| Title | : | The Actors Guide to Creating a Character: William Esper Teaches the Meisner Technique |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0345805690 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780345805690 |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published April 1, 2014 |
Esper’s first book, The Actor’s Art and Craft, earned praise for describing the basics taught in his famous first-year acting class. The Actor’s Guide to Creating a Character continues the journey. In these pages, co-author Damon DiMarco vividly re-creates Esper’s second-year course, again through the experiences of a fictional class. Esper’s training builds on Sanford Meisner’s legendary exercises, a world-renowned technique that Esper further developed through his long association with Meisner and the decades he has spent training a host of distinguished actors. His approach is flexible enough to apply to any role, helping actors to create characters with truthful and compelling inner lives.
The Actors Guide to Creating a Character: William Esper Teaches the Meisner Technique Reviews
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The second in a duo of profoundly practical books on acting. Enduring wisdom distilled and thoroughly explained through narrative.
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I LOVED this book. Very much like MEISNER ON ACTING, it follows the format of a memoir--the memoir of an acting class and its process through a technique. If you love acting, this is a must read.
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Absolutely wonderful… now I just have to go back and read the first one.
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I found The Actor's Guide to Creating a Character inspiring but at the same time anxiety producing. I understand that they have to get information across but to make all the “students” in Bill’s “class” basically geniuses -where they answer Bill’s questions perfectly almost every time he asks one- I found unrealistic and, like I said before, anxiety producing.
The pacing felt smooth and the language used felt very supportive of the ideas being articulated. I found the last four chapters incredibly boring. The period and style chapter felt like a third rate history lesson.
I loved the the vast majority of the book and look forward to my second year in the school. -
you need to believe in the importance of art and you need to believe that, in the best of hands, the actor's work is one of the most powerful forces on the planet ... a theatre is our temple to humanity, and art the force that binds us irrevocably, regardless of race, color, or creed ... without our humanity, both life and death become meaningless ... there's something within you you want to share, something you know will make a difference in this world if only you find a way to release it, polish it, show it to others.
❤️ -
I loved the first in this “series” and I adore the second! This is easily my favorite book on acting. It is incredibly dense with information but also easily readable. The format tricks you into feeling like you’re reading a novel, imparting all kinds of highly useful wisdom with total ease. I will highly recommend both this and The Actor’s Art and Craft constantly and there are many re-reads to come!
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Both incredibly useful and incredibly inspiring. No, you can't learn acting through reading. But this book provides tons to explore and reflect on. It's also a much-needed wellspring of hope for the return of this craft after all this craziness.
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So great! I was fortunate to study with Bill for the summer intensive and the 2-year program. Now auditioning and working again, so reading this keeps me frosty; I feel like I'm transported right back to class again, hearing Bill's voice (and grunts of approval or disapproval) as clear as a bell! He was definitely the Yoda of Acting in NYC.
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Spontaneity!
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4,5
