The Actor's Guide to Creating a Character: William Esper Teaches the Meisner Technique

by William Esper, Damon DiMarco

William Esper, one of the most celebrated acting teachers of our time, takes us through his step-by-step approach to the central challenge of advanced acting work: creating and playing a character.

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.

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction, Drama

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2014

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great. I wish it had been written before I took the second year. So many helpful directions. I won't go into detail because it wouldn't make sense to people who haven't taken the program, but suffice it to say I found this very, very rewarding, specific and helpful as I try to craft a new character in the play I'm currently doing.

[Jonathan Horn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in a duo of profoundly practical books on acting. Enduring wisdom distilled and thoroughly explained through narrative.

[Lyralen · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Quentin Nguyen-duy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful… now I just have to go back and read the first one.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[phoebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

❤️

[Jim Phetterplace · Rating 5 out of 5]

The follow-up to his first-year book covers a lot of territory for the application of "doing truthfully in imaginary circumstances". I felt the reader sees fewer mistakes by the students- something I found very helpful in the first book - but the methodical attempt to introduce the students to stretching themselves in the "character" department was intelligently explained with few but in depth examples.

[Jordan Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Ruslana Sokolovskaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and very insightful book. Great guide for Meisner students.

[Curtis Eames · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spontaneity!

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Taja Hereford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t like the format of the book and how it was communicating the techniques.