Reviews of An Acrobat of the Heart

"Wonderful... Stephen Wangh walks you through his remarkable grasp of Grotowski's teaching and thoughtfully places it in the context of Delsarte, Stanislavski, Meyerhold, and the American tradition. Best of all, the book is a useful guide for an actor's daily work in the studio."

-- Anne Bogart, director

"A master teacher who understands the most important discoveries of the twentieth century about the art of acting, Stephen Wangh takes the powerful work of Jerzy Grotowski and makes it accessable to American actors. An indespensable book for anyone studying modern theater."

-- Moisés Kaufman, playwright

"Wangh bridges the gap between Grotowski's teaching methods and the world of rehearsing and performing, so that actors may put what they've learned to the test."

-- Publisher's Weekly, August, 28, 2000

"Wangh never preaches, but gently guides his students to reach heights they never thought possible.... Every actor, director and teacher will learn something from An Acrobat of the Heart."

-- The Bloomsbury Review, Nov/Dec 2000

"Certainly this season's finest text for actors, this important work is for all acting collections."

-- Library Journal, October 1, 2000

"After a long hiatus from performing, reading this book excited me to absolutely no end! Stephen's thoughts and wise teachings brought me back to a place that I'd forgotten and was sorely missing. Thank you for the palpable tenderness and care that LEAPS off the page directly into my world and " where I live " Reading about acting can be confusing, right? This book magically trancends anything stodgy, incoherent, or inconsistent in structure and message. ( SO MANY acting and performance manuals DO NOT EVER get past the lumpy and condescending realm...) THIS is elegantly crafted and now sacred to me! Thank you Stephen."

-- Reader Review from Amazon.com

"Reading An Acrobat of the Heart is the very next best thing to having Stephen Wangh as a professor. The book has a delicate, intuitive approach to acting which is as introspective as it is outwardly provocative. Having been a student of Mr. Wangh I can fully attest to the profound effect this method of exploration has had upon not only my acting, but my knowledge of self. There is something gratifying about a physical and emotional approach to acting that I have never been able to find through either Meisner or sense memory work. An Acrobat of the Heart is like a good cup of tea, you are left a little warmer and a little wiser after."

-- Reader Review from Amazon.com