William Esper Studio’s Two-Year Professional Actor Training Program – Part-Time Program: Meisner-based Training for Beginning and Working Actors at one of the World’s Best Acting Schools
Committing to training at a top acting school marks an important decision for any actor, at any point in their career. Training provides the framework on which to build a life-long career as an artist. William Esper Studio’s Two-Year Professional Actor Training Program provides extensive training and practice in the Meisner Technique to students who are motivated to strive for artistic authenticity. The William Esper Studio understands that not all students have the ability to attend school full-time. Whether you’re a working actor or a beginner, the Part-time Two-Year Professional Actor Training classes, based in the Meisner Technique at the William Esper Studio may be a great fit for you.
The world-renowned William Esper Studio acting school offers flexible training options to help meet the needs of a variety of students. Some acting students come to train amidst their professional endeavors. Others come to invest in actor training to launch a journey of mastery of the technical skill of acting. No matter the reason for attending, there is a way for you to attend classes in a way that is meaningful and practical for your lifestyle. One of those options is the William Esper Studio’s Part-Time Actor Training Program. This course of study provides a foundation in Meisner Technique classes, on which students can build the foundation of an acting career.
The Two-Year Part-Time Acting Program focuses on Acting Technique based in the work of Sanford Meisner. Students attend class for approximately six hours per week and meet with partners to rehearse between classes. You can expect to attend classes two days per week. William Esper Studio offers class in the morning, during the day and in the evening to accommodate the various scheduling needs of our student body. Payment for the Part-Time program is broken down into eight affordable monthly installments throughout the year.
Based in the Meisner Technique, the Acting Technique class is the focus of the Part-Time Program and the foundation on which all other classes are built. In the first year, acting students focus on improvisational exercises and written texts to guide their journey towards a full realization of self and the building of a truthful acting instrument. The class instills basic principles of good acting, stresses the actor’s connection to their spontaneous impulses and fosters a sensitized connection to their fellow actors. As students progress into the second year of training, the Acting Technique class advances into character work and interpretation. Working with text from classical and contemporary playwrights, students explore their interpretative powers without losing their authentic sense of self.
Once enrolled in the Part-Time Two-Year Professional Actor Training Program at William Esper Studio, students also have the opportunity to add supplemental classes during their two-year tenure or at any time after graduation. A full list of supplemental classes is available on our website. All of the supplemental classes are designed to support and work in conjunction with the Meisner-based Acting Technique, helping to create a more fully developed artist as actors continue to study. We encourage acting students to partake in as many supplemental classes as feasible.
The supplemental classes – Voice and Speech, Movement, Alexander Technique, Dance, Mask, Improvisation, Stage Combat, Mime & Physical Theater, Script Analysis, Acting On-Camera For Film & TV, Audition Technique, Cold Reading, Monologue Class, and Dialects Class – all support and supplement the work being done in the Meisner-based Acting Technique classes. The first-year supplemental classes emphasize improvisation, freedom and openness to support the actor as they build a flexible instrument. During the second year, students build on that freedom with physical and vocal tools to specifically craft for creating a character. Tying together the personal exploration of the first year and the specialized character-building work in the second, the Meisner-based work at the world-recognized William Esper Studio launches students on a journey of technical mastery of the craft of acting.
As a student of the Part-Time Program, we expect you to be fully present during your classes, to be available to your partner(s) for rehearsals outside of those class times and to devote personal time and energy to preparing for both rehearsals and classes. Your immersion and your experience in the program will be as meaningful as you decide to make it.
Your intention to attend William Esper Studio should be the result of personal exploration, artistic pursuit and industry research. To help prospective students with this decision, we ask you to read The Actor’s Art and Craft by William Esper. The Actor’s Art and Craft aligns closely with the work a student would undertake during their first year in the Two-Year Professional Actor Training Program at the William Esper Studio. If this book resonates with you, and you’re dedicated to training, we encourage you to apply. After reviewing our application requirements, we invite you to complete the online application.
William Esper Studio maintains a rolling admissions process, which means we accept applications until we fill the limited-size classes. Once we receive your application, we will contact you to set up an interview with our Director of Admissions. You are not required to audition for the William Esper Studio. When you have your interview, we want to learn about your artistic goals, why our work based in the Meisner Technique rings true to you and what you hope to gain from the intense, technique-based training we offer.
William Esper Studio believes that the best actor training is the cornerstone to a life-long career as an actor. Beginners looking to develop new skills and working professionals seeking to hone their craft will grow in The Esper Studio’s intensive New York City acting program. This experience is serious training for serious actors – we ask of you the same authenticity and dedication to your craft as the William Esper Studio community will show you.
