About the Book:

I Don't Need an Acting Class seeks to demystify the craft of acting while answering the question, "Why take an acting class?" Academy and Emmy Award winner and celebrated acting teacher Milton Justice 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 obstacles or confusion these diverse actors faced as they attempted to utilize what they had 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, he brings together email conversations between teacher and student, along with observations and commentary about Stanislavsky's method, acting technique and craft based on his many years of study with the legendary Stella Adler, presenting practical tools for how to solve problems that seem to be universal for actors. 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 Milton 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.

What people say:

"In his book Milton uses correspondences to not only teach a masterclass on acting but also to convey the personal struggles and journey the actor takes to understanding. He covers the lost territory of Stella Adler's and Stanislavsky's work to lift acting to high artistry through the use of the imagination and blood memory. Everywhere you see the wisdom of Milton's lifetime work… to understand acting for himself and his students. There is a good deal to get from this endeavor. It's practical and relatable." — Mark Ruffalo

"Few speak as clearly and passionately about the art and craft of acting as does Milton Justice. He offers his readers a pragmatic philosophy, forged in his long relationship with Stella Adler and tempered with his avid curiosity for new information on Stanislavsky and the elusive art of acting. Filled with wise words, useful advice, inspiration, and humor, Justice's book is a must-read." — Sharon Marie Carnicke, founder of the Stanislavsky Institute for the 21st Century

"Milton's book isn't just filled with incredibly useful technical guidance for performers, you can feel his larger than life personality in every page. He has distilled a lifetime of knowledge and experience working and training with actors into a tool that can be used and applied and lived with as we navigate our never-ending quest to be better." — Sean Astin

"Milton Justice has been my director, my coach, and my friend for over 40 years. He inspires me. He simply tells it like it is. I bet he will inspire you." — Margo Martindale

"Milton has inspired me to work harder and make better choices at every stage of my acting career. He knows what he is talking about. And he knows how to teach it." — Chris Carmack

"I don't know anyone with more passion for acting than Milton. He's specnt years in the trenches solving practical problems for working actors. This book gathers those solutions." — Grant Show

About the Author:

Milton Justice was personally mentored by Stella Adler, the only teacher in the West to study with Konstantin Stanislavsky. She selected him to teach for her in Los Angeles and later appointed him the first Artistic Director of her Theater Company. He has received an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe nominations. He has taught in New York, London, New Zealand, Australia, and South Korea. As an acting teacher for over thirty years, the roster of actors he has taught, coached and directed include: Mark Ruffalo, Kevin Bacon, Margo Martindale, Sean Astin, Kyra Sedgwick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Carmack, Maura Tierney, and Patrick Stewart – to name a few.