Earle R. Gister (March 30, 1934 – January 22, 2012) was an American acting teacher and was a pioneer in professional theatre training from the mid-1960s. Earle Gister was renowned for his specialty and passion for the plays of Anton Chekhov.

Life and career

Earle Robert Gister was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin. After earning his B.A. in history at Carleton College, class of 1956, and a two year stint in the United States Army, he attended

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

where he was an editor of the Tulane Drama Review. He credited the foundation of his acting technique to his studies with such people as Robert W. Corrigan, whom he first met at Carleton, the extraordinary faculty at Carnegie Mellon University in the mid-60s and the creativity of the remarkable students he had the privilege of teaching. Robert Corrigan was a mentor to Gister and invited him to Carnegie Mellon University when he was appointed to head the Drama Department in 1962. When Corrigan left Carnegie Mellon University a few years later, Gister took over as head of the department until 1975. After leaving Carnegie Mellon University, Gister went to the City College of New York where he headed the Aaron Davis Center for the Arts as its inaugural Director.

Lloyd Richards Lloyd George Richards (June 29, 1919 – June 29, 2006) was a Canadian-American theatre director, actor, and dean of the Yale School of Drama from 1979 to 1991, and Yale University professor emeritus. Biography Richards was born in Toron ...

who was the dean of the

Yale School of Drama The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...

, invited Gister to Yale to be his associate dean of the Drama School, which was a position he held from 1979 to 1999. Earle Gister worked as a master acting teacher. Earle was named the first Lloyd Richards Adjunct Professor of Drama in 1994. Following Richards, Stan Wojewodski Jr., took over the stewardship of the Yale School of Drama from 1991 to 2002. For a total of 19 years Earle Gister was Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Chair of the MFA Acting Program at the

. In 1999, Gister retired from the Yale School of Drama. In 1991 Gister shared a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

with the

and the

Yale Repertory Theatre Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of Yale School of Drama, in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented stude ...

. He was a member of the National Theatre Conference starting in 1967, a founding member of the League of Professional Theatre Training Programs since 1972. He was on the

nominating committee member starting in 1980, and a member the first grants award panel in theater for the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

. Earle Gister was a Co-founder of the League of Professional Theatre Training Programs, advisor to the

, and co-chair of the training panel of the

Theatre Communications Group Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is a non-profit service organization headquartered in New York City that promotes professional non-profit theatre in the United States. The organization also publishes ''American Theatre'' magazine and ''ARTSEA ...

. Gister has played a significant role in the nurturing and development of most of the major theatre training programs in the United States. Earle Gister also was the co-founder, with Lynne Melillo Bolton, of White Heron Theatre Company in New York City. He made his New York directing debut with a production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, presented by White Heron at Second Stage Theatre. After Mr. Gister's death, Ms. Bolton moved White Heron to Nantucket, where, with new partner Michael Kopko, she has established it as a professional Equity theater that produces classical works and develops new plays for the world stage.

Professional History

James Bundy, dean of the

and artistic director of

, is quoted in Playbill.com saying of Gister, "I can vividly recall his galvanic effect on so many actors, his insightful and soulful readings of the given circumstances of great plays, his deeply thoughtful notes and advice, and his love of ice cream. It is astonishing to think of the breadth of talent that Earle brought to Yale and nurtured here, and it is worth remembering that for years, when he was asked to name the greatest strength of the School of Drama, his inevitably generous reply was, 'the students.'" Gister taught at Carnegie Mellon University, the City College of New York and the

. He was the Associate Dean and Chairman of the Acting Department at the

, and the Chairman of the Drama Department at Carnegie Mellon University.

Board Memberships and Affiliations

*Teacher and Board Member-The Actors Center *Board Member (past)-Leonard Davis Center

References

External links

Acting: The Gister Method, by Joseph Alberti and Earle Gister; Pearson, 2012; http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Acting-The-Gister-Method/9780205032259.page , , Publication Date: January 29, 2012 , Edition: 1 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gister, Earle R. 1934 births League of Resident Theatres Tony Award winners 2012 deaths Yale School of Drama faculty Carleton College alumni Tulane University alumni Carnegie Mellon University faculty