William Esper Studio
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The William Esper Studio is a school for the performing arts located in Manhattan, New York; the school was founded in 1965.
[edit] Background
When William "Bill" Esper was a young man, he saw Eli Wallach and Maureen Stapleton in a touring production of The Rose Tattoo ... "[I] was so struck by the acting ... [A]fter the play was over, I decided to go around the corner to get a cup of coffee so I could think about it some more. I walked into a little drugstore, and Eli was sitting there having a bite to eat ... he talked to the actor [and] Wallach told him he had studied at Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse ... [A]fter college he moved to New York and began studying with the teacher [Meisner] who was famous for his exercises in repeated dialogue ... "I started directing. I started coaching people ... "[I] lost my love of performing." [1]
In 1965 Esper founded the eponymous William Esper Studio. Among those he has coached and taught are Aaron Eckhart, Richard Schiff and Oscar-winner Kathy Bates. The studio is located at 261 West 35 Street, 7th floor, New York, NY 10001. Contact information is at the Studio's website
