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.

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.

Teaching Questions is a book about teaching and learning in the performing arts. Its focus is on the inner dynamics of teaching: the processes by which teachers can promote - or undermine - creativity itself. It covers the many issues that teachers, directors and choreographers experience, from the frustrations of dealing with silent students, and helping young artists 'unlearn' their inhibitions, to problems of resistance, judgment and race in the classroom. Teaching Questions speaks to experienced teachers and beginning teachers in all disciplines, bringing essential insight and honesty to the discussion of how to teach.

A deeply humane new collection by a luminary of Bengali literature A radiant collection of poetry about womanhood, intimacy, and the body politic that together evokes the arc of an ordinary life. Nabaneeta Dev Sen's rhythmic lines explore the joys and agonies of first love, childbirth, and decay with a restless, tactile imagination, both picking apart and celebrating the rituals that make us human. When she warns, "know that blood can be easily drawn by lips," her words tune to the fierce and biting depths of language, to the "treachery that lingers on tongue tips." At once compassionate and unsparing, conversational and symphonic, these poems tell of a rope shivering beneath an acrobat's nimble feet or of a twisted, blood-soaked umbilical cord -- they pluck the invisible threads that bind us together.

INCLUDES SPECIALLY COMMISSIONED LINE DRAWINGS Little Tiger is not like other tigers. Not content to spend her days alone, roaming the snow forests of Siberia hunting prey, she prefers instead to ponder the ways of the world. One day, eager to discover her own place within it, she sets out on a remarkable journey to discover the secret of life, and to meet the creatures she has heard most about: humans. A moving tale of bravery and spirit, The Tiger and the Acrobat is a celebration of the power of friendship, and a testament to the courage it takes to be true to ourselves. 'This book is a beaut.' Cecelia Ahern, author of P.S. I Love You

"This raw and emotional tale is a roller coaster through the depths of addiction, tragedy, hard work, and redemption that truly reflects Joe's spirit and determination to stay clean in a world where he is surrounded by temptation. It is proof that with hard work, anything is possible."—Sanjay Gupta, MD, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent A world-class athlete's tale of two passions: his ardent love for gymnastics and his intoxicating romance with heroin. Gritty and raw, this is a story that goes beyond the typical addiction memoir. A gripping narrative that captures the fragility and tenacity of the human spirit and how Putignano ultimately triumphs in his recovery and redemption. Follow the author as he goes on a journey from the US Olympic Training Center to homeless shelters to shooting heroin on the job to being declared deas. Acrobaddict is a story about the close relationship between athletics and addiction—how the same energy, obsession, and dedication that can create an Olympic athlete can also create a homeless drug addict.

A new theory of acting that tears down the theatrical "Fourth Wall"

Using the perspectives of social and cultural history, and the history of psychology and physiology, Strange Dislocations traces a search for the self, for a past that is lost and gone, and the ways in which, over the last hundred years, the lost vision has come to assume the form of a child.

It has been a long, hard winter, and the Gypsies are glad to be leaving Lord Levin's mountains for the sunny plains of Lord Kaybale's lands. But that means time is running out for Heart. The old stories say that Castle Avamir is higher than the clouds, deep in a valley, under the stars, and over the moon. It makes no sense -- but if Heart can't solve the riddle, she might never find a safe haven for her beloved unicorns.

Sixteen innovators, creatives, and thought leaders—Austin Channing Brown, Sue Monk Kidd, and Luvvie Ajayi Jones, among others—share intimate stories of uncovering beauty and potential through moments of fear, loss, heartbreak, and uncertainty. “You’ll find kindred spirits in these tales of resilience, transformation, and joy.”—Time Over the course of four years, the traveling love rally called Together Live brought together diverse storytellers for epic evenings of laughter, music, and hard-won wisdom to huge audiences across the country. Well-known womxn (and the occasional man) from all walks of life shared their most vulnerable truths in a radical act of love, paving the way for healing in the face of adversity. Now, off the stage and on the pages of Hungry Hearts, sixteen of these beloved speakers offer moving, inspiring, deeply personal essays as a reminder that we can heal from grief and that divisions can be repaired. Bozoma Saint John opens herself up to love after loss; Cameron Esposito confronts the limits of self-reliance in the wake of divorce; Ashley C. Ford learns to trust herself for the first time. A heartfelt anthology of transformation, self-discovery, and courage that also includes essays by Luvvie Ajayi Jones, Amena Brown, Austin Channing Brown, Natalie Guerrero, Sue Monk Kidd, Connie Lim (MILCK), Nkosingiphile Mabaso, Jillian Mercado, Priya Parker, Geena Rocero, Michael Trotter and Tanya-Blount Trotter of The War and Treaty, and Maysoon Zayid, Hungry Hearts shows how reconnecting with our own burning, undeniable intuition points us toward our unique purpose and the communities where we most belong.