earticle

영어

This study attempts to prove the effectiveness of Uta Hagen’s acting method in English literature class. One of the most prestigious contemporary actresses and acting teachers, Hagen creates six steps for actor students to help them build their characters based on a play analysis. She stresses on analyzing a character through following questions: Who am I?; What are the Circumstances?; What are my Relationships?; What do I Want?; What is my Obstacle?; What Do I Do to get What I Want?Although Hagen’s method is originally for actor students, I believe that an actor him/herself is a reader of a play like a literature-majored student of mine. The actor needs his/her imagination and creativity to create his/her own character. Likewise, literature class requires the student’s ingenious and original analysis of a play. The researcher’s belief that the approaches to the play between the actor and the literature-majored student are not far different has been verified according to the result of the survey. This study is centered on two research questions: first, How does Hagen’s acting method deepen students’ understanding of drama texts?; second, How does the method facilitate the process of performance making? Despite some of limitations in research, the respondents acknowledged the strength and benefit of engaging Hagen’s six steps for better understanding of a play as well as for better stage performance.