Home

“Steve 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, NYU

Stephen Wangh Leads Grotowski’s Psychophysical Acting

This video brings to life the training described in the book, An Acrobat of the Heart. The video contains over 15 hours of documentary footage of students learning the physical and vocal exercises and exploring monologue and scene work. Each lesson includes Steve’s detailed instructions, expert guidance, and personal feedback, with added voice-over for both students and teachers.

What’s in the Video:

  • Two complete videos: One for Actors, and one for Teachers and Directors.
  • Detailed instructions for all the physical training and voice exercises.
  • A clear progression showing how the exercises can develop from technical forms to living containers of image and emotion.
  • Close-ups of particular physical details in the exercises.
  • Advanced work with Shakespeare, Chekhov and Garcia Lorca.
  • Special teacher commentary on the pedagogy of psychophysical acting.

  • The Video for Actors

    An introduction to psychophysical acting, including exercises created by Jerzy Grotowski. A step-by-step progression from body and voice to text and scene.

  • The Video for Teachers and Directors

    Extended versions of every lesson including Steve’s voice-over notations on the pedagogy of psychophysical acting.

When you purchase the video you will receive unlimited access to both versions.

Reviews of the Video:

“Every time I watch the Acrobat of the Heart Video, I feel exactly what it feels like training with Steve in the studio. The video is an essential tool for actors and actor trainers.”
Budi Miller
Co-Artistic Director, The Theatre of Others
“Watching the Acrobat of the Heart videos is like being back in a classroom with Steve, experiencing his curiosity, insightful questions, and opening space for students to find their own pathways in the work.”
Rich Brown
Chair, Full Professor
Western Washington University
Department of Theatre & Dance
“This video is an absolute gift!”
Kate Kohler Amory
Professor of Acting and Movement
Boston Conservatory at Berklee
“Steve 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, NYU
More reviews of the Video and of Steve’s teaching

About Stephen Wangh:

Stephen Wangh is a playwright, director, and teacher of acting. He studied with Jerzy Grotowski in 1967. For 20 years Steve taught acting in the Experimental Theatre Wing at NYU where he is now Arts Professor Emeritus. And for seven years he was Guest Faculty at the MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance program at Naropa University where he taught physical acting and pedagogy.

Steve is the author of two books: An Acrobat of the Heart, a physical approach to acting inspired by the work of Jerzy Grotowski (Vintage, Random House, 2000), and, The Heart of Teaching: Empowering Students in the Performing Arts, (Routledge, 2012).

“Steve creates a rare space where students can take emotional risks. Amazing!”
Wendell Beavers
Professor Emeritus, Performing Arts, Founding Chair
MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance Program, Naropa University