HB Studio, one of New York’s original acting studios, has announced UTA HAGEN at 100, a series of special events and workshops celebrating the centenary of its master teacher, the legendary actress and activist Uta Hagen. UTA HAGEN at 100, honoring the three-time Tony Award winning actress and her legacy as a pioneering theater artist, activist and master teacher of HB Studio, will kick off on Monday, February 25 with a series of centennial events. The celebration will culminate on Monday, June 10 with a centennial gala honoring the actress, whose 100th birthday is Wednesday, June 12.
Uta Hagen was one of the most renowned and respected acting teachers of the 20th century. A transcendent actor, life-changing teacher, and blazingly honest advocate for the relevance and power of theater, she was highly sought-after and influential among actors she trained at HB Studio. She was the author of two best-selling acting texts, the seminal Respect for Acting and the definitive A Challenge for the Actor, both still used by theater students today, and her most substantial contributions to theatre training were a series of “object exercises” that remain prominent training for acting professionals. The many notable actors who studied under Uta Hagen include Katie Finneran, Liza Minnelli, Whoopi Goldberg, Jack Lemmon, Debbie Allen, F. Murray Abraham, Rita Gardner, Steve McQueen, Amanda Peet, Marlo Thomas, Jerry Stiller, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Hal Holbrook.
The special events commemorating UTA HAGEN at 100 will kick-off at HB Playwrights Theatre on Monday, February 25 with The Young Uta Hagen: An Actress’s Beginnings. Sponsored by the Noël Coward Foundation and curated by Alan Pally, the evening will feature readings of scenes from the actress’s early career by actors Katie Finneran, Barbara Barrie, Laila Robins, Arthur French, Monica Bell, and Irina Abraham. Subsequent events throughout the spring will feature appearances by an array of Hagen’s former students and acting colleagues including David Hyde Pierce, Mercedes Ruehl, Harris Yulin, Patricia Bosworth, George Bartenieff, and William Carden.
UTA HAGEN at 100 will also be found uptown at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center where Actress and Activist: Uta Hagen at 100, a display on The Library’s 3rd floor reading room, will feature materials from the actress’s archives, which are housed at The Library. In addition, The Library will host three events in its Bruno Walter Auditorium, including an Uta Hagen master class on Wednesday, April 10 conducted by long-time HB Studio teacher Austin Pendleton.
UTA HAGEN at 100 will culminate on Monday, June 10 (two days before Hagen’s 100th birthday), with a gala evening to benefit the HB Studio. Actress and Activist: Uta Hagen at 100, will take place at the Tribeca Rooftop when actors Marlo Thomas (Uta Hagen Legacy Award) and John David Washington (Next Generation Award), as well as HB Studio Board member Alexander Bernstein (Community Leader Award), will be honored.
HB STUDIO was founded in 1945 by the Broadway actor and director Herbert Berghof. Uta Hagen joined Berghof as his partner at the Studio soon after it began and continued to lead the Studio as master teacher until her death in 2004. As one of the original New York acting studios, HB Studio supports vigorous, lifelong practice in the theater, based on a solid foundation of practical training. The Studio offers a variety of classes and workshops for actors, directors, and playwrights. Through the Uta Hagen Institute, HB Studio offers intensive acting training programs with the Hagen Core Training, the Hagen Summer Intensive, and the Hagen Teacher’s Lab. As the Studio’s production and performance space, the HB Playwrights Theatre offers artists in residence and students of the Studio a safe, creative space to perform and develop their works. The HB Studio faculty is comprised of practicing theater artists recognized for their professional work on and off the stage and screen. Its students, faculty, and alumni form a vibrant community of actors, playwrights, and directors, active in all aspects of the performing arts.
Following is a list of highlights of upcoming public HB Studio Centennial Events. Reservations for the events below can be made by visiting hbstudio.eventbrite.com.
Seating is limited and reservations are taken on a first come-first served basis. For information about the June 10 Actress + Activist: Uta Hagen at 100 Gala visit gala@hbstudio.org.
Schedule of events for UTA HAGEN at 100:
Monday, February 25, 2019
Official Uta Hagen Centennial Kick-Off Celebration
The Young Uta Hagen: An Actress’s Beginnings
Readings and Scenes from Uta Hagen’s early career
Featuring Barbara Barrie, Katie Finneran, Arthur French, Laila Robins and more
Curated by Alan Pally | Sponsored by Noel Coward Foundation
7:00 PM | HB Playwrights Theatre, 124 Bank Street, NYC 10014
Monday, March 11, 2019
Uta Hagen on Stage and Screen
Foster Hirsch moderates with a panel of Uta Hagen’s acting colleagues including David Hyde Pierce and William Carden
7PM | HB Playwrights Theatre, 124 Bank Street
Monday, March 25, 2019
Women’s History is American History:
Breaking Ground for Women in the Theater
An exploration of Sandra Bernhardt, Eleanora Duse, Eva Le Gallienne, and Uta Hagen with biographer Helen Sheehy
7PM | HB Playwrights Theatre, 124 Bank Street
April 1 to July 31, 2019
Actress + Activist: Uta Hagen at 100
Display of the life and work of Uta Hagen
Open to the Public – no reservations required
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center
3rd Floor Reading Room, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
Monday, April 8, 2019
Black History is American History:
Paul Robeson and the American Theater
7PM | HB Playwrights Theatre, 124 Bank Street
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Respect for Acting: An Uta Hagen Master Class with Austin Pendleton
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center
2 PM – 5 PM | Bruno Walter Auditorium, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
Monday, May 6, 2019
Immigrant History is American History: The Whole World Over
Foster Hirsch moderates a panel on the Harold Clurman production that introduced Herbert Berghof to Uta Hagen; with George Bartenieff (member of the original cast) and Patricia Bosworth
7PM | HB Playwrights Theatre, 124 Bank Street
Monday, May 13, 2019
Loved Well (Not Wisely): Paul Robeson and Uta Hagen’s Othello
An exploration of the revolutionary and courageous Broadway production that forever changed Hagen’s career.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center
6 PM | Bruno Walter Auditorium, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
Monday, June 3, 2019
Uta Hagen: A Participant in Society
Uta Hagen’s life and career will be explored through this lecture by Alan Pally, featuring unpublished excerpts from Hagen’s diary, read by her daughter Leticia “Letty” Ferrer and granddaughter Teresa Teuscher.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center
6 PM | Bruno Walter Auditorium, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
Monday, June 10, 2019
Actress + Activist: Uta Hagen at 100 Gala*
Gala Honorees: Marlo Thomas (Uta Hagen Legacy Award), Alexander Bernstein (HB Community Leader Award), and John David Washington (HB Next Generation Award).
6 PM | Tribeca Rooftop, 2 Debrosses Street
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