Uta Hagen was a German born American Actress and Drama Teacher. She believed that all acting should be that of realism and "the actor puts his own psyche to use in finding identification with the role." Hagen, Uta 1991. A Challenge for the Actor. New York: Scribner's.
To begin to use our own psyche when finding an identification in a role we were asked to take 2 minutes of our everyday life and ask questions such as 'Who am I?' 'Where am I?' etc. I decided to use the scenario of when I was on the phone to the Water Company trying to sort out a bill. Whilst I was doing this I was asking myself the questions which later distracted me even more.
Who am I?
I am a 19 year old student living in Bath and studying Drama. I tend to leave work till the last minute so that I know it will get done. Everything I do is rushed but I think this is due to my fun loving and carefree outlook on life, which can sometimes get me into trouble.
What time is it?
It is Tuesday 22nd November 2012, roughly 2pm and I have just returned from my 9am Physical Theatre Workshop. It is sunny outside but there is a slight breeze in the air which makes it feel colder. Everyone in my house is preparing to go to lectures or to town so the house is not quiet.
Where am I?
I am sat at our small kitchen table surrounded by letters from the Water Company and notes on what to say. There is a huge pile of washing up on the right of me and the sun is blaring through our kitchen window on my left.
What surrounds me?
I am surrounded by different bills and a note pad which will help me when talking to the water company when I have finally got through to them. My housemates are coming in and out of the kitchen, making noise, food or washing up. Lots of pens surround me which distract me as I keep clicking them up and down as the company have placed me on hold.
What are the given circumstances?
As the cleverest in my house and the most responsible I have been given the role of making sure that all the bills are paid on time and her coming out of my account. We have just received a letter through explaining to us that 6 months of water bill money will be taken out on the 1st November, however no one can afford £50 each for this at the moment so I need to see if we can change our payment plan to a monthly system.
What is my relationship?
As I have never had to pay bills before I am heavily influenced by what my Dad has to say on the issues above. Therefore my notepad has come in handy as I have written down questions that he would ask if he were in this situation. As the man who placed me on hold was polite I do not mind holding as this issue needs to be resolved so that we can save money for the month.
What do I want?
I would like to speak to someone intelligent, rather quickly, as this call isn't free so that we can save money and not have all of our bills going out at once. I would also like my housemates to be a little quieter just in case I get through to someone so that I can hear everything they say as I tend to get distracted easily.
What is in my way?
1) Being on hold for five minutes and listening to irritating music constantly.
2) My housemates who are unable to stay quiet for more than 2 seconds
3) The fact that I am thinking about these questions and analyzing myself whilst I am on the phone.
What do i do to get what I want?
I remain on the phone for another five minutes, making the hold time total 10 minutes, and speak to a polite man who tells me that he can sort out a new payment method straight away. My housemates stop shouting as soon as I begin to talk to someone on the other end of the phone.
When using this technique I quickly became aware that I was over thinking what I was doing. Nothing came naturally anymore for instance, picking up a pen became- "why am I picking up this pen?" "oh yes because I can't concentrate for long periods of time or I am bored." I also realised that I am very critical of myself when I analyze myself. You will notice this in the above answers to the questions, however what I am doing is a positive thing because I am not helping just myself I am also helping out 6 other housemates so that they can save money.
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