William Esper
Professional Level Acting Technique

William Esper has been the head of his own studio in New York City since 1965, as well as director of the Professional Actor Training Programs at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University since their inception in 1977. He is a graduate of Western Reserve University as well as the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, where he was trained as a teacher and actor by Sanford Meisner, and with whom he worked closely as a teacher and director for 15 years.

Mr. Esper was on the staff of the Neighborhood Playhouse for 12 years and Associate Director of the Playhouse’s Acting Department from 1973 to 1976. He has been a Guest Artist Teacher at Canada’s Banff Festival of the Arts, Workshops in the Performing Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as the National Theatre School of Canada, St. Nicholas Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois, and the Shauspiel Munchen Skool in Munich, Germany.

In 1975-76 he was Director of the Circle Repertory Theatre Company’s workshop in New York City. He has directed and acted both regionally as well as Off-Broadway and is a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York.

Mr. Esper is profiled in the book The New Generation of Acting Teachers, published by Viking Press in 1987. He is a past member of the National Board of the National Association of Schools of Theatre and a former Vice-President and Board Member of the University Resident Theatre Association. He has lectured on acting at People’s Light and Theatre Company and the Screen Actors Guild Conservatory, New York City. SAG honored him with a Certificate of Achievement for his service to the profession. Among the professional actors with whom Mr. Esper has worked with include: Kim Bassinger, Jennifer Beals, Kristen Davis, Kim Delaney, Calista Flockhart, Peter Gallagher, Jeff Goldblum, Glenn Headley, Patricia Heaton, William Hurt, Christine Lahti, John Malkovich, Gretchen Mol, David Morse, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Shay, Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, Patricia Wetting, Richard Schiff, Dule Hill, Timothy Olyphant, Molly Price, Roger Bart, Tonya Pinkins, Dean Winters, Aaron Eckhart, Wendy Malik, and Tracee Ellis Ross.