I Don't Need an Acting Class

I Don't Need an Acting Class explores critical aspects of the technique of acting, utilizing conversations via email with countless actors. Some are aspiring students, others are seasoned professionals. The conversations document the challenges these diverse actors face as they digest what they have learned in a class or rehearsal while exploring in practical terms how to use their growing technique.

Milton Justice first began receiving emails from actors in 2008. In this book, Justice brings together email conversations between teacher and student, along with observations and commentary about acting technique and craft. Not all of the emails in the book are overly thought-out or complete. Quite the contrary, they are meant to capture the feeling of a living, breathing process as it happens. When an actor sends a teacher or director an email with a problem, be it a simple comment or confusion, it is evidence of a creative artist exploring new ground.

Many years ago, Stella Adler sent Justice a letter in response to a panicked note he had written to her while lost in the weeds during rehearsals for a new play. She set a tone for him as she succinctly defined the problem and reminded him of its elegant solution. He was overwhelmed by the care she had given him. That letter still hangs over his desk, perfectly demonstrating the power of a written exchange between a teacher and a student.

As an acting teacher, Milton Justice has had the privilege of coaching and teaching a wide range of actors over the past thirty years, including Mark Ruffalo, Margo Martindale, Sean Astin, Kyra Sedgwick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Carmack, Maura Tierney, and Patrick Stewart.

He was mentored by Stella Adler, who selected him to be the first artistic director of her theater in Los Angeles. He has received an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe nominations. He has taught at Yale, NYU, Unitec in Auckland, and in Seoul, Korea.