An Acrobat of the Heart

Description

Courageous and compelling, an invaluable resource for actors, directors, and teachers that can open a pathway to inner creativity.

“The actor will do, in public, what is considered impossible.” When the renowned Polish director Jerzy Grotowski began his 1967 American workshop with these words, his students were stunned. But within four weeks they themselves had experienced the “impossible.”

In An Acrobat of the Heart, teacher-director-playwright Stephen Wangh draws on Grotowski’s insights and on the work of Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, and others to bridge the gap between rigorous physical training and practical scene and character technique. Wangh’s students give candid descriptions of their struggles and breakthroughs, demonstrating how to transform these remarkable lessons into a personal journey of artistic growth.”Stephen Wangh is a wonderful acting teacher. He has distilled his life’s study of the actor’s body in the creative act into a practical journey for the reader. Best of all, the book is a useful guide for an actor’s daily work in the studio.” —Anne Bogart, director

“An indispensable book for anyone studying modern theater. Stephen Wangh is a master teacher.”—Moisés Kaufman, playwright

“Steve Wangh places students at the center and emboldens them to do what they did not think possible.” —Mary Schmidt Campbell, Dean, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University
 
“Steve Wangh possesses a unique ability to combine penetrating insight and rigorous demands with a level of compassion and respect that honors the autonomy and integrity of each acting student.” —Kevin Kuhlke, Chair, Tisch Drama, New York University
 
“There are many people now who teach Grotowski’s work, but none do it in such clear, direct, expansive and still provocative and appropriately mysterious ways as Steve Wangh.” —Erica Fae, Yale School of Drama

“When I first read An Acrobat of the Heart, I was floored by how the comprehensive content kinaesthetically engaged my imagination just by reading it.” —Budi Miller, Co-Artistic Director, Theatre of Others, MelbourneSTEPHEN WANGH, is a director, acting teacher and the author of fifteen plays. He was Associate Writer for The Laramie Project (Emmy nomination 2002), a co-writer of The People’s Temple (Glickman Award: Best Play in the Bay Area 2005), and dramaturg of Moisés Kaufman’s Gross Indecency. His latest play, Misconceptions, premiered in New York in May, 2023.

Steve is the author of two books about teaching acting: An Acrobat of the Heart, a Physical Approach to Acting Inspired by the Work of Jerzy Grotowski and The Heart of Teaching: Empowering Students in the Performing Arts. He has taught acting at Emerson College, at Naropa University, and at NYU, where he is now Arts Professor Emeritus. During the past few years, Steve has also been training actors in Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and at the Freedom Theatre in Jenin, Palestine. He lives in Brattleboro, VT. www.stephenwangh.comUS

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