
The Actor's Art and Craft
William Esper Teaches the Meisner Technique
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Narrated by:
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Michael Esper
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Damon Dimarco
About this listen
William Esper, one of the leading acting teachers of our time, explains and extends Sanford Meisner's legendary technique, offering a clear, concrete, step-by-step approach to becoming a truly creative actor.
Esper worked closely with Meisner for 17 years and has spent decades developing his famous program for actor's training. The result is a rigorous system of exercises that builds a solid foundation of acting skills from the ground up, and that is flexible enough to be applied to any challenge an actor faces, from soap operas to Shakespeare. Co-writer Damon DiMarco, a former student of Esper's, spent over a year observing his mentor teaching first-year acting students. In this book, he recreates that experience for us, allowing us to see how the progression of exercises works in practice. The Actor's Art and Craft vividly demonstrates that good training does not constrain actors' instincts - it frees them to create characters with truthful and compelling inner lives.
©2008 William Esper and Damon Dimarco (P)2019 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Utterly inspirational.... The best book on the craft of acting that I have ever read." (Mary Steenburgen)
"As far as I'm concerned, there is only way to learn the craft of acting, and that is through the Meisner technique. And there is only one person to learn that technique from, and that is William Esper." (Patricia Heaton)
"The essence of this book is like William Esper himself: kind/clear, caring/generous, passionate/graceful, brilliant/profound. Inspiring. Invaluable." (Jeff Goldblum)
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Overall
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This book describes a technique developed and refined by the authors, all of them young actors, in their work with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet, actor W. H. Macy, and director Gregory Mosher. A Practical Handbook for the Actor is written for any actor who has ever experienced the frustrations of acting classes that lacked clarity and objectivity, and that failed to provide a dependable set of tools.
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Excellent book. Concise, useful, practical.
- By Gonama on 02-16-25
By: Melissa Bruder, and others
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A Challenge for the Actor
- By: Uta Hagen
- Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Uta Hagen, one of the world's most renowned stage actresses, also taught acting for more than 40 years at the HB Studio in New York. Her first book, Respect for Acting, published in 1973, remains a best seller in print. In this brand new audio edition of her second classic book, A Challenge for the Actor, she greatly expands her thinking about acting in a work that brings the full flowering of her artistry, both as an actor and as a teacher.
By: Uta Hagen
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Fine on Acting
- A Vision of the Craft
- By: Howard Fine
- Narrated by: Howard Fine, Michael Chiklis
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Fine On Acting is a must-listen for the aspiring and seasoned actor alike. In an ever-changing industry landscape, Fine's groundbreaking approach continues to make the craft accessible by covering the essentials: Common Mistakes, Auditions & Self-Tapes, Rehearsal Exercises, Script Analysis, Stage Acting vs. On-Camera Acting, and much more. In this book, actors will find valuable advice for overcoming nerves, memorizing lines, troubleshooting challenging situations in rehearsal and role preparation, and how to become what Fine calls the "Total Actor".
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Simply the best!
- By Kim Lea Mays on 02-12-25
By: Howard Fine
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The Actor's Life
- A Survival Guide
- By: Jenna Fischer
- Narrated by: Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Jenna Fischer's Hollywood journey began at the age of 22 when she moved to Los Angeles from her hometown of St. Louis. She was determined, confident, and ready to work hard. So, what could go wrong? Uh, basically everything. The path to being a professional actor was so much more vast and competitive than she’d imagined. It would be eight long years before she landed her iconic role on The Office, nearly a decade of frustration, rejection, and doubt. If only she’d had a handbook for the aspiring actor. Or, better yet, someone to show her the way. Jenna wants to be that person for you.
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OMG THE INTRO! lol
- By Katelyn on 12-22-17
By: Jenna Fischer
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Directing Actors
- By: Judith Weston
- Narrated by: Judith Weston
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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In this essential guide to acting, internationally renowned directing coach Judith Weston demonstrates what constitutes a good performance, what actors want from a director, and what directors do wrong. She also goes over script analysis and preparation and how actors work, and she shares important and helpful insights into the director/actor relationship.
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Directing Humans
- By Jacob Moore on 10-15-19
By: Judith Weston
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An Actor's Business
- How to Market Yourself as an Actor No Matter Where You Live
- By: Andrew Reilly
- Narrated by: Andrew Reilly
- Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
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An Actor's Business covers everything you need to know to market yourself as an actor, with thorough and concise information about the movie-making process, drama school, community theatre, acting on television and in commercials, unions, and agents. A thorough and well-written resource for anyone wanting to understand all facets of the acting business, this book presents an experienced perspective on the world of professional acting.
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Great advice and descriptive structure of the industry.
- By John Kyle Sutton on 11-04-17
By: Andrew Reilly
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Acting in Film
- An Actor's Take on Movie Making
- By: Michael Caine
- Narrated by: Nicky Rebelo
- Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Mr. Caine gives you a once-in-a-lifetime chance to rob him blind! The man who's hypnotized the camera lenses for a quarter of a century reveals the most closely guarded secrets on script preparation, working with the director, forming a character, voice, sound, and movement.
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General
- By secretdiva on 12-07-24
By: Michael Caine
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Acting
- The First Six Lessons
- By: Richard Boleslavsky
- Narrated by: Melissa Epp
- Length: 3 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The master acting teacher Richard Boleslavsky presents his acting theory and technique in a lively and accessible narrative form. Widely considered a must-have for beginning as well as established actors, Boleslavsky's work has long helped actors better understand the craft of acting and what it takes to grow as an artist. He has taught generations of some of the best stage and screen actors and actresses. Written in the form of a series of dialogues, these lessons aim to inform and instruct the budding actor on some of the basic principles of acting and learning to act.
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Story about these people chatting
- By secretdiva on 12-07-24
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The Method
- How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act
- By: Isaac Butler
- Narrated by: Isaac Butler
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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On stage and screen, we know a great performance when we see it. But how do actors draw from their bodies and minds to turn their selves into art? What is the craft of being an authentic fake? More than a century ago, amid tsarist Russia’s crushing repression, one of the most talented actors ever, Konstantin Stanislavski, asked these very questions, reached deep into himself and emerged with an answer.
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Where is the Thesis?
- By Frances L. on 07-27-22
By: Isaac Butler
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An Actor's Workbook
- The Sanford Meisner Approach, Workbook One
- By: Larry Silverberg, Stewart Stern - afterword, Horton Foote - introduction
- Narrated by: Tim Fannon
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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With a foreword by Academy Award winner and theatre legend Horton Foote, this inspiring new book will strengthen in you the most essential and vital skills of great acting! It will lead you to a very personal way of working, as an actor who is absolutely authentic and tremendously simple—so rare in today's theatre.
By: Larry Silverberg, and others
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The Power of the Actor (Revised and Updated)
- The Chubbuck Technique: The 12-Step Acting Method for Creating Dynamic Characters
- By: Ivana Chubbuck
- Narrated by: Ivana Chubbuck
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In this completely updated edition of her bestselling book, renowned acting coach Ivana Chubbuck shares her cutting-edge technique that has launched some of the most successful and lauded acting careers in Hollywood.
By: Ivana Chubbuck
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Notes to an Actor
- By: Ron Marasco
- Narrated by: Ron Marasco
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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"Do you have any notes for me?" Actors always ask for notes on their performance, and they will take them from just about anyone. Ron Marasco's Notes to an Actor grew out of the actor's profession. In his years as an actor, scholar, and teacher of acting, Mr. Marasco found that most acting books were either outdated classics that were rarely read, or quasi-textbooks that actors only "skimmed." So he developed Notes to an Actor, a compact, user-friendly audiobook geared specifically to the way actors work.
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Insightful!
- By Lee on 10-28-15
By: Ron Marasco
What listeners say about The Actor's Art and Craft
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- John R
- 04-16-25
Listening to Actors Listening
Brilliant book and a wonderful read. The audiobook reads like a stage play and a beautiful reminder of how to listen. The narrator does a great job of separating the voices!
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- Steven C. Gauntt
- 01-05-25
Bravo!
Brilliant composition and execution! Mesmerizing and engaging voice work. Listener becomes a most fortunate fly on the wall of a deeply edifying studio workshop. Bravo! Merci!
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- Anonymous User
- 03-14-25
Too good to be true
Hurry and start listening NOW. Amazing book!!! So many tips I don’t know where to begin.
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- Jsan50
- 03-31-23
Thoroughly Enjoyed
Great tips, practice exercises, and examples. This was my first acting book and I really enjoyed the simplicity and stories.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Lenny
- 03-28-24
Great book for actors
I listened to this audiobook after studying Meisner technique and reading Sanford Meisner’s amazing book many times, and I liked Esper’s teaching and involvement. It’s not as good as being there in the class room, but a nice refresher for meisner students, and a great intro for people considering studying this technique. Didn’t like the narrator at all with his fake accents and voices trying to depict the different students, this was almost unbearable to listen to, and completely not necessary. However, great book!
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- Nhu Nguyen
- 02-27-23
Game changer
This is one of the best acting books I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. I have both the audio version and the text version. This book will serve me for years to come.
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- Cali4nia
- 03-27-23
Brilliant book bad narrator.
A staple for actors. However I do not like the wispy voice narrator. He ends his sentences like he's whispering. Like bro come on say the full sentence at a consistent volume. It was very annoying he'd start off full volume and then end on a lull like it's part lullaby. And this is a book where you don't want to miss details.
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- Steven Reily
- 04-12-20
Required reading for the actor!
The finest book on the Meisner technique available. A must read for anyone who is serious about the craft of acting.
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- Anonymous User
- 12-08-24
A beautiful, touching, immersive experience
The content was beautiful and incredibly useful, the narration and performance was brilliant and I felt as if I was attending the class with them. A beautiful experience
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-29-21
Very Good Book
I dont reccomend on over the other when comparing to Miesners Sanford Miesner on Acting. Both should be read and both will offer you something of value that play well with one another.
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1 person found this helpful