What People Are Saying About Joe Ross Acting Workshops . . .

GERTRUDE HALSTEAD, poet, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts--"Leaving New Jersey is the only reason I am no longer in Joe Ross's Acting Workshop--and I still miss that special exciting experience. No other teacher had given me the tools to reach a level I did not know I could reach. Joe was always challenging, respectful, and supportive of us and we wanted to give our very best . . . I am grateful to Joe Ross for my voyage of discovery through the roles I studied, the characters I became." (Gertrude began studying with the Acting Workshop at the age of 75.)

WADE MILLER, former general manager, Paper Mill Playhouse--"When I saw Joe Ross on stage giving a galvanizing, fully realized performance, and learned that he was a teacher of acting as well, I signed on immediately and was richly rewarded . . . He is totally dedicated to his students and has an uncanny ability to impart to them a technique which enables them to project themselves, and their own sensibilities and life experiences, into their character's life and circumstances in the play. With Joe, that journey is FUN!!"

TODD WALL, actor, New York, New York--"Joe Ross gave me the confidence I needed to venture into New York and compete with professional actors. He teaches a simple method with a fierce passion. I actually understood more about the method of great acting in the very first class I took with him than I did in all the prior years of studying put together. Not only did I grow as an actor with each class but I grew as a person as well. I love how he creates a safe atmosphere so every student can feel comfortable getting in touch with different emotions. Every session I noticed a strong bond between his students and him. He makes himself available as a teacher and a friend in and out of the classroom. I was never able to find that before or since taking classes with him." (After studying with the Workshop for three years, Todd moved into New York to actively pursue an acting career)

JOE GOLDENRING, retired, South Orange--"Joe Ross is a gifted acting teacher. My years with Joe were a most pleasant experience. His human qualities were immediately apparent and led to a relaxation in performing that yielded very positive results . . . Joe seems to have insight into your mind and makes you give up all the phoniness that falsified your acting technique. This allowed me to probe the character honestly and clearly. The result I believe helped me to understand myself . . . Anyone who seeks to experience growth in acting should seek out Joe Ross. It will be a most meaningful experience."

CAROLE MANCINI, Cranford--"Joe Ross is the best teacher I have experienced, in any academic/educational/other setting. He always takes any negative response/behavior exhibited by a student and wonderfully turns it into a positive attribute or tool. I have complete faith and trust in him--as a teacher, as a human, as a friend. I know that whatever he asks me to do will be (eventually if not immediately) in my best interest as an actor. In class, some painful/personal memories may be evoked. I know that this information will never be used against me nor referred to inappropriately . . . Joe has the gift of vision which enables him to see the potential capabilities of each student. He uses this to encourage, cajole, push his students to horizons they did not realize were reachable. He displays endless patience in class, even when provoked by argumentative or negative reactions. He has boundless energy--at the end of a three-and-a half hour class, he is as energetic as at the beginning. He is kind. I have never heard him say anything hurtful to a student. He is clear in giving directions, suggestions; I always know what he wants, what he is striving for--even if I can't always fulfill his expectations. He puts in huge amounts of time in his own preparation of a course. During the course, too, he expends vast time "behind the scenes," doing extra work to enhance or add to what we are doing in class. He is flexible in his thought-processes and ideas. He is always willing to listen to a student's perspective and usually agrees to try his or her idea to see how it works. Because of his background and experience, he is creative, and is expert in directing, managing, and producing scenes from plays, or, as we have just seen, whole plays."

JOHN O'LEARY, lawyer, Short Hills--"I have been working with the Joe Ross Acting Workshop since 1993. I had joined the Joe Ross Acting Workshop for various reasons. Joe Ross had been recommended to me by a very talented and experienced acting friend. I have been an attorney practicing law primarily through the City of New York as a litigator since 1982. I always wanted to be an actor. I never could find the time, especially now being married with two young children. I joined the Joe Ross Acting Workshop thinking that I could develop my acting skills with less time constraints. I thought the experience would also help my professional talents as an attorney . . . What I have received from the Joe Ross Acting Workshop is much more than I ever expected. Joe Ross is truly committed to his art and to his students. He is extremely enthusiastic and works hard with his students developing his style of 'inner life' acting. The Joe Ross Acting Workshop was much more advanced than I ever expected. We were taught to understand ourselves so that we could truly become the character and leave all inhibitions behind. I am proud to be part of the special and united family of the Joe Ross Acting Workshop."

GEORGIA ECONOMOU, Bridgewater--"It seems like fate led me into Joe Ross's acting class. I hadn't performed on a stage since high school and really wanted to get into it again. So I did some research about the various theatres in the area, and when I called the Villagers Theatre, they mentioned to me about Joe's class. I hesitated at first, then decided to give it a try. Well, 3 years later I am proud to say that as a result of Joe's lessons, guidance, support, and motivation, I now have a leading role and 4 other very successful plays under my belt. None of which could have been accomplished without Joe. Joe not only teaches us, he gives us the opportunity to explore different aspects of our personalities by allowing us to choose characters in plays that we might not normally get cast for. Whether it be comedy or heavy drama, Joe has a way of reaching deep down inside and pulling out everything we have to help us breathe life into that character."

HELEN STAFFORD, Flemington--"I have been a member of the Joe Ross Acting Workshop for 4 years. Joe has a unique approach to teaching, making his classes very different from others with which I have been involved. Joe's 'method' is training for life. It is addicting and the reason I keep going back for more. He has earned my respect as a true mentor and friend."

ROBERTA MAHER, elementary school teacher, Mt. Arlington--"Having been with the Acting Workshop for over 10 years, I can honestly say that I have gained something from each class . . . Joe, being a wonderful actor himself, exhibits a great understanding of the craft as well as a love for teaching. You can count on him for honesty and encouragement. I know my own acting has improved immeasurably because of the Workshop. I have spent the majority of my life wanting to perform and because of the Workshop I am doing just that."