michael mack reviews for 'hearing voices'

raves for
hearing voices, speaking in tongues

Widely acclaimed for its lyric portrait of his mother's life with schizophrenia, Michael Mack's one-man play Hearing Voices, Speaking in Tongues has received a wealth of praise...

• from press & media
• from VIPs

praise from press & media

"Exquisite...heartbreaking...will truly resonate with those who know that awful place where insanity and love collide."

—National Public Radio

"Mack's breathtaking performance casts vivid poetic light on one of life's most inexpressible and commonplace sorrows."

—Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Transcendent art that reaches out with unblinking honesty."

—Boston Sunday Globe

"Moments of great warmth come through his family chronicle. It is a work of redemption."

—Philadelphia Weekly

"Redemption comes in well-defined characters and Mack's ability to flow through renditions of his mother and family members. He knows his subject well."

—Village Voice

"A work of devastating clarity that uses simple language and rich metaphor to create a powerful evocation of his and his mother's life."

—Boston Globe

"Compelling, informative....a vivid snapshot of one family's journey. This spoken word performance has at its heart the power to entertain, transport, and transform."

—Showcase Magazine

"It is art for the sake of art and memory and healing."

—Washington Post

"Mack's poetry is more than cathartic, it is remarkable."

—Baltimore Sun

"In his beautiful, compelling memoir, Mack switches seamlessly between past and present voices. Graphic, fragmented, and honest, Mack gracefully enlightens."

—Minneapolis Skyway News

"Searing metaphors.... Schizophrenia shattered his family, but Michael Mack recalls love and spirit."

—Worcester Telegram & Gazette

"An especially poignant look at the fuzzy line between illness and religious illumination. Tender, stirring, uplifting....a must see."

—The Rake (Minneapolis)

praise from VIPs

"Poignant, funny, sad, raucous, tender and very skillfully performed, Michael Mack’s Hearing Voices deserves wide attention."

Maxine Kumin
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
& Poet Laureate of the United States

"Michael Mack’s narratives about his mother’s mental illness have brought tears of sadness and joy to many people. I have attended several performances and can say without reservation that Michael is an artist par excellence. He must be heard."

Moe Armstrong
Board of Directors
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

"Mack’s wonderfully compelling and moving performance reveals special insights into the lives of those with mental illness."

Jay Neugeboren
Author of Remembering Robert: My Brother, Madness, and Survival
Author of Transforming Madness: New Lives for People with Mental Illness

"A rich and moving window into the lives of families struggling with major mental illness, Michael Mack’s deeply human presentation brought a vivid, powerful experience to our National Conference."

Midge Williams
President
American Mental Health Counselors Association

"Michael Mack’s brilliant and courageous one-man drama is the most powerful and unique form of art I have ever experienced."

Edie Mannion
Director and Co-Founder
TEC Family Center, MHA, Philadelphia

"Michael Mack’s stunning one-man drama gives an intimate portrait of family dynamics. More than a story about mental illness, Mack's work is universal."

Victor Tang
Vice President (ret.)
IBM

"Michael Mack is a most gifted poet and performing artist. By touching our hearts with his poignantly told story, he brought our staff into the lives of families with major mental illness. A truly wonderful educational experience."

Pat Hertz
Director, Department of Social Work
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston

"We received Michael Mack’s remarkable and touching work with rave reviews and a sense of awe."

Joan Rosenson
Director of Social Work Training
South Shore Mental Health Center

"Michael Mack is magic. I have worked in the mental health field for sixteen years, and have attended many conferences, workshops, and seminars, but never have I seen such a creative expression of someone’s experience around mental illness."

Linda Nardella
Director
Atlantic House Clubhouse