HB Studio to Celebrate 100 Years of Uta Hagen

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.

special events commemorating Uta Hagen at 100 will kick-off at HB Playwrights atre on Monday, February 25 with 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 whereActress 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.

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.

Reservations 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.

Photo Credit: Pamela Shandel