William Alderson

Being an actor is like a religious calling because you have been given the ability to influence humanity.

William Alderson was trained as an actor and teacher by Sanford Meisner. He worked as Mr. Meisner’s principal assistant and Associate Director at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City for more than twenty years. He made his directorial debut in 1975 and went on to train actors for decades. The goal of any teacher is to bring the actor securely back to himself. This is the design of the Meisner Technique, which is based on “the reality of doing.” In addition to teaching, Mr. Alderson has directed a variety of theatre productions in New York, and worked closely with playwright Horton Foote. He directed Foote’s “The Traveling Lady” and “Lily Dale” at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in New York, and appeared in Foote’s well-received “The Roads to Home” with Jean Stapleton.  Mr. Alderson was a member of the Director’s Unit of the Actor’s Studio and has appeared on and off-broadway, as well as in film and television. In 1993, Mr. Alderson opened the William Alderson Acting Studio in Los Angeles and subsequently founded the River Street Theatre.

The Meisner Technique

Sanford Meisner developed a practical, step-by-step approach to acting, grounded in listening, truthful response, and the reality of doing. Bill carried that work forward with deep loyalty to his teacher and to the craft.