William Esper Studio

before i moved to los angeles i studied here for 2 years and the school is great it offers two-​year full-​time programs. you will be as well rounded as you can get as an actor. and if you haven;t read william Esper’s book «The Actor’s Art and Craft» you should, its a staple especially if you are going to attend that school. Now that i am in los angeles i will be checking out all the Santa Monica acting schools that aren’t as Meisner based as william esper since his school is really focused on Meisner.

I just finished the six week summer intensive and plan to attend the two year (God willing) starting in January.
Some thoughts from my brain for prospective students–
We probably all know the difference between bad and good acting. You see a super cheesy soap opera and roll your eyes. Then you flip to Daniel Day Lewis or Meryl Streep and 5 minutes later you’re in tears asking yourself what it is you’ve actually DONE with your life.
What we don’t know (unless you are some kind of natural born prodigy, in which case I probably hate you anyways. Kidding. Pray your mojo rubs off on me?) is how to get from bad acting to good acting. How to actually «live truthfully in imaginary circumstances».
Well, a guy named Sandy Meisner figured it out and a bunch of really cool peeps know the method and are down to teach you. It’s actually a technique, like learning to play the piano. I love that because when I hit my insanely annoying little creative blocks I tend to freak out thinking: «OMG! What if my creative freedom in acting is locked away somehow by my subconscious fear of cats or something!» …Or maybe that’s just me?
The point is, with the repetition, the exercise with text, and repeated (and repeated and repeated and repeated) practice of letting someone (usually your partner) really truly HAPPEN to you, you are building a muscle memory of sorts. Eventually your «instrument» just knows how to release that inner life and «live truthfully in imaginary circumstances». It’s cool.
Anyways, I hope that makes sense. Also, something I LOVE about these classes is that the teachers, aside from being amazing bad asses in their fields (Shout out to Bruce: «Bad acting makes my ass hurt.» and Jules: «Breath!») they really, sincerely fucking care about your journey in this art. If you are being lazy they will tell you. They are incredibly intuitive and perceptive and actually quite amazing with critique, which you get almost every class. These guys aren’t going to be with you in auditions or on set, so they want you to be able to handle business, and handle it well, on your own. (Thank you because I also want me to be able to handle business!)
Go get yo act on! Seriously though it’s a legit school. I have a lot of work to do, and a TON to learn, but it really helps to know you’re in good hands.
Peace!
:drops mic:

I truly believe that the William Esper Studio is one of the better acting schools in New York City. It is smaller, so personalized attention can be given to each student that needs it. They hardly ever turn people away and always strive for people to be the best they can possibly be. The Meisner Technique isn’t right for everyone, but if you like Meisner at all, this is the best place to study it.
Per John A’s review– I am not a paid spokesperson for Esper. I went to the studio last summer for the intensive and am beginning my 2-​year program in a few weeks. The studio does have pretty strict rules about not letting shows or auditions conflict with classes but that is simply because ALL of the work in class is with a partner. You lose your partner, you lose weeks of training. And lastly, the past students that have graduated and gone on to be pretty big celebrities, are very proud of their training. Sure some of them took a class or two but Sam Rockwell actually came back to speak at the studio a few years ago. Jeff Goldblum mentioned him in an interview recently.
I personally had David and he pushed me very hard. He wasn’t mean at all but definitely pushed me when I needed to be pushed. The entire studio is filled with people who truly want to see every student do the absolute best they can.

I’m home. :)

Perhaps the smartest move I’ve made in both my career and my life was deciding to study at Esper. I highly recommend it to any searching not only to hone their craft, but to begin to truly know themselves. Thank you, Suzanne!

This training is awesome.
I’ll make this a more useful review when I’m done.

Suzanne Esper is amazing. She is a stellar teacher that doesn’t miss a beat… a perfect blend of den mother and tigress. I took the summer intensive with her and was thrilled to spend the next two years with her.

this is probably the finest acting studio in new york city.
«The William Esper Studio is dedicated to the work of Sanford Meisner and William Esper and the proposition that acting is a creative art and true excellence in its practice may only be achieved through total mastery of technical craft.»
the studio boasts such alumni as Sam Rockwell, David Morse, Jeff Goldblum, Larry David, Aaron Eckhart just to name a few.
all of the instructors here are incredibly brilliant and fully dedicated to their students’ growth and understanding of the craft.
the studio begins to feel like a second home of sorts.
highly recommended.