in the mid-1950s, hoag moved to new york, where she continued her study of acting with herbert berghof. she was cast in multiple off-broadway shows, but these were all cancelled due to funding problems. finally, she starred in the title role of the 1958 off-broadway hit "heloise", an adaptation by james forsyth of the story of heloise and abelard. the play, which won considerable critical acclaim, was produced primarily by erstwhile actors and staffers of case western's eldred theatre.