want a bourgeois existence, you shouldn't be an actor. You're in the wrong profession.
Uta HagenRead
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