Each of the entries contains the following information, if applicable: name of teacher or school, address, phone and fax numbers, email address and/or website, average number of students per class, whether beginning, intermediate, or advanced students are taught, whether auditing is permitted, whether classes are ongoing or by sessions, any special emphasis used in classes or coaching, and whether a work-study program is offered. Descriptions of the class, school, or coaching are provided by the instructor or institution and edited by Back Stage.
Schools or teachers who have been omitted may contact, in writing, Listings, c/o Back Stage, 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 500, Los Angeles, CA 90036, so that we may include you in our next list.
Acting Technique/Scene Study
AARON MCPHERSON STUDIO
Hollywood, CA
aaron@aaronmcphersonstudio.com
www.aaronmcphersonstudio.com
323-445-4930
12 students max (audition class), 40 max (scene study); All levels; Auditing is not permitted; $25 consultations credited toward first month of class; Ongoing
Actor, coach, and director Aaron McPherson offers classes in on-camera audition technique and scene study. He is recommended by Larry Moss and is profiled in his book “The Intent to Live.”
Other: On-Camera Technique; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
AARON SPEISER ACTING STUDIO
1644 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
info@aaronspeiser.com
www.aaronspeiser.com
310-399-4567
25-40 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 6- to 8-week sessions and ongoing
Speiser specializes in 21st-century acting for film and television in his ongoing classes which include master class for the working professional actor, advanced and intermediate scene study, and basic technique for beginning actors. Specialty classes include actor voice training, dialects and accents, improvisation, and teen technique/scene study. Tuition includes a minimum of two classes per week giving students a guaranteed opportunity to work weekly and there is also private coaching, career counseling and image consulting available.
THE ACTING CENTER OF LOS ANGELES
5514 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
classes@theactingcenterla.com
www.theactingcenterla.com
323-962-2100
20-50 students per class; Private coaching and career consultation by appt.; All levels; No auditing, no audition, but an interview is required; Scene study runs monthly; improv runs in eight-week sessions; Work study available by invitation only to dedicated students
The Acting Center is an acting school that produces uniformly confident, completely certain actors who can create any character, in any emotion, in any situation, instantly. Classes are composed of exercises, cold reading, scene study, and improv. Also acting and improv class for kids & teens. Classes meet Mon. and Wed. 7-10 p.m., Tue. and Thu. 7-10 p.m., and Sun. 1-6 p.m. $280 per month for adult classes. Call for kids class pricing. Parking available for a small fee. See student bookings on Facebook and Twitter.
THE ACTING CORPS
5508 Cahuenga Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
info@theactingcorps.com
www.theactingcorps.com
818-753-2800
Average 16 students per class; All levels; Interview is required for audit; Ongoing; Work study/interniship offered from time to time.
Short-term conservatory offering a daily concentrated approach. The Meisner-based program not only teaches the legendary technique but also applies it to cold reading and scene study.
ACTING FOR SITCOMS
Todd Rohrbacher
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
actorscomedystudio@gmail.com
www.actorscomedystudio.com
323-302-9152
16 students max; Private coaching available; Intermediate and advanced; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing
Acting For Sitcoms addresses every element required of actors to audition effectively for comedy and build a career. This class seamlessly integrates cold reading, scene study, and audition technique into an ongoing workout opportunity that allows time for actors to develop the myriad skills required to compete in today’s market place and book work.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
THE ACTING STUDIO AT EDGEMAR FKA LARRY MOSS STUDIO
Michelle Danner
2437 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
info@edgemar.org
www.actingstudioatedgemar.com
310-392-0815, Fax: 310-399-2898
15 students per class; private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted, free info sessions Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Ongoing
The Acting Studio at Edgemar provides professional classes for film, television and stage, including on-camera, voice, improv, and SitCom Comedy with Brad Garret. Students work on challenging writing ranging from classics to contemporary, well-known authors to new original scripts. The Acting Studio supports the process of developing one’s original work and believes strongly that every actor has an important personal story to tell. The studio also offer eight-week on-camera acting and improvisation classes for children and teens, ages 6 to 17. Industry showcases held twice yearly. Edgemar is also home to Scene Bit, the multimedia evening of theater where students perform their best scenes on and offcamera for agents, managers, directors, casting directors, and other entertainment professionals.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Improv and Comedy
ACTOR MUSCLE WITH BEVERLY LEECH
Beverly Leech
NoHo Arts District/Toluca Lake, CA
actormuscle@gmail.com
www.actormuscle.com
Private coaching available in person and online; All levels; Auditing not permitted; initial interview is gratis; Ongoing
Bev Leech is a 30-plus-year veteran of stage, film, and television, and studied with the late, great Stella Adler. From Broadway to the soundstage, Beverly offers the full spectrum of techniques needed for actors of all skill levels to approach their work. She has taught at Stella Adler in L.A., The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and South Coast Repertory.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Commercials/Voiceover; Business of Acting
THE ACTOR SPACE
www.theactorspace.com
818-754-4442
See Joe Palese.
THE ACTOR/ARTIST GROUP WORKSHOP - PETER-HENRY SCHROEDER
PHS Productions
8447 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 401
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
peterhenryschroeder@gmail.com
www.actorartist.com
310-407-3530 or 310-277-2355
6 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Observation by invitation only; Ongoing; Internship available in some cases
Peter-Henry Schroeder teaches progressive and unique workshops that focus on relaxation and concentration techniques, as well as audition preparation, cold reading, and scene study.
ACTORS ART THEATRE
6128 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 110
Los Angeles, CA 90048
info@actorsart.com
www.actorsart.com
323-857-5891
12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free introductory session is given with interview/audition; Ongoing
Jolene Adams and Actors Art Theatre teaches acting technique, script analysis, directing, play and solo show development. All classes are available in private or semiprivate sessions.
THE ACTORS CENTER
Michael Butler
arthousepictures@yahoo.com
www.actorscenter.net; www.actorscenter.com
310-459-5064
Small class sizes; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Butler believes “training is more than a matter of technique,” and the center’s goal “is to get you working at a level of excellence.”
THE ACTORS CIRCLE
Marcie Smolin
4475 Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230
workshops@theactorscircle.com
www.theactorscircle.com
310-837-4536
8-14 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Offers television and film acting workshops for children, teens, and adults, in scene study, cold reading, improv, character development, and interview technique.
ACTORS CREATIVE WORKSHOP
2703 W. Olive Ave.
Burbank, CA 91505
info@actorscreativeworkshop.com
www.trulyacting.com
310-418-4229
10-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Free workshops for actors to meet the coaches; 4- to 6-week sessions as well as ongoing classes and 1-night workshops; Work study/internship programs available, email inquiries
Offers audition technique, intensives on mastering the internet, comedy, voice over, on-camera techniques, and scene study. Staff consists of industry professionals.
THE ACTOR’S KEY
2019 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
actorskey@gmail.com
www.actorskey.com
15-22 students per class; Advanced and professional actors only; Auditing is permitted for Q&A portion of workshops; Ongoing
The Actor’s Key hosts workshops with casting directors and other industry professionals. Workshops include group Q&A, as well as one-on-one performance of prepared scenes chosen by the actor from our library of sides ahead of time. Actors receive written evaluation sheets after their performances.
THE ACTOR’S LAB
J.D. Lewis
theactorslab@aol.com
www.theactorslab.com
310-621-3900
20 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted
J.D. Lewis, known for coaching many top-name actors in the industry, offers ongoing cold reading, scene study, and career guidance classes.
THE ACTORS’ PRACTICE FIELD - KIMBERLY K. WILSON
rainbowchaser27@msn.com
www.maggieandannie.com
310-927-3119
Private coaching available; One free audit -- call for interview
Writer-director Wilson has 15 years’ experience as acting coach in the “Meisner-Conrad-No Acting” approach. Courses include TV/film audition workout, scene study, and cold reading/on-camera.
THE ACTORS SANCTUARY
West Hollywood, CA
royhobbs1@sbcglobal.net
www.dhtcb.com and www.theactorssanctuary.com
818-506-6194
No student limit; Private coaching available; All levels; Free one-time audit available; Ongoing
Actor David Hall has worked in film, television, and stage with some of the most respected filmmakers in the entertainment Industry including Mel Brooks, John Frankenheimer, Terrence Malick, Garry Marshall, Gordon Parks, Aaron Spelling, and Gene Wilder. He is also a director for television and stage. Hall’s Actor’s Sanctuary, a scene-study/monologue class, begins each week with an exercise that often consists of cold reading, and audition technique work. The purpose of this work is to prepare the actor for the interviews and auditions that are at the heart of the audition process. The second half of the class is devoted to scene-study and monologue work. Hall believes monologues are also a tool through which the actor, without a film demo, can, if the opportunity presents itself in a casting session, perform something right on the spot.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
ACTORS THEATRECRAFT WORKSHOP
Rick Walters
7445 1/4 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
airfriend@aol.com
www.rickwalterstheatrecraft.com
323-876-1100
10-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Since 1961 Rick Walters has taught actors to tap into their own unique experiences to reveal more natural responses of character. His classes include cold reading, scene study, improvisation, audition scenes, and monologues. Also produces video reels.
THE ACTORS WORKOUT STUDIO
4735 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91602
info@actorsworkout.com
www.actorsworkout.com
818-766-2171
16 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Offers individualized training where everyone works every class. Classes are based on Meisner technique and include exercises, improv, cold reading, and scene study.
THE ACTORS WORKSHOP
www.theactorsworkshop.com
949-855-4444
All levels; Auditing not permitted
Under the direction of R.J. Adams, workshops are held twice weekly with an emphasis on film and TV audition techniques, cold readings, on-camera scene work, and marketing and imaging guidance.
ACTORS WORKSHOP STUDIOS
5703 Oberlin Dr., Ste. 210
San Diego, CA 92121
info@actorsworkshopstudios.com
www.actorsworkshopstudios.com
858-587-6666
15 students max; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Established in 1989, the Actors Workshop Studio provides on-camera training in film and television acting and audition techniques based on the Meisner approach.
AIA STUDIOS
2210 W. Olive Ave., Ste. 320
Burbank, CA 91506
info@aiastudios.com
www.aiastudios.com
818-563-4142, Fax: 818-841-7118
20-24 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted with audition; Ongoing; Limited internships available
AIA Studio has spent more than 22 years guiding actors with professional excellence by providing industry instruction, career guidance, and the opportunity to build relationships with industry experts.
Other: Business of Acting
AIDA - AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF DRAMATIC ARTS
AIDA Theatre
6444 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
admin@aidaacting.com
www.aidaacting.com
323-378-5319
10-15 students per class; All levels; accepts international students and will sponsor them with a student visa; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; In the diploma program there is industry placement similar to internship available
Artistic director Paul Parker’s mission is to train and coach aspiring and seasoned actors in the renowned Australian technique. Focus is on helping actors access their full emotional range and broaden their artistic palette.
AL ROSSI
818-902-1538/323-953-4000, ext. 2975
12 students max; Private coaching available; Intermediate and advance; Auditing not permitted; By sessions
Rossi, a veteran actor-director, is head of acting at LACC’s Theatre Academy, the oldest continuous actor-training program on the West Coast. He does individual coaching for film, TV, and theater auditions. Periodically produces showcases for agents, managers, and casting directors.
ALAN FEINSTEIN ACTING STUDIO
alfeinstein1@yahoo.com
www.alanfeinsteinactingstudio.com
323-650-7766
Private coaching available; All levels
Feinstein, a veteran working actor, offers five ongoing classes, which cover scene study (from beginning to advanced), fundamental and emotional exercises, and on-camera cold reading. Feinstein says of his teaching: “I call the classes ‘emotion in action.’ The classes emphasize freeing the actor’s emotions for maximum creative results in a safe and supportive environment.” Admission by interview only.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
ALBERT DAYAN
albert_dayan@me.com
818-314-7540
8-14 students per class; Private coaching available; Intermediate and advanced; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Dayan places an emphasis on craft and not industry concerns, and directs his actors to address their bad habits and expand their range.
ALEXANDERTECH WORKS
Jean-Louis Rodrigue, Kristof Konrad
PO Box 3194
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
info@alexandertechworks.com
www.alexandertechworks.com
310-443-4483, Fax: 310-443-4483
12-15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing arranged by appointment; By sessions
For more than 30 years AlexanderTech Works has provided courses in L.A., N.Y., and Europe by AmSAT certified teachers that help actors gain a fundamental awareness, control, and freedom of the self in performance.
ALEXIA ROBINSON STUDIO
13500 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
alexiarstudio@aol.com
www.alexiarobinsonstudio.com; www.smartactors.com
818-779-1118
8-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Free audit of the scene study class is offered; Ongoing; Work study available
Seen on E! Entertainment and in the L.A. Times, this celebrity coach offers scene study (TV and film training) and online training for adults, teens, and kids.
ALLAN RICH
www.allanrich.com, www.aleapfromthemethod.com
323-465-4007
Private coaching only; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing
Rich teaches any actor the same “organic technique” he uses in his own work. Rich’s book “A Leap From the Method” is now on the syllabus at Cal State Northridge, where he teaches 15 times a year.
ALLEN NELSON
scene2@earthlink.net
818-786-7154, Fax: 818-787-6375
Beginner, intermediate, and advanced
Nelson coaches privately for auditions and monologues, and works in-depth with actors who need to learn or strengthen their technique.
AMERICAN MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC ACADEMY
6305 Yucca St.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
info@amda.edu
www.amda.edu
323-469-3300/866-374-5300, Fax: 323-469-5246
20 students per class; Intermediate and advanced; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing with fall, spring, and summer semesters; Offers extensive scholarship opportunities
AMDA, America’s premier college of performing arts, offers actors a chance to train with, and learn from, a faculty comprising accomplished actors, directors, choreographers, dancers, designers, and educators who inspire and work with students on an individual basis. AMDA is the only performing arts college that offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and conservatory studies programs with campuses in both New York and Los Angeles. The integrated program offers training in singing, acting, and dance. The studio program trains students in acting for stage, film, and television. The dance theater program is designed to give you the physical training expected in the professional world, while providing the opportunity for additional training in acting and vocal technique. AMDA also offers BFA programs in acting, dance, performing arts, and musical theater. AMDA New York is located at 211 W. 61st St., New York, NY 10023.
Other: Conservatory/University
AMERICAN NATIONAL ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS
10944 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
818-763-4431
Auditing permitted in some cases; Ongoing
The Academy is a nonprofit organization that offers classes in acting, ballet, modern jazz, tap-dancing, improv, cold reading, scene study, observation, pantomime, stage presence, and musical comedy.
AMY LYNDON’S COLD READING/BOOKING CLASSES
Studio City, CA
thelyndontechnique@gmail.com
http://thelyndontechnique.com
818-760-8501, Fax: 818-760-2006
22-30 students per class; Advanced; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Lyndon teaches cold reading/booking classes that have proved to help thousands of actors break through into the 1 percent booking category by providing a 15-guideline map to booking.
ANDREW BENNE STUDIO
4930 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
www.andrewbenne.com
818-386-5867; 818-521-5336
All levels; Auditing is permitted
Develops professional actors, with a focus on each actor’s individual training needs to book paid acting work, rooted in moment-to-moment work.
ANDREW UTTER - MOTHER OF INVENTION ACTING SCHOOL
actbetter@utteracting.com
www.utteracting.com
18 students max; Auditing not permitted; 10-week sessions every 3 months
Andew Utter brings the acting technique learned at the Yale School of Drama to his courses and workshops. Technique is presented through exercises, discussion, and scene work.
ANNE HULEGARD
actsproductions@gmail.com
www.hulegard.com
310-621-6303
15 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 7-week sessions
Hulegard’s workshops include: scene study, improv, monologues, commercials, camera, auditioning, the business of acting, and a showcase performance.
ANNIE GRINDLAY STUDIO
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 403
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@anniegrindlay.com
www.anniegrindlay.com
323-954-1200, Fax: 323-954-1200
14 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free 90-min. workshop held twice a month; Monthly 4-week intensives and ongoing
Annie Grindlay is an actress, teacher, and, most importantly, someone who nurtures the artist within the actor. She began teaching in 1988 and opened her own studio in 2009, The Audition Experience.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
ANTHONY MEINDL’S ACTOR’S WORKSHOP
7801 Melrose Ave., Ste. 6
Los Angeles, CA 90046
robin@anthonymeindl.com
www.anthonymeindl.com
323-852-6963
10-24 students per class; All levels; Free audit available; Ongoing
Meindl’s holistic approach to acting diverges from traditional techniques. Actors learn to expand consciousness while simultaneously propelling growth and healing through elevated self-expression.
AQUILA/MORONG STUDIO FOR ACTORS
1680 Vine St., Ste. 303
Los Angeles, CA 90028
inquiries@aquilamorongstudio.com
www.aquilamorongstudio.com
12-20 students per class; Advanced and professional; teens to adult; One free audit permitted; 8- to-12-week sessions
Successful casting directors Deb Aquila and Donna Morong recently formed their new Aquila/Morong Studio for Actors in Hollywood. Aquila offers master classes based on the teachings of Stella Adler. Morong offers Meisner based technique and scene study classes for professional teens and young adults. Interviews are currently being held.
THE ARCHIBALD STUDIO
115 1/2 N. Clark Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
archibald.craig@gmail.com
www.craigarchibald.com
646-567-7210
12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free half-hour for new students; Ongoing
A realistic approach to the art in the business and the business in the art. Classes and an actors’ production workshop in which students produce a short film available.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Young Performers
THE ARDAVANY APPROACH
Tom Ardavany
517 Ocean Front Walk, Ste. 8
Venice, CA 90291
coach@theapproach.net
www.theapproach.net
310-450-2848
12-16 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted on a case-by-case basis; Ongoing; Work study/internship available
Tom Ardavany has been assisting actors professionally for 15 years. The “Ardavany Approach” is a unique method to enhance perception and creative expression for actors. By utilizing “the approach,” the actor connects to his inner present power source for maximum impact on camera and onstage.
ART MANKE
aemanke@aol.com
323-273-1544
Private coaching only; available for on-set coaching; All levels
Manke is an award-winning director of theater and television with 20 years of coaching experience. He is a co-founder and former artistic director of L.A.’s A Noise Within.
THE ART OF ACTING STUDIO
1017 North Orange Dr., Orange Square
Los Angeles, CA 90038
info@artofactingstudio.com
www.artofactingstudio.com
323-601-5310, Fax: 212-689-0087
16 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Available for conservatory students only
Offers an acting technique intensive, script/character breakdown, on-camera film workshops, on-going classes, master classes and NY/LA business of acting seminar, and a two-year evening conservatory program.
THE ART OF THE ONE-PERSON SHOW
Irene Pinn
irenepinn@gmail.com
www.irenepinn.com
323-424-3377
Private coaching available; All levels; Weekly workshops
ART WOLFF
artsake@earthlink.net
www.artwolff.com
323-276-1299
Small class size; Private coaching; Auditing not permitted; admission by interview; Ongoing
For more than 25 years Wolff
has taught, coached, or directed
many of Hollywood’s best-known
actors, such as Kate Walsh,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and
Dakota Fanning.
THE ARTIST THEATRE GROUP
Anthony Montes
3634 Coldwater Canyon Ave.
Fireside Room
Studio City, CA 91604
mattiedaisy@sbcglobal.net
http://theartisttheatregroup.homestead.com
818-400-2270 or 818-705-4364
Auditing of the first class is allowed
ATG offers acting technique and scene study, and encourages students to take the work out of the classroom and create their own opportunities.
THE AUDITION COACH
West Hollywood, CA
dslcasting@gmail.com
www.audition-tape.com
310-289-4962
Private coaching only; Intermediate, advanced, and professional; Ongoing
Dino S. Ladki is a working casting director who helps actors “determine the best scene deliveries for them as individuals.” He believes that each actor’s unique qualities should be encouraged to shine through the character while also staying true to the role as written.
BARBARA GANNEN
bgannen@hotmail.com
www.margiehaber.com
323-793-6959
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Gannen teaches at the Margie Haber Studio (visit website for more info) and at Santa Monica College. She is located in the West Hollywood area and is available for private coaching.
BASIL HOFFMAN
basilhoffman@charter.net
818-247-0302
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Hoffman, a character actor and the author of “Cold Reading and How to Be Good at It” and “Acting and How to Be Good at It” (with a foreword by Sydney Pollack), teaches and coaches.
BERG STUDIO
3245 Casitas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
contact@thebergstudios.com
www.thebergstudios.com
323-666-3382
20 students per class; Private audition coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Gregory Berger-Sobeck and the Berg Studios was selected as favorite scene study class by Back Stage readers in 2010. Gregory Berger-Sobeck (Berg) is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, which has trained Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti, Paul Newman, Liev Schreiber, Frances McDormand, etc. He has taught Emmy Award winners and Emmy nominees alongside Juilliard and Yale drama grads. His emphasis is television and film. Classes are small and provide a supportive environment where individual attention is given. Classes cover scene study, commercial and theatrical on-camera, and cold reading. There are industry showcases and guest speakers. Day and evening classes are offered. Mr. Berger-Sobeck also teaches workshops in New York City and Sydney Australia. The technique he teaches is “a systematic approach for identifying and personalizing a character’s driving need/objective and engaging the actor - voice, body, mind, spirit - in its active pursuit. It is a repeatable step-by-step process ensuring results.”
BERNARD HILLER ACTING STUDIO
14370 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
berniehiller@aol.com
www.bernardhiller.com
818-625-8300
20-25 students per class; private one-on-one sessions held in Beverly Hills; Intermediate, advanced, and professional (some beginners); Auditing is not permitted; introductory private acting session required; Ongoing, plus international master classes year-round
Bernard Hiller teaches the latest film acting and success techniques, helps actors overcome blocks and shows what might be stopping them, and also helps design a plan for success.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Business of Acting
BETH BRICKELL
at The Complex Hollywood
6472 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
luminousfilms@sbcglobal.net
www.luminousfilms.net/actingclass.pdf
310-274-0185/323-854-1082
16 students per class; All levels; First class free and open to anyone; By sessions and ongoing
Strasberg, Meisner, Adler: Actor/Director/Actors Studio member Beth Brickell studied with these three giants. She uses their exercises, improvs and scene study in her class.
BEVERLY HILLS PLAYHOUSE
254 S. Robertson Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
interviewer@bhplayhouse.com
www.beverlyhillsplayhouse.com
310-855-1556
Auditing permitted with special permission
The BHP is one of L.A.’s oldest and most respected acting schools. It offers ongoing intensive scene study classes to instruct aspiring professionals in the areas of acting, career administration, and attitude. “Instruction focuses on identifying the goal of honest, authentic, moment-to-moment, behavior-oriented acting work, and finding each actor’s individual way into that work, rather than on rote enforcement of a certain school of acting technique,” says executive director Allen Barton. “High-quality, well-rehearsed scene study is emphasized, with exercises few and far between.”
BEVERLY LONG
Moorpark Studios
11425 Moorpark St.
Studio CIty, CA 91602
818-754-6222
10-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; 6-week sessions; Interships available
Long has worked in casting since the mid-1970s, as an actor, agent, teacher, and is best-known for her work with James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause.” Offers classes in improv, commercials, television, and film.
BILL HOWEY ACTING STUDIO
855 N. Hollywood Way
Burbank, CA 91505
info@billhowey.com
www.billhowey.com
818-433-7445
14 students per class; private coaching available; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced, age 18 and up; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Howey’s goal is to get actors to be the most vulnerable, the most emotional, have the most intention, have the most charm, and be the most affecting. In short, become the most compelling actor in the room.
BOB BURGOS
bobburgos@ca.rr.com
323-653-5947
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Burgos has worked on and Off-Broadway and in theaters across the country. He has taught at NYU, Art Center in Pasadena, and has been an on-set acting coach on numerous films and television shows. He currently offers private coaching for auditions and training.
BOBBY GENE’S ACTORS CLUBHOUSE
Stacey Y. Gonzales,
Bobby G. Mitchell
6472 Santa Monica Blvd., Ste. 210
Los Angeles, CA 90038
info@actorsclubhouse.com
www.actorsclubhouse.com
323-463-8655, Fax: 323-463-8008
All levels; Ongoing
Our goal is to build up confidence and strengthen the self-esteem of people. Positive energy is what we work on. Enhancing and advancing the true and real individual within oneself through practice, persistence, patience, and prayer.
Other: Commercials/Voiceover; Improv and Comedy
BRIAN MULLIGAN
bam6161@yahoo.com
323-719-2545
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Mulligan, a former instructor at NYC’s Riverside Shakespeare Academy and founder of NYC’s Impro!, offers one-on-one coaching for TV, film, and theater auditions.
BRIAN REISE ACTING STUDIOS
7954 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
www.brianreise.com
323-874-5593, Fax: 323-874-5593
All levels; An orientation session is required for admission; Ongoing
Reise’s classes specialize in cold reading. The focus is on the reality of the acting business; teaching actors how to develop their skills so they can audition more effectively.
BRUCE DUCAT
1213 Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
studioactreel@gmail.com
www.studioactreel.com
818-613-5861
7-14 students per class; Advanced and professional; Auditing is permittied by appointment; 11-week sessions
The focus of concentration on the work we do is the development of a personal technique. While actors are routinely exposed to the techniques of Stanislavsky, Meisner, Hagen, and Adler, here they are also introduced to the lesser-known but equally effective techniques of Keith Johnstone, Viola Spolin, Peter Brook, and, of course, Bruce Ducat. We strive to help them find their own unique voice, a technique that will serve their acting. They learn and grow from exposure to a variety of resources and experiences.
BRUCE GLOVER
310-398-2539
Private coaching available; All levels
You might remember this veteran actor as Bond villain Mr. Wint in “Diamonds Are Forever,” Jack’s pal Duffy in “Chinatown,” or Grady in the three “Walking Tall”s. Glover offers classes on cold reading, auditions, tapes, accents, and career counseling.
BRUCE KATZMAN
bkgondor@earthlink.net
818-613-5252
12 students max; Private coaching available; Intermediate and advanced; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Katzman has been teaching since 1988. His classes focus on the major plays of Anton Chekhov and other great playwrights. He also offers private coaching in Shakespeare, modern plays, preparation for auditions, coaching for film, and is a faculty member at Stella Adler Studio-LA.
CANDY KANIECKI HERMAN
candy@candykaniecki.com
www.candykaniecki.com
818-386-0080; 310-508-7131
All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Longtime celebrity-coach Kaniecki Herman conducts audition technique and cold reading classes and offers private coaching.
CARMEN MILITO
info@carmenmilito.com
www.carmenmilito.com
818-760-2448
Private coaching only; exception with scene study when partner is necessary; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Carmen is a theatre and film director who coaches auditions and monologues, teaches scene study, exercises, and script analysis. She is a member of the Actors Studio Playwright/Directors Unit, Women in Film, and the Lincoln Center Directors Lab West.
CARYN’S SPACE FOR ACTORS
Caryn West
7506 Lexington Ave.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
carynwest@mac.com
www.carynwest.com
323-876-0394 (office); 818-693-4625 (cell)
8-14 students per class; Private coaching available; Intermediate, advanced, and professional; Auditing is permitted; Classes in late Jan.-July, late Aug.-Dec.; Scene Study is month to month with 8-week minimum. Audition intensives offered year round; Work study is sometimes permitted
Caryn West coaches many working actors and stars. Hers is the only class selected by Back Stage readers as one of their favorite cold reading classes in both the N.Y. and L.A. 2009 Readers’ Choice polls. Our business is changing at lightning speed and Caryn helps you stay abreast of the trends but also shares insights and practical tools to keep deepening your craft. Out-of-work casting directors workshops now abound. Some are great networking but don’t blow your intro there or your money in the wrong places. Caryn preps you for both the real working audition and the CD workshop environment, as well as the increasing requests for self taping. Audition skills emphasis is on preparation, in-depth genre-specific script analysis, tips for effective on-camera auditions, goal setting and passion, the essential uses of breath, eliminating self-sabotage and nerves, effortlessness, and the “freedom to play.” There are many handouts for future guidance and reference. Also teaches advanced scene study with co-teacher/Boston Court co-artistic director, Jessica Kubzansky. Private coaching and shoots HD audition tapes in her WeHo studio.
CATHLEEN LESLIE
cathleenleslie@earthlink.net
310-278-8113
Small classes; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Leslie’s classes are part sense memory and part scene work, based on her studies with Strasberg, Adler, and her work with Elia Kazan. She teaches the membership of the Actors Studio West weekly, and looks for students who have a true passion and desire to learn their craft.
CATLIN ADAMS ACTING LAB
Los Angeles, CA
catlinadams@sbcglobal.net
www.actinglab.com
323-851-8811
Limited class size; Private coaching available; All levels; Working audit permitted; Ongoing, Monday professional class; Thursday craft class
Classes focus on developing the actor’s craft and cover improvisation, sensory work, auditioning techniques, camera work exercises, monologue, and scene study.
CHANGING PERCEPTIONS: THEATRE BY THE BLIND & PHYSICALLY DISABLED
Greg Shane, executive director
11777 San Vicente Blvd., Ste. 502
Los Angeles, CA 90049
cre@creoutreach.org
www.creoutreach.org
310-902-8220
10-15 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 16 week sessions; Work study and internships available
Year-round program of drama workshops and performances offered to the visually and/or physically disabled free of charge. Theater company tours an original play designed to educate the public on disability issues with public performances each year.
CHARLOTTE CORNWELL
310-383-0910
Private coaching only; Advanced and professional
A member of the USC School of Theater faculty, Cornwell is a classically trained English actor with more than 30 years’ experience in film, TV, and theater.
CHEKHOV STUDIO INTERNATIONAL
Hollywood, CA
info@chekhovstudio.com
www.chekhovstudio.com
213-509-5315
12 students max; Private coaching available; Intermediate, advanced, and professional; Auditing permitted in some cases; 1- to 2-month intensives year round and ongoing; Work study available in certain cases
Individualized and powerful actor training tailored specifically to your needs. On-camera cold reading, scene study, and technique classes.
CHRIS JORIE
Burbank, CA
cjdirects@earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~cjdirects
Private coaching only; All levels; Ongoing
Jorie has worked with a number of distinguished talents in his more than 35 years of experience in television, film, and theater. He is currently accepting a limited number of students for private coaching.
CLAIR SINNETT
531 Main St. #1135
El Segundo, CA 90245
info@actorsworking.com
www.actorsworking.com
310-606-0813, Fax: 310-414-0010
20 students per weekend intensive; 6-10 students per workshop; All levels; workshops for children and adults; Auditing is permitted except for weekend intensives; Ongoing
Sinnett offers intensive two-day TV/film audition and marketing workshops, based on her book “Actors Working-The Actor’s Guide to Marketing Success,”, and ongoing TV/film acting and commercial acting workshops.
CLAY BANKS FILM ACTING STUDIO
10061 Riverside Dr.
Toluca Lake, CA 91601
info@claybanksstudio.com
www.claybanksstudio.com
323-578-1936
12-14 students per class; Advanced and professional; Auditing is permitted by appointment with a fee; Ongoing; Inquire for details and availability
Can you hold frame? What is a film director ultimately looking for? Do you deliver effective emotional intensity in an ECU (extreme close-up)? This on-camera, no-nonsense acting and audition technique is geared specifically for film acting. All students work every class. All scenes recorded as mp4 files.
CLIFF WEISSMAN
actors_ed@yahoo.com
661-803-5038
Cliff Weissman has been teaching and coaching young actors on auditions for more than 30 years. He is available for private and on set coaching throughout Los Angeles.
CYB BARNSTABLE
pbarnstable2@aol.com
818-501-4734
12 students max; private coaching available; Beginning and intermediate; Auditing not permitted; By 5-week sessions (with opt out afterward) and ongoing
Barnstable, who has more than 20 years’ experience teaching in L.A., has helped discover Kellan Lutz, and placed Ed Corbin (“True Grit”) with the right agent for him. She has extensive training at the Herbert Berghof Studios in New York and has worked in all aspects of the industry. She offers a very nurturing, supportive, and yet challenging environment.
DALE REHFELD
daleypack@aol.com
www.daleyclass.com
818-986-9733
Private coaching available
Rehfeld combines a cold reading/acting class with a hands-on showcase in an effort to create “a supportive, intimate workshop setting.”
DANIEL CHODOS
chodos@sbcglobal.net
www.danielchodos.com
323-422-5013
10-20 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; By sessions; Work study/internships available
Chodos, a veteran who has taught at Dartmouth College and Temple University, offers traditional scene study focusing on stage technique and on-camera technique, with periodic showcasing.
DANIEL HENNING
at The Blank Theatre Company
classes@theblank.com
www.theblank.com
323-871-8018
All levels; Auditing permitted sometimes; By sessions
Henning teaches an ongoing scene study class that focuses on unlocking an actor’s hidden potential through script and character analysis, voice and relaxation work, and skill work to get the job.
DAVID KAGEN’S SCHOOL OF FILM ACTING
4854 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91607
davidkagenschoolinformation@davidkagen.com
www.davidkagen.com
818-752-9678
12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; One-on-one session with Kagen for interested students; Ongoing
Kagen has been coaching around the world for more than 35 years. His highly successful students include Ted Danson, Robin Wright, and Alec Baldwin, and he now offers ongoing on-camera classes.
DAVID LeGRANT STUDIO FOR ACTING
gwynn@studioforacting.com
www.studioforacting.com
LeGrant has spent 60 years in show business. He accepts students by interview only.
DAVID NATHAN SCHWARTZ
dnsactingclass@gmail.com
www.davidnathanschwartz.com
310-435-4322
Private audition and on-set coaching only; All levels, teens and above; Phone consultation
Schwartz helps the actor develop and define his or her own set of flexible and practical approaches to acting and the auditioning process.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
DAVID S. ZIMMERMAN - MEET THE BIZ
Los Angeles, CA
dszproductions@sbcglobal.net
www.meetthebiz.net
323-868-9913
Small class size; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted by special permission; Ongoing
Each class explores different areas of acting, including but not limited to: scene study, monologues, improv, connection, cold reading, and learning from the pros.
Other: Business of Acting; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
DEBRA WATSON
Beverly Hills, CA
yellowrosesdebra@gmail.com
www.debrawatson.net
512-452-7972
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; interview by phone; Summer sessions, July 15 through Aug. 2 only
Watson offers basic cold reading techniques for actors which include character development and script analysis.
THE DEE WALLACE ACTING STUDIO
www.dwsactingstudio.com
818-876-0386
Limited enrollment and Private coaching; online classes available; All levels; By sessions and ongoing
Loosely based on the techniques of Meisner and Charles Conrad, Wallace’s lessons focus on moving actors through blocks that stand in their way. Master classes only.
DERYN WARREN
deryn@sbcglobal.net
www.derynwarren.com
323-936-0195
Small classes; Private coaching available; Beginner and professional; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Warren, a film director-writer-actor and author of the popular “How to Make Your Audience Fall in Love with You,” offers ongoing classes in audition and film/stage technique. Says Warren, “I teach how to risk, how to use yourself in the situation and not a character, and how to rise above the crowd by making exciting choices. I have directors and casting directors calling me to cast my students because they are so good. My class is recommended by the head of HBO casting, among others.” An article in the L.A. Times on the class said, “Her comments are dead-eye accurate.” The small classes include script analysis, improv, and cold readings. “You work at least three times a night,” she says. She currently offers an advanced class as well as a new beginner class in the Mid-Wilshire area - $270 for six weeks. “It is one of the less expensive classes in town because my students won’t let me raise my prices,” she says. She also coaches actors for auditions. “My students tell me to emphasize that this class improves much more than just your audition skills, as it teaches you to make exciting choices.”
DIANA CASTLE
The Imagined Life
5615 San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
dianacastle@sbcglobal.net
www.theimaginedlife.com
323-936-6818
40 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; interview/audition required; Ongoing
Castle’s “The Imagined Life” philosophy and practical application: acting as the art of the empathetic imagination. Teaching ongoing scene study classes as well as coaching actors for 20 years.
DIANE CHRISTIANSEN
North Hollywood and Valencia, CA
actupdi@yahoo.com
www.dianechristiansen.com
818-523-8283
6-30 students per class; Private and on-set coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted at $20 per class only once; Ongoing in NoHo and by semesters in Valencia; We offer work study and have an annual scholarship at NoHo location
Christiansen is an acting/life coach who offers professional classes for kids, teens, and adults and life coaching sessions for actors and other artists. Agent and casting director workshops for kids, teens and adults in two locations. Winner of Back Stage L.A. Readers’ Choice Award 2011 for favorite acting class for kids.
DIG WAYNE
www.digwayne.com
213-793-1864
20 students max; Auditing on a pre-approved basis
Wayne is a former instructor at the Lee Strasberg Institute and a life member of the Actors Studio. His ongoing classes focus on the study and practice of the Method, stressing relaxation, animal work, and sensory exercises.
DOUG WARHIT ON-CAMERA COLD READING AND SCENE STUDY
Castaway Studios
8899 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
dwarhit@aol.com
www.dougwarhit.com
310-479-5647
14 students per class; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Doug’s classes are specifically designed to prepare the actor for work in film and television. (Actors bring their own DVDs to record their work.) Each month actors showcase their work in front of an industry guest.
DUANE WHITAKER’S FILM ACTORS WORKSHOP
Studio City, CA
duanewhitakerla@yahoo.com
www.duanewhitaker.com
323-856-4767
Advanced; Ongoing
Duane Whitaker brings years of practical experience as a working actor-writer-director to his workshop. The class is designed to teach a realistic and usable approach to the craft of screen acting. All work is on camera.
EDDIE KEHLER
eddie@eddiekehler.com
www.eddiekehler.com
310-292-6163
Intermediate to advanced; By sessions and ongoing
Kehler offers Stanislavsky- and Meis
ner-based classes that give actor tools and experiences to draw from and take command of their choices. Each student is guaranteed to work every class.
EITNER AND TAINI - SCENE STUDY CLASS
Don Eitner and Jayne Taini
5215 Lankershim Blvd., Studio B
North Hollywood, CA
jayne.taini@gmail.com
323-661-7885
10 students max; Private coaching available; Some experience required; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Class work emphasizes the development and personalization of characters, cold reading, play evaluation, and monologue.
ELEPHANT THEATRICAL - TRAINING LAB
6322 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
davefofi@yahoo.com
www.elephantstages.com
323-962-0046
Elephant Stageworks is home to five working theaters, providing a unique opportunity for a practical acting education. Actors are offered a professional and thoughtful approach to learning their craft.
Other: Stage Combat/Stunts
ELIZABETH GAMZA
studio@elizabethgamza.com
www.elizabethgamza.com
818-481-2774
Private and on-set coaching also available; Auditing is required before joining a class; Ongoing
Classes focus on scene study, cold reading, and audition technique.
ELIZABETH MESTNIK ACTING STUDIO
7600 Melrose Ave., Unit J
Los Angeles, CA 90046
director@emasla.com
www.emasla.com
323-528-6280
16 students per class; All levels; Auditing for some classes permitted; 4-week workshops, 12-week classes, and 9-month programs; Work study available after 6 months of enrollment
Professional actor training in the heart of Hollywood. 2-year Meisner technique program, beginning acting workshops, advanced scene study, and on-camera technique.
ELLEN GERSTEIN - ACTING WORKSHOP
luluproductions4@aol.com
www.ellengerstein.com
323-852-0276
Small classes; Private coaching available; All ages; Interview required; Ongoing
Gerstein, a member of the Actors Studio’s actors unit and the writer-director unit, teachers acting technique, scene study, cold reading/auditioning, and in-depth script analysis.
ERIC MORRIS ACTORS WORKSHOP
5657 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
ericmorris19@sbcglobal.net
www.ericmorris.com
323-466-9250
20 students average per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Free audit available; Ongoing
Morris’ system is based on the Method, but, as Morris puts it, it “goes light-years beyond” the original Stanislavsky system. Morris is the author of seven books about acting and teaches three classes each week.
EUGENIA BUERKLIN
Los Angeles, CA
aura@eugeniabuerklin.com
www.eugeniabuerklin.com and www.lumin8.us
818-761-9042
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Eugenia Buerklin is an award-winning director and the developer of a technique based on intuition and the mind-body connection. “We take acting out of the thinking mind and put it back in the feeling body where it belongs.”
Other: Young Performers
FABIANA MEDICI
fabianadmedici@yahoo.com
www.theactorstemple.com
323-930-8986 or 310-869-1891
15 students max; private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; first class is free; Ongoing; Will work with actors who are struggling financially
Medici has coached directors, theater companies, and television casts, internationally and in the United States. She helps actors develop their own method of work, aiding in their self-confidence and empowerment.
FAWNDA MCMAHAN - COMMERCIAL BREAK
310 Casting Studios
2329 Purdue Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
studio@commercialbreakla.com
www.commercialbreakla.com
818-807-6939
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Weekends
Success in this industry comes from skill, confidence, and knowledge. Commercial Break focuses on improving all three, teaching you how to audition at your full potential and embrace an outlook for long-term success by consistently getting call-backs.
Other: Commercials/Voiceover
THE FIGURA STUDIO
Maria Louisa Figura
19143 Bassett St.
Reseda, CA 91335
marialouisafigura@gmail.com
thefigurastudio.vpweb.com
310-487-7511
All levels; By sessions
Aside from scene study and audition classes, Maria Louisa offers a variety of classes and workshops such as voice-over and commercial auditioning from some of the best agents, casting directors, and working professionals.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Commercials/Voiceover
FIRST TAKE ACTING PROGRAM
Nancy Berwid
11967 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
firsttake@firsttake.org
www.firsttake.org
310-364-0525
15-30 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Berwid’s holistic approach prepares actors for work in film and TV by combining acting and audition technique, as well as instruction in the marketing and networking side of the business.
FOR THE LOVE OF ACTING
Ivy Jones
www.ivyjones.net
818-906-0935 or 818-512-5426
12 students average; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Combines the dogma of Meisner, Hagen, and Adler, all of whom she has studied with. She is a 30-year veteran of TV, film, and theater, and was a regular on “The Waltons.”
FRANCO MASSIMO
323-850-8580
Class size varies; Professional
Massimo, also known as Rik Martino, is an acting coach who works in Italian and English. He specializes in improvisation in front of the camera. Go to www.youtube.com to see samples of his work.
THE FRISCH STUDIO
Peter Frisch
c/o The Promenade Playhouse
1404 Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
peter@thefrischstudio.com
www.thefrischstudio.com
805-451-6789
12-14 students per class; Intermediate and advanced; Auditing is permitted; By sessions
Peter Frisch’s approach is specific, constructive, and imagination-based, culled from many sources but shaped into clear approaches to preparation, rehearsal, and auditions. Priority is on specific skills and individual progress. Everybody works every time. Audition and interview required.
GENE BUA - ACTING FOR LIFE
3435 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA
genebua@aol.com
www.genebua.com
818-547-3810
Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Bua offers ongoing morning and evening classes at the Banshee Theater in Burbank, that specialize in deep emotional work for those who “dare to become more powerful in their art and in their lives.”
THE GOBETTI-ORMENY ACTING STUDIO
c/o The Victory Theatre Center
3326 Victory Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
thevictory@mindspring.com
www.thevictorytheatrecenter.org
818-841-4404, Fax: 818-766-7065
16 students max.; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced; Free audit required; Ongoing; Work study/internship available
Classes include basic Meisner techniques, film and theater scene study, and an advanced character and comedy class with attention to on-camera techniques.
GRAHAM BECKEL ACTING CLASS
Santa Monica Playhouse
1211 Fourth St.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
info@grahambeckel.com
www.grahambeckel.com
855-812-9993
All levels; Auditing is permitted for scene study portion of the class; Ongoing
In class, taught by veteran actor Graham Beckel, you will learn tools to free your imagination, challenge your creativity, and establish your own unique point of view from which to draw characters and tell a story. Actors choose their own material, often working and collaborating toward ultimate production.
HARRY MASTROGEORGE PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOP
Los Angeles, CA
amelia1@pacbell.net
www.harrymastrogeorge.com
818-509-0789
25 students max; private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted, free one-hour orientation held monthly; Ongoing
Mastrogeorge, who has been teaching acting since 1956, believes acting is a state of mind: innocence, imagination, and vulnerability. Classes are held at the Hudson Theater in Los Angeles.
HELENE KRESS - HOLLYWOOD ACTING COACH
aktorchick@yahoo.com
http://helenekressactingcoach.weebly.com
323-225-1962
Private coaching only; All levels
Helene Kress, star of VH1’s “I Know My Kid’s a Star,” offers private acting lessons that focus on fully understanding character, mastering an audition, and booking the job.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
HOLLYWOOD ACTING WORKSHOP
Los Angeles/Orange County, CA
info@hollywoodactingworkshop.com
hollywoodactingworkshop.com
310-717-2181
12-16 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Internships available
Provides casting director workshops, talent agent showcases and professional-level television, commercial and film acting classes for adults and teenagers. Workshops and classes available: “on camera” acting, cold reading, auditioning technique, scene study, script analysis, commercial auditions, improvisation, soap opera technique, hosting, monologues, voice over, etc.
Other: Commercials/Voiceover; On-Camera Technique
HOLLYWOOD ACTORS STUDIO
Eric Stone, founder
8879 W. Pico Blvd., Ste. 4
Beverly Hills, CA 90035
studio@actingconnection.com
www.actingconnection.com
310-205-9219
10-15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Develops actors of all levels including star performers for film, television, performance, stage, and voiceovers. Cold-reading, scene study, performance, film and TV technique, in-depth character work, and improvisation.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Commercials/Voiceover; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
THE HONG ACTING WORKSHOP
Hollywood, CA
hongstudios@jameshong.com
www.jameshong.com
310-246-9379
Private coaching available year-round; group sessions at certain times of the year; All levels; Interview before acceptance; Sessions at certain times of the year; Periodic internship program
Empower yourself in interviews, jobs, and life. Learn the techniques of James Hong, actor in more than 500 TV and film roles, most recently celebrated for his role as Mr. Ping, father of Jack Black’s Po in “Kung Fu Panda 2.”
HOWARD FINE ACTING STUDIO
1445 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
info@howardfine.com
www.howardfine.com
323-962-3188, Fax: 323-962-8332
All levels; An audit and industry referral are required; Year-round
Fine, who began his studio in 1985, is the former director of American Musical and Dramatic Academy’s acting department. The studio curriculum includes comprehensive technique and scene study.
HULL ACTORS STUDIO
Santa Monica, CA
lorriehull@yahoo.com
www.methodactingclassesla.com
310-828-0632
10 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free introductory class; Ongoing; Work study available for students studying at least a year
Dianne Hull (protégé of Kazan) and Lorrie Hull (author of best-selling book on acting and directing) offer classes, intensives and short-term study in relaxation, concentration, improv, sense memory, learning the role, cold reading, audition techniques, and scene study.
INSTONE ACTORS STUDIO - NORA STONE
PO Box 8982
Los Angeles, CA 91372
inquiry@instoneactorsstudio.com
www.instoneactorsstudio.com
818-888-3867
16 students max; private coaching available in L.A., Ventura, and Santa Barbara; Beginner, intermediate, advanced, and professional; Introductory audit permitted
Stone offers technique, scene study, cold reading, and improvisation. For acceptance she requires an interview, a strong commitment, and coachability.
Other: Improv and Comedy; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
IRIS KLEIN
iklein2@mac.com
www.actingclassnow.com
213-612-5224
10-15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing
Klein, who studied with Sanford Meisner and Janet Alhanti, offers an audition-to-film scene class, an eight-day acting intensive, and a moment-to-moment class. She also coaches actors for theater, film, and television auditions.
THE IVANA CHUBBUCK STUDIO
7201 Melrose Ave., Ste. 206
Los Angeles, CA 90046
ivanachubbuckstudio@mac.com
www.chubbucktechnique.com
323-935-2100, Fax: 323-465-1900
Introductory, advanced, master; Auditing available by appointment only; Ongoing
Chubbuck has taught such actors as Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Jake Gyllenhaal, Charlize Theron, and James Franco. Her self-named technique guides actors to use their emotions not as an end result but as a way to empower a goal.
JAMES BOLT
jamesbolt@pacbell.net
323-559-9466
Private coaching only; All levels
Bolt describes his approach to coaching actors as “honoring the character’s experience.” He is currently available by appointment to coach actors for specific auditions, roles, and acting jobs.
JAMES LEVINE TYPECASTING INC.
c/o 310 Casting Studios
2329 Purdue Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
typecasting@mac.com
www.typecastinginc.com
310-775-6616
Space is limited
Levine works as a commercial director and teaches an ongoing commercial workshop that focuses on audition skills, improv technique, making better choices, and booking work.
Other: Improv and Comedy; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
JANET ALHANTI STUDIO
PO Box 17920
Beverly Hills, CA 90209
www.janetalhantistudios.com
323-465-7511
Private coaching available; Sessions
Alhanti studied with Meisner and Phillip Burton. She teaches a professional 20-week technique class twice a year, in January and July, that involves exercises and scene work, as well as a 10-week children’s technique class in April.
JANICE KENT
janicekb@hotmail.com
www.janicekent.com
Private coaching only; All levels
With more than 30 years of experience as an actor, director, and coach, Kent designed her “Life Coaching” approach to aid the actor in understanding and identifying the fears and processes that block making risky choices bold and playful.
JEANIE HACKETT: SCENE STUDY AND AUDITION TECHNIQUE
NoHo Arts District, CA
jeaniehackett@gmail.com
www.jeaniehackett.com
14-18 students per class; private coaching available; All levels, audition required for some classes; Auditing is permitted; By sessions and ongoing; Work study/internship program available occasionally
Hackett, award-winning actor and director and one of L.A.’s busiest acting coaches, is former AD of The Antaeus Company and author of “The Actor’s Chekhov.” She teaches scene study in classical & contemporary theater, as well as film & television audition technique.
Other: Classical; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
JEFF HARDWICK CASTING
3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Ste. 1158
Studio City, CA 91604
info@jeffhardwickcasting.com
www.jeffhardwickcasting.com
818-752-9898, Fax: 818-752-9890
10 students max; Private coaching available; Intermediate, advanced, and professional; Auditing not permitted; Sessions three to four times a year; Internship program available
A veteran agent and casting director with more than 20 years’ experience, Hardwick offers intensive commercial and theatrical workshops that offer targeted techniques for auditioning actors to book the part.
JEFFERY PASSERO
Studio City, CA
bluntproductions@aol.com
www.jeffpassero.com
818-506-8400
12 students per class; Private audition coaching available; All levels; Auditing encouraged; Ongoing; Work study available
Passero offers scene study and audition technique classes. He has a successful casting career of more than 50 movies and began his acting career at the Roundabout Theatre before taking over casting there.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
JEFFREY MARCUS
Los Angeles, CA
jeffrey@jeffreymarcus.com
www.jeffreymarcus.com
323-965-9392
12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Marcus uses a heart-centered and practical approach to accessing your depths as an actor. He assists actors on TV, features, and stage and accepts referrals from agents, managers, and casting directors.
JENIFER YEUROUKIS
West Hollywood, CA
onstagewithjen@gmail.com
www.onstagewithjen.com
323-691-5781
8-15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Permission to audit is granted on a case-by-case basis; By sessions and ongoing
Jenifer teaches the Centered Actor workshops. Nurturing the gifts of the artist through improvisation, theater games, and scene study, with an emphasis on empowering the actor to achieve both their creative and professional goals.
JEREMIAH COMEY STUDIOS
12215 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 111
Studio City, CA 91604
art.of.film.acting@gmail.com
www.jeremiahcomey.com
818-248-4104
All levels; Auditing permitted with a fee; Ongoing
Comey has been teaching film acting and training actors in Hollywood for the past 30 years. He teaches his own approach called “The Art of Film Acting,” which is also the title of his book.
JILL PLACE - ACT INTUITIVE COACH AND BRANDACT CREATOR
1122 Tierra Alta Dr.
Pasadena, CA 91104
jill@actingintuitive.com
www.actingintuitive.com
626-538-8538, Fax: 626-765-6137
Place has studied with and written about the greatest acting coaches of the 20th century. She has combined all that into her Act Intuitive classes, the best of 20th-century technique with 21st-century spirit. Place is also an acting branding coach and writes a monthly column for NowCasting.com. New classes starting now.
JIM BONTEMPO
jvb_coach@yahoo.com
323-383-4444
Class size varies; semi-private coaching available; All levels; Auditing by special arrangement only
Bontempo is a graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre under Sanford Meisner and trained in Los Angeles with Nina Foch. He has privately coached for more than 20 years.
JIM OTIS
818-543-7479
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Flexible scheduling
Otis offers two private courses: a TV/film intensive, covering TV/film, commercial auditioning technique, cold reading, and business strategy; and a monologue intensive.
JOANNE BARON/
D.W. BROWN STUDIO
320 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 200
Santa Monica, CA 90401
info@baronbrown.com
www.baronbrown.com
310-451-3311, Fax: 310-451-1407
24 students max; All levels; By sessions and ongoing
The Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio offers a variety of programs for the professional and select preprofessional actor, writer, director, and producer. Previous president of the Directors Guild of America and Oscar nominee Martha Coolidge praises the studio as a “renowned environment for training preprofessional actors and creating stars.” Preprofessional programs include a six-week intensive class as well as other Meisner courses. The studio also offers continuing education programs, including a master class, vital acting, classical style work, audition technique, character interpretation and script analysis, and a scene study lab for working actors, providing an intensive opportunity for actors ready to commit to the pursuit of excellence in their craft. The studio also produces films using its talent (“Perfume” and “Allie & Me”) and offers on-set coaching for films, having coached Academy, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner Halle Berry.
JOCELYN JONES ACTING STUDIO
1107 N. Kings Rd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
jocelynjonesstudio@gmail.com
310-576-0545
50 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Ms. Jones is formerly of Milton Katselas’ Beverly Hills Playhouse and a private coach to some of the best-known film and TV stars in the industry.
JOE PALESE
The Actor Space
14106 Magnolia Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
joepalese@theactorspace.com
www.theactorspace.com
818-754-4442
Private coaching available; All levels; One audit permitted; acceptance by interview; Ongoing
Actor-director-writer Palese’s class focuses on scene study, improv, cold reading, and sensory work.
Other: Improv and Comedy; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
JOE SALAZAR
joe@theactingteacher.com
www.theactingteacher.com
323-882-6433
Small class sizes; Private coaching available; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Classes focus on scene study, monologue work, character creation, improvisational skills, on-camera, cold reading, and audition techniques that are designed to create the environment of auditions.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Improv and Comedy; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
JOEL ASHER STUDIO
13448 Albers St.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
joelasher@aol.com
www.joel-asher-studio.com
818-785-1551
12 students max; All levels; Auditing permitted after interview; Ongoing
Asher, who has been teaching and directing successfully for more than 30 years, offers three ongoing on-camera scene study classes with lots of technique and lots of camera time ($250 per month), a cold reading class ($250 for six weeks), and an improvisation class ($195 per month). Class size is limited, so everyone works in every class. “I work with actors between classes at no charge,” says Asher. “There are no limits to the time you can spend learning and doing, getting help with your career, or the techniques we use to get results.” Asher’s studio has produced the award-winning “Actors at Work” DVD series, “Getting the Part,” “Casting Directors,” “Agents,” and “Directors on Acting.” Asher also produces state-of-the-art demo reels for actors. “I discover something new each time,” says actor Nancie Rooney, a working actor student of Asher’s. “It makes sense to have many different tools. I am so eager to get to that next level.”
JOHN GEGENHUBER
213-248-9478
All levels
Gegenhuber conducts intensive workshops in Spolin Improvisation, created by the visionary teacher Viola Spolin. A veteran of 20 years on stage, screen, and television, his classes emphasize applying improvisational techniques to scene work and audition technique.
THE JOHN KIRBY STUDIO
1510 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
jkcoaching@sbcglobal.net
323-467-7877, Fax: 323-467-7897
25-30 students per class; private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted by appt. only; Ongoing
Hollywood’s prominent acting coach, John Kirby, offers scene study classes as well as a young professional’s class that focuses on Uta Hagen’s fundamentals with emphasis on exploring a character, script analysis, and finding the human condition.
JOHN SUDOL ACTING STUDIOS - CENTER FOR THE LANGUAGE OF THE FACE
11650 Riverside Dr., Ste. 11
North Hollywood, CA 91602
thejohnsudolactingstudio@yahoo.com
www.johnsudolstudio.com
818-505-1223
10 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is sometimes permitted; 1-day intensives, 8-week programs, and ongoing classes; Work study available
JSAS is the only acting studio whose focus is on the face and what it reveals. The biggest difference between acting for the stage and the camera is how we communicate emotion. Onstage, we communicate through the body and the voice. On-camera we communicate with the face. The goal of this studio is to teach the actor how to create complex human emotions and reveal them in a recognizable way. Actors who have the ability to manage and control what their face reveals emotionally, from the subtle to the extreme, will have greater success working on-camera than those who do not. The classes at the Center for the LOF include “Nailing the Reaction Shot,” a must for every actor who wants to book commercials; “Emotional Alignment,” the balancing of what you feel and what you reveal on your face; and “Emotional Management,” the blending, masking, and qualifying of complex human emotion. John is certified in emotional facial recognition and has been teaching “The Language of the Face” classes for more than eight years.
JOSEPH PEARLMAN
310 Studios
2329 Purdue Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
joseph@josephpearlman.com
www.josephpearlman.com
917-754-2221
10 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Joseph Pearlman is a private and on-set coach for Hollywood’s top actors, musicians, comedians, etc. He works with clients like Zooey Deschanel, and also coaches presenters for all the major award ceremonies including the Oscars, Grammys, and Emmys. Joseph was voted one of L.A.’s favorite acting coaches in Back Stage’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Classical; Improv and Comedy; Young Performers; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
JROSE STUDIO
North Hollywood/Malibu, CA
info@jrosestudio.com
www.jrosestudio.com
323-799-1183
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Jamie Rose has been a professional actor in film, television, and theater for more than 30 years and has literally thousands of auditions under her belt. She specializes in private acting and audition coaching.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Private Coaching
JUDY KERR
judy@judykerr.com
www.actingiseverything.com
818-505-9373
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing; Work study or internship program available
Kerr is the author of “Acting Is Everything: An Actor’s Guidebook for a Successful Career in Los Angeles.” She covers acting and film techniques for the camera and show-business techniques to boost careers.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Business of Acting
JULES AARON
323-660-7342
Aaron, the former head of graduate programs at CalArts and U.C. Riverside, is an award-winning director and acting teacher. By audition only.
JUNE CHANDLER’S ACTORS WORKSHOP
Zydeco Studios/Sierra Madre Playhouse/Victory Theatre
Studio City/Sierra Madre/Burbank, CA
june.chandler@earthlink.net
www.junechandler.com
626-355-4572
16 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing advanced classes plus 6-week intensives; Work study/internship program available
For more than 20 years, Chandler and her staff have taught commercials, acting, improv, and image with top industry level techniques. Performances, showcases, and career counseling are part of the experience.
Other: Commercials/Voiceover; Improv and Comedy; Business of Acting
JUST BREATHE
Barbara Beneville
Hollywood, CA
info@justbreatheacting.com
323-969-4944
12 students max; also private and semi-private coaching; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions split between L.A. and Atlanta, plus weekend workshops in N.Y., Dallas, and Nashville
Beneville’s class consists of all phases of study: auditioning, character development, cold reading, improv, Meisner exercises, monologues, scene study, and script breakdown.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
KAREN KALENSKY
kkalensky@yahoo.com
818-481-2244
Private coaching only; All levels
Kalensky currently coaches privately in acting, auditioning for film, TV, and theater. A former casting director, she understands what to look for in the audition, especially when scouting for an agent or manager. She also offers speech and dialect coaching.
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
KATE McGREGOR-STEWART
Los Angeles, CA
actingwizard7@gmail.com
www.katemcgregorstewart.com
323-939-3384, Fax: 323-939-3337
Intimate classes; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing; Occasional work study available
McGregor-Stewart’s technique is a balance of mind, body and spirit: an active experiential approach which has actors working. Classes include improvisation, movement, emotional access, character development, exercises, script breakdown, cold readings and scene work.
KATT SHEA
13273 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 104
Studio City, CA 91604
classes@kattshea.com
www.kattshea.com
661-268-8611
12 students per class; limited class size; Private and on-set coaching available; All levels; Private session/first class for $40; Year-round and ongoing
Well-known Peabody Award-winning Sundance Festival nominee and acclaimed writer-director Shea offers cold reading/audition prep classes that bring the joy back to acting, and private coaching. Also offered is the “Bring It” class, which teaches actors how to bring their prep to the set. Studio City and Santa Clarita locations.
KENT KLINEMAN ACTING STUDIO
7023 Melrose Ave. (at La Brea Ave.)
Los Angeles, CA
kentkline@aol.com
www.kentklineman.com
323-665-6776
12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted and encouraged; Ongoing
In this scene study class, Klineman combines Meisner-based repetition with Linklater voice work to enhance each student’s creative impulses and produce truthful connection between scene partners.
KILLIAN’S COMMERCIAL WORKSHOP
Killian McHugh
classes@killiansworkshop.com
www.killiansworkshop.com
323-645-6296
12-15 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Sessions year round
Killian’s workshops are designed to empower the actor and take the guessing out of the audition process. His technique puts the actor in control and provides the knowledge and confidence needed to book the job.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
KIMBERLY JENTZEN - THE JENTZEN TECHNIQUE
info@kimberlyjentzen.com
www.kimberlyjentzen.com
818-779-7770
16 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted, acceptance by interview only; Special courses offered at certain times of the year, such as “Singing for Actors, Acting for Singers,” and ongoing; Work study available for long-term students
With more than 20 years capturing the essence of artistry, incorporating Chekhov, Adler, Strasberg, and Meisner, Kimberly Jentzen is an expert in artistic creation. She is the creator of the Jentzen Technique, a series of power tools designed to cultivate the master-level actor. Jentzen’s approach helps build a necessary foundation, instilling within an actor the motivations and needs of authentic characters.
L.A. ON-CAMERA TRAINING CENTER
10545 Burbank Blvd., Ste. 105
Sherman Oaks, CA 94123
laoncameratraining@gmail.com
323-839-0800
Founded by actor Jamison Haase, LAOTC is an on-camera school that specializes in training actors in real, easy-to-learn camera techniques that raise their performance above the competition.
LARRY BIEDERMAN - SCENE STUDY CLASSES & COACHING
lazzab@me.com
www.larrybiederman.net
818-486-6399
8-12 students per class; Actors: intermediate and above. Directors: all levels; Auditing is permitted; sliding scale available; 8-12 sessions; some classes elect to continue
Biederman identifies the artist’s individuality and teaches students to invest and express that uniqueness in their work. His actors learn to speak their words with spontaneity and emotion, to express their characters in their entire bodies, and to invest and reveal their uniqueness in any role. Directing workshops also offered.
LARRY MOSS STUDIO AKA THE ACTING STUDIO AT EDGEMAR
www.larrymossstudio.com
310-392-0815
See The Acting Studio at Edgemar.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction; Improv and Comedy
LAURA GARDNER
laura18mae@aol.com
www.lauragardner.org, www.howardfine.com
323-957-4764
12-25 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted Thursday nights; Varies; Work study available occasionally
Gardner trained with Carol Rosenfeld and Uta Hagen. Gardner teaches scene study and basic technique at the Howard Fine Acting Studio as well as interview/audition intensive workshops.
LAURA JAMES’ THE ACTING WORKSHOP
laurajames200@gmail.com
818-562-3075
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Teacher-director-actor James, who has worked professionally around the world, offers a technique meant to “empower the actor to communicate as specifically, effectively, and as powerfully as possible.”
LAUREN PATRICE NADLER
lauren@laurenpatricenadler.com
www.laurenpatricenadler.com
Limited enrollment; Private coaching and consulting available; Intermediate and advanced; Auditing encouraged; Ongoing
Nadler is actively directing independent films while coaching and teaching ongoing scene study and improvisation classes. Her students work on top TV shows (“True Blood” and “Pretty Little Liars”), film, and national commercials.
Other: Improv and Comedy
LaVALLE ACTORS WORKSHOP
4645 Van Nuys Blvd., Ste. 202
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
dlavalle19@yahoo.com
www.lavalleactorsworkshop.com
818-788-2183, Fax: 818-788-6981
20 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free audit; Ongoing
LaValle teaches a way of “creating a character that draws from the vast experiences that each individual actor possesses.”
THE LEE STRASBERG THEATRE AND FILM INSTITUTE - LOS ANGELES
Carie Blomquist
7936 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
losangeles@strasberg.com
www.strasberg.com
323-650-7777
12-16 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; full application process for certificate program; 2-year certificate program; full- or part-time introductory program, workshops, and intensives; Offers limited work study program
The Strasberg Institute’s Method acting classes and programs challenge actors to work on themselves as creative artists and at the same time work on the role-to leave behind conventional expressions and find their own unique voices. Classes in acting, voice, singing, dance, movement, and film and TV.
Other: Young Performers; Audition Technique/Cold Reading; On-Camera Technique; Conservatory/University
LENA HARRIS STUDIO
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
lenaharrisstudio@aol.com
www.lenaharris.com
310-226-7034
Class sizes vary but are kept small; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Award-winning actor and author Lena Harris offers specific on-camera techniques and acting techniques based on The Stanislavsky System and Sanford Meisner exercises. Each actor is filmed at every workshop session using original material; resulting in 2-4 minute finished scenes that may be streamed online and emailed to the industry.
LESLIE FLEMING-MITCHELL
Altadena/Pasadena, CA
lesliefilm@yahoo.com
www.lesliefleming-mitchell.com
310-991-4162
10 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 4- to 8-week sessions and ongoing
Fleming-Mitchell has worked extensively in front of and behind the camera as an actor, director, and casting director, as well as an acting coach for actors preparing for film and TV roles. Students include Emile Hirsch, Hank Harris, and Michael Mantenuto. Private coaching and ongoing small group classes address audition skills and scene work, with an emphasis on optimizing each actor’s creative power.
LESLY KAHN & COMPANY
1720 N. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
johnathan@leslykahn.com
www.leslykahn.com
323-969-9900
14 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing; Work study/internship offered infrequently and only after the actor has studied with us for a period of time
Lesly’s core classes are right-brain, thought-based “non-technique” classes designed to enhance your raw talent and/or prior training. They teach you to break down not only your text, and your instinct, but also the business itself as well, so that you can consistently and effortlessly perform at the peak of your ultimate ability. We offer individual audition and dialogue coaching as well as acting tutorials, on-set coaching and filmed coaching.
LESSAC SUMMER VOICE AND BODY TRAINING WORKSHOPS
deb.kinghorn@unh.edu
www.lessacinstitute.com
603-862-1963
10-14 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Summer only
For almost 40 years, these workshops have offered intensive training in voice, body, and text exploration. Programs are intended for those in performance, in education, in broadcasting, or in communications.
LIFEBOOK ACTING ACADEMY
Allen Levin
Lifebook Playhouse
665 N. Heliotrope Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
winningactors@gmail.com
www.lifebookacting.com
323-244-4620 or 818-415-9568
15-30 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Financial aid available
Levin has been teaching for a decade and offers scene study, improv, cold reading, auditions, guest speakers, and career coaching. Classes are held Monday through Saturday.
LINDSAY CROUSE
lcwork@mac.com
www.lindsaycrouse.org
310-573-6288
Private coaching available
Crouse, an acclaimed star of film, television, and theater, offers classes that clearly define what the actor’s job really is and show actors the high road - that acting is at heart a spiritual profession.
LISA DALTON STUDIOS INC.
info@chekhov.net
www.lisadaltonstudios.com, www.chekhov.net
818-761-5404
Lisa Dalton offers courses in technique, cold reading, on-camera commercials, scene study, career management, promotional skills, and soap opera.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; On-Camera Technique; Business of Acting
LISA ROBERTSON STUDIO
lisarobertsonstudio@gmail.com
www.lisarobertsonstudio.com
310-367-4136
15-20 students per class; Private coaching available; Intermediate, advanced, and professional; Auditing is permitted; headshot and résumé required for all audits, referral helpful; Ongoing; Work study available to students who have completed a year of training with Lisa
Robertson has been a major acting coach for the past eight years coaching series leads and award-winning film roles. A protégé of Larry Moss, she teaches scene study and on-camera audition intensives.
THE LOST STUDIO
130 S. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
www.theloststudio.com
323-933-6944
20 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Call for interview; Ongoing
Award-winning director Cinda Jackson offers scene study and sensory classes. Classes include a four-day-per-week intensive class and a master class. Also home of the Les Enfants Magiques children’s classical theater workshop.
LYNETTE McNEILL STUDIO
5636 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
lynettestudio@yahoo.com
www.lynettemcneillstudio.com
310-274-1085
All levels; Auditing permitted by invitation only; Ongoing
McNeill offers classes designed to meet a wide range of professional needs. Class offerings include scene study, technique, and audition preparation. Also have industry speakers, on-camera and in-house casting workshops.
MAKING IT ON BROADWAY
jodie@makingitonbroadway.net
www.makingitonbroadway.net
40 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Sessions in the summer and winter
Making It on Broadway is a weeklong intensive where students explore the realities of what it means to be a modern Broadway professional. Classes are taught by Broadway professionals.
MARCIE SMOLIN
4475 Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230
marcie@theactorscircle.com
www.theactorscircle.com
310-837-4536
8-12 students per class; All levels; Reduced class fee; Ongoing; Work study/internships available
Smolin, who began as a child actor and was a regular on two TV series, has been coaching actors for more than 18 years.
MARGIE HABER STUDIO
Margie Haber
971 N. La Cienega Blvd., #207
Los Angeles, CA 90069
info@margiehaber.com
www.margiehaber.com
310-854-0870, Fax: 310-854-0462
12-15 students per class; Fundamental, intermediate, and master; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Margie Haber Studio offers on-camera audition technique and cold reading workshops. With more than 30 years of experience, Haber is an internationally renowned auditioning coach and has taught A-list Hollywood actors her technique that is based on her book, “How to Get the Part Without Falling Apart.” Among her clients: Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Vince Vaughn, Heather Locklear, Kristin Davis, Mariska Hargitay, and Colin Egglesfield. All of the studio’s instructors train in Haber’s philosophy: “stop acting and start living the life of the person.” Actors begin with taking an “intensive” course at their level, followed by an ongoing course. Intensives $500-$650, ongoing $250. Private coaching available. Before enrolling, students must attend an orientation, held at the studio every Monday at 1:30 p.m.; bring a headshot and résumé. Also has classes for kids and teens.
MARIA GOBETTI
c/o The Victory Theatre
3326 W. Victory Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
thevictory@mindspring.com
www.thevictorytheatrecenter.org
818-841-4404
All levels; Free audit required; Ongoing
Working closely with her students, Maria Gobetti teaches the Meisner basics technique on a group and individual basis - while also employing available video facilities. Her classes are small, allowing only the best and most dedicated actors. This exclusivity is advantageous in that it gives all the actors an opportunity to work in every class.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Commercials/Voiceover
MARILYN FOX
prtmarilyn@earthlink.net
310-301-3971, ext. 10 or 310-650-0969
All levels; Auditing by permission; Ongoing sessions; Volunteers for general help accepted
Marilyn Fox, artistic director of Pacific Resident Theatre, offers classes on scene study, cold reading, improvisation, and strengthening imagination.
MARILYN McINTYRE
Los Angeles, CA
marilyn@marilynmcintyre.com
www.marilynmcintyre.com, www.howardfine.com, www.tedbrunettistudio.com
818-601-1463/323-962-3188/
310-403-0213
14-16 (scene study), 10 max (personalization); Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing required (except for personalization classes); Ongoing (scene study) and limited (personalization); Work study available
Teaches at the Howard Fine Acting Studio and the Ted Brunetti Studio, specializing in “personalization”— safely helping actors discover and explore what effectively allows them to access and bring their authentic and unique self to the work.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; On-Camera Technique
MARJORIE BALLENTINE STUDIO
665 N. Heliotrope Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
meact@mac.com
www.marjorieballentine.com
323-877-5038
15-25 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; interview required for technique class; audition required for scene study; Ongoing; Call regarding internships
Stella Adler’s protégé and a critically acclaimed theater director with more than 20 years of experience, Marjorie Ballentine believes in the craft of acting, not in “chance.” Since arriving in L.A. in 2003, Marjorie has successfully coached and taught Gary Oldman, Nelsan Ellis, Krysten Ritter, Victor Rasuk, Amaury Nolasco, Nadine Velazquez, and others.
MARJORIE GAINES
margiegaines@sbcglobal.net
818-481-4466
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Gaines has taught acting for theater majors at CSU Long Beach and currently teaches at Pasadena City College. She offers private coaching in audition preparation, public speaking, and basic technique.
MARK CHAET
chaetmark@sbcglobal.net
www.markchaet.com
818-693-3455
Private coaching only; Beginner and intermediate; Auditing not permitted
Chaet teaches business for actors. He focuses on goal-setting and methods for organizing and advancing one’s career.
MARK TILLMAN
www.marktillmancasting.com
310-557-2565
Tillman has been casting for 25 years. Classes focus on understanding the character, freeing emotions, and strengthening communication to help his students in the audition.
MARLA LADD - MYSTERIUM
Marla Ladd, artistic director/owner
19211 Dodge Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92705
atheaterdirector@yahoo.com or marla@mysteriumshop.com
www.mysteriumshop.com
714-505-3454
Small class size for individual attention; Private coaching also available; All levels; Auditing permitted with advanced permission; Ongoing; Work study possibly available
Ladd specializes in audition preparation and last-minute coaching in Orange County. Mysterium offers an on-camera class and an afterschool program along with dance and acting classes. Jay Wallace teaches acting for the camera on Wed. evenings and Gregory Cohen teaches beginning acting for the stage on Sat. mornings.
MATTHEW BARRY’S WORKSHOP
class@matthewbarryteaches.com
www.matthewbarryteaches.com
818-759-4425
12 students max; All levels; ages 18+; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Casting director Matthew Barry helps actors develop a game plan where Hollywood is the business and the actor is the product. Auditioning techniques, character study, cold reading techniques, and scene study.
Other: Improv and Comedy; Business of Acting
THE MET THEATRE
1089 N. Oxford Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
mettheatre@sbcglobal.net
www.themettheatre.com
323-957-1152, Fax: 323-957-1831
Private coaching available; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing and by semesters
The award-winning MET Theatre, one of the longest-running Equity-waiver houses in Los Angeles, offers a selection of ongoing and semester-structured professional theatre and film labs for actors, writers, and directors.
MICHAEL COOKE ACTING SCHOOL
1507 Seventh St., Ste. 172
Santa Monica, CA 90401-2605
cookie444@verizon.net
www.soundfeelings.com/best_acting_schools.htm
310-482-8720
Private coaching available; All levels
With more than 25 years’ experience, Michael offers classes on acting technique, audition preparation, script analysis, on-camera technique, vocal control, stage presence, and improvisation.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; On-Camera Technique
MICHAEL D. FREDERICK
1526 14th St., Ste. 110
Santa Monica, CA 90404
michaelfrederick@earthlink.net
www.alextechworkshops-international.com
800-260-5133/301-880-7700
10-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
These Alexander Technique classes will guide you to a dynamic experience of kinesthetic lightness, wherein thinking becomes clearer, feelings balanced, sensations livelier, and movement more pleasurable. Michael D. Frederick taught for more than a decade at the Old Globe Theatre’s MFA program in San Diego and for more than 25 years at the renowned Sanford Meisner-based Baron/Brown Acting Studio in Santa Monica.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
MICHAEL D. NYE DYNAMIC ACTING
Valley Village, CA
acreativitycoach@aol.com
www.askanactingquestion.com
818-509-1629
6 students max; Private coaching available; Intermediate, advanced, and professional; Auditing is permitted; phone interview required; Ongoing
Actor-director Nye (“House, M.D.,” “Heroes,” “Big Love”) uses innovative warm-ups, exercises, and scenes to achieve dynamic, powerful, and consistent actor performances for film, television, and stage.
MICHAEL KNOWLES
1531 S. Bedford St.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
info@michaelknowles.com
www.michaelknowles.com
646-489-1126
Private coaching only; All levels
Writer-director-producer Knowles feels that teaching is not much more than providing an environment for students to develop trust in themselves, which develops confidence. Each actor’s journey is his/her own.
MICHAEL WOOLSON STUDIO
8801 Cashio St.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
michael@michaelwoolson.com
www.michaelwoolson.com
323-933-7133
All levels; Auditing is permitted
Woolson, author of “The Work of an Actor” and “Emotion on Demand: An Actor’s Workbook for Mastering Emotional Triggers,” teaches advanced scene study, on-camera/auditioning, and technique classes.
MICHELLE DANNER
at The Acting Studio at Edgemar
2437 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
info@edgemar.org
www.michelledannerstudio.com
310-392-0815, Fax: 310-392-0815
15 students per class; private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted, free info sessions Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Ongoing
Acting coach and director Michelle Danner has worked with a wide range of notable talent including Gerard Butler, Seth MacFarlane, Penelope Cruz, Michael Pena, Salma Hayek, James Franco, and Christian Slater. Her classes include on-camera, scene study, and the Golden Box intensive.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
MILLIE SLAVIN STUDIOS
www.millieslavinstudios.com
310-582-3485
Private coaching only
Slavin’s training includes extensive study with Uta Hagen and Roy London. She offers private instruction including scene study, technique, cold reading, and preparation for auditions.
MOJO ACTOR’S WORKSHOP
Diana Brown
mojoaw@hotmail.com
323-821-4362
12-18 students per class; Private coaching available; Intermediate to advanced only; Scheduled audit available; 3-month sessions and ongoing
An actor, director, and coach with more than 30 years’ experience, Michele Martin Gossett teaches advanced and intermediate acting. Her workshop covers technique, scene study, and auditioning.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; On-Camera Technique; Business of Acting
NATALIA LAZARUS
Promenade Playhouse and Conservatory
1404 Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
info@promenadeplayhouse.com
www.promenadeplayhouse.com
310-656-8070, Fax: 310-656-8069
12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 10-week sessions
Lazarus, founder of the Promenade Playhouse and Promenade Conservatory, is a private and international coach for Hollywood celebrities on sets and in institutions throughout the world.
NATALIE FORD, PROFESSIONAL PRIVATE ACTING COACH
PO Box 398
Santa Monica, CA 90406
nfactingstudios@aol.com
www.facebook.com/natalie.ford
310-428-1840
12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted but private interview/meeting suggested; Ongoing
Ford specializes in on-camera coaching for audition preparation and technique for actors in L.A. and N.Y. She brings to her teaching her background of more than 15 years of casting, directing, and acting expertise.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; On-Camera Technique
NED MANDERINO
PO Box 27758
Los Angeles, CA 90027
ned@mandarino.com
www.manderino.com
323-665-0123
12 students max
Manderino, a post-Stanislavsky acting coach, combines total Method principles that he learned initially from Stella Adler and from his close friends and mentors Lee Strasberg and Harold Clurman.
THE NEW AMERICAN STUDIO FOR ACTORS
PO Box 586
Culver City, CA 90232
info@thenewamericanstudio.com
www.thenewamericanstudio.com
310-701-0788
6-20 students per class; Beginner, intermediate, advanced, and professional.; Free studios to meet teachers at times; admission by audition/interview only; By sessions and ongoing
Led by artistic director Jack Stehlin, the studio offers scene study, technique, TV/film, commercial, voice and speech, and movement classes. Class address: The New American Theatre (formerly Circus Theatricals), 2511 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., CA 90057.
THE NEW COLLECTIVE LA
Greg Braun
6440 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
info@newcollectivela.com
www.newcollectivela.com
323-228-1880
15 student max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
The New Collective LA is a monthly membership organization for actors. We are the only studio in Los Angeles that offers a conservatory atmosphere for an affordable monthly rate.
NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY
100 Universal City Plaza, Building 9128, Ste 179
Universal City, CA 91602
film@nyfa.edu
www.nyfa.com
818-733-2600, Fax: 818-733-4074
12 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
This academy offers one-year, two-year, and short-term programs in acting for film as well as directing for film, screenwriting, producing, photography, game design, and 3-D animation. Year-round, summer, and evening workshops available, as are hands-on total immersion workshops. The academy now offers Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degree programs in acting. Located at Universal Studios; branches in New York and Abu Dhabi.
NICOLAS COSTER STUDIO
nicolascoster@yahoo.com
213-952-5685
10-15 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; By sessions
Coster ia an adjunct professor at University of Georgia, on the faculty at NY Film Academy, LA, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the Neighborhood Playhouse, and with Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, Milton Katselas, and Frank Silvera.
NIKOLAI GUZOV
12125 Riverside Dr.
Valley Village, CA 91607
guzovclass@gmail.com
www.guzovactingstudio.com
213-448-7648, Fax: 818-753-5203
2-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted in some cases; Sessions depend on the need of the student; Work study available upon request
Guzov, a Russian acting teacher originally from St. Petersburg, specializes in the Chekhov technique and offers private, group, and semiprivate classes.
THE ORCHARD ACTING WORKSHOP
Cristen Kauffman
1745 Warnall Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
cristenrob@aol.com
www.theorchardactingworkshop.com
310-284-8166
All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
The Orchard Acting Workshop offers a healthy and balanced environment for creativity and collaboration that cultivates, nurtures, guides, and supports your talent as well as helps you discover your own unique truth. We provide you with helpful technical tools to ensure you gain the confidence you need to develop your special acting abilities.
ORGANIC ACTING
Andrea Tate
andreatate@me.com
www.organicacting.com
818-802-2620
10-15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels
Organic Acting is taught by award-winning director and teacher Andrea Tate. Andrea teaches an acting technique that combines Meisner and the Method with a focus on following your own impulses and instincts. She uses Improvisation skills as well to bring out your unique take on a character. Andrea’s clients have played lead roles in theater, film, and TV.
PHYLLIS APPLEGATE
323-655-5167
Private coaching only; on-set coaching also available; All levels
The Emmy-nominated Applegate studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute on scholarship and offers ongoing individual performance coaching combining Strasberg’s methods with her own. She coaches individuals on audition techniques, cold readings, character creation, scene study, and text interpretation.
PIERO DUSA
Piero Dusa Creative Studio
1453 Third Street Promenade, Ste. 608
Santa Monica, CA 90401
info@pierodusa.com
www.pierodusa.com
310-393-9378, Fax: 310-209-8502
Limited class sizes; Private coaching available; All levels; Interview by phone required for audit; Ongoing client specific syllabus
Since 1985, Dusa has coached and directed a distinguished list of well-known actors. Dusa offers exclusive coaching for actors and writers on The Character Preference System that will take your acting and writing skills to the next level.
THE PINE CREEK BLONDE ACTING STUDIO
Gene Desrochers
10951 Pico Blvd., Ste. 203
Los Angeles, CA
problemsolvergene@yahoo.com
310-709-6545
Private coaching only; All levels; Ongoing
Desrochers has studied and performed for more than 12 years. He has a background in the Strasberg method with Chuck Marra, and he has studied at the Chubbuck Studio in Los Angeles. In New Orleans he studied at Tulane University and the Southern Rep Theater.
PLAYHOUSE WEST SCHOOL AND REPERTORY THEATRE
4250 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91602
www.playhousewest.net
818-881-6520
Free audit required
Robert Carnegie and Jeff Goldblum founded this school in 1981. The faculty members take an ensemble approach to teaching in the theater’s ongoing beginning, intermediate, advanced, and senior advanced classes. The playhouse, which has a second North Hollywood location, Playhouse West Studio Two, also regularly develops and stages plays with members of the senior advanced class. Free audit is required.
RANDOLPH STUDIO FOR ACTOR TRAINING
Kate Randolph
randolphstudio4actors@adelphia.net
www.belletheplay.com
323-356-5051, Fax: 323-851-1454
Small classes; Private coaching available; Auditing is permitted upon request; Ongoing
Randolph teaches concrete, universal tools, with an emphasis on finding joy in the work. Her class is supportive and nurturing while pushing each actor to take risks and go beyond perceived limitations.
RAW ACTING STUDIO
Guy Camilleri
916A N. Formosa Ave.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
rawactingstudio@gmail.com
www.guycamilleri.com
323-533-9263
16-18 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Working audits permitted; Ongoing
Guy Camilleri’s RAW Acting Studio is an ongoing scene study workshop that provides actors a safe, exciting, and focused environment to cultivate their imagination and craft. Actors work in every class.
RICHARD SEYD ACTING STUDIO
4949 Hollywood Blvd., Ste. 203
Los Angeles, CA 90027
studio@seydways.com
www.seydways.com
323-668-1475
12 students per class; Intermediate to professional; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Voted by readers of Back Stage for the last three years as one of the top four acting schools in Los Angeles. “Richard Seyd knows what he’s doing. You cannot do better,” says Peter Coyote.
ROB REECE ACTORS WORKSHOP
robreece.method@gmail.com
www.methodacting.com
310-497-0611
15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Free audit available
Rob Reece is a 42-year veteran of film, TV, and theater. Based in Los Angeles with classes in San Francisco, Reece teaches Progressive Method Acting, which he describes as “in-depth instrument work, craft tools described and demonstrated, understanding tension, inspiration, character work, script analysis, and the unconscious creative process.”
ROBERT BEECHER
Stage 13
10749 New Haven St., #15
Sun Valley, CA 91352
info@stage13.com
www.stage13.com
818-768-5574
Private coaching only; All levels
Beecher’s Stage 13 offers four one-hour sessions of one-on-one coaching on scenes, commercials, monologues, cold reading, or interview material for $80 on an ongoing basis or by appointment.
ROBERT D’AVANZO
2811 Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
rgd37@roadrunner.com
www.robertdavanzo.com
818-508-0723
16 students per class; Intermediate, advanced, and professional; Auditing is permitted by appt.; Ongoing and by sessions
D’Avanzo describes his classes as “dynamic and thorough scene study classes where the actor works every week in a prepared scene.” Based on teachings of Uta Hagen. Teaches 6-week on-camera cold reading class.
ROBERT F. LYONS
info@insideacting.com
www.insideacting.com
818-766-6480
4-5 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Ongoing
Lyons is a working actor-teacher who wants his students to “learn what to apply and how to apply with actual workable technique.” Students who have studied with Lyons include Juliette Lewis, Heather Locklear, Danny Masterson, Clea DuVall, Laura Prepon, Jason Dohring, and many others.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
THE SACRED ACTOR
Josh Galitsky
3017B Second St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
josh@sacredactor.com
www.sacredactor.com
310-392-8212
6-10 students per class; All levels; Auditing by appt. only; Sessions start each month; Work study may be available through accompanying theatres
A safe, nurturing, and nonjudgmental environment. “Devised Theatre” approach uses challenging, fun, exploratory process to conquer fears and create dynamic, original material for production.
SAM CHRISTENSEN STUDIOS
10440 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
scsimage@aol.com
www.samchristensen.com
818-506-0783, Fax: 818-506-8941
14 students max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing; Work study available
Christensen, a former casting director for “M*A*S*H,” teaches ongoing classes that assist actors in becoming the most confident, powerful, and compelling individuals they can be.
SANDRA CARUSO
11916 Saltair Terrace
Los Angeles, CA 90049
scaruso@tft.ucla.edu
310-476-5113
Private coaching only; All levels
Caruso, actor/director and professor in the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, studied with Meisner, Strasberg, Hagen, and Katselas, graduated from the NYU theater department, and holds a master’s degree from UCLA.
SANDRA K. HORNER PERFORMANCE STUDIO
skhperformance@aol.com
www.sandrakhorner.com
818-997-6740, Fax: 818-997-6740
6-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Free monthly demo classes; Ongoing; Barters are available
Horner teaches a pure form of Robert Lewis’ script analysis that empowers your auditions and puts you in command of any text.
THE SANFORD MEISNER CENTER
5124 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
meisnercenter@aol.com
www.themeisnercenter.com
818-509-9651
20 students max; All levels; Auditing allowed after interview only; By sessions
The Sanford Meisner Center believes that the purpose of an acting school is to get actors working professionally, and that begins with professional level training. To do something well, you need to do it every day. With those tenets in mind, the center has developed powerful programs to get actors results. Launched in 1995 by Sanford Meisner and Martin Barter, the center is the only school in Los Angeles founded with Mr. Meisner himself. Now headed by Martin Barter, Mr. Meisner’s assistant for more than 12 years, the center teaches the Meisner technique in its original two-year program the way Sandy taught it. Accelerated five-week intensives are also offered, as well as graduate-level scene-study classes and screenwriting classes. Graduates have gone on to win 10 Academy Awards, eight Emmys, and six Tonys.
Other: Conservatory/University
THE SANFORD MEISNER STUDIO
Alex Taylor
4150 Riverside Dr., Ste. 205
Burbank, CA 91505
themeisnerstudio@yahoo.com
www.thesanfordmeisnerstudio.com
818-335-1140
12-14 students per class; All levels; Interview required for acceptance, audit by arrangement after the interview; Onging intensives; traditional Meisner programs begin in January and in September
Led by Alex Taylor, The Sanford Meisner Studio is a dynamic and inspiring acting center that gives students a clear, step-by-step approach to the craft of acting. The studio’s pure Meisner training allows actors to gain confidence in their artistic choices and develop the complete freedom to express.
Other: Conservatory/University
SANTA CLARITA SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS
23502 Lyons Ave., Ste. 105
Santa Clarita, CA 91321
info@scsopa.com
www.scsopa.com
661-222-7910
Class sizes vary; Private coaching available; All levels; Ongoing
Offers a wide variety of classes for all levels of experience, including dance, voice, modeling, improv, scene study, audition techniques, and classes catering to young performers.
Other: Young Performers
SANTA MONICA PLAYHOUSE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP
1211 Fourth St., Ste. 201
Santa Monica, CA 90401-1391
education@santamonicaplayhouse.com
www.santamonicaplayhouse.com
310-394-9779, ext. 673, Fax: 310-393-5573
15 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; 6-to-12 week sessions; Internships available
“To the actor,” says co-artistic director Chris DeCarlo, “class is that special environment we create for ourselves in which we may practice the ritual of discovering our creative being.” That’s the kind of environment DeCarlo strives to create at the Santa Monica Playhouse in these six-week workshops that use improv, physical theater, and text to teach actors to make powerful and immediate choices for auditions and performance work by unleashing creativity, developing exciting characters, and conquering the critic within. This is his 42nd year as director of the workshop. Acceptance is by interview only.
SCOTT COLOMBY WORKSHOP
management@scottcolomby.com
www.scottcolomby.com
323-650-6472
Auditing is encouraged
Colomby’s workshop was originally conceived as a class geared toward the actor’s personal growth within the confines of a scene study group, but now includes showcasing and production of plays.
SCOTT SEDITA ACTING STUDIOS
Scott Sedita, Tony Rago
526 N. Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
scottsedita@aol.com
www.scottseditaacting.com; www.sitcomacting.com; www.makingitinhollywoodbook.com
323-465-6152, Fax: 323-465-6202
16 students per class; Private coaching available.; All levels; Limited auditing permitted; contact the studio for specifics; Ongoing
The Scott Sedita Acting Studio is where the actor’s craft and career come together. Scott teaches the One Day Sitcom Intensive, and On-Camera Sitcom class with Tony Rago. Scott also teaches the Professional Audition Technique class. Deborah Quayle teaches the On-Camera TV/Film Drama class. Patrick Munoz teaches Nuts & Bolts, Introduction to TV/Film Acting, and provides training in voice and speech. Elizabeth Bauman teaches the on-camera kids workshop.
SHARON CHATTEN
Venice, CA
sharonchattenstudio@gmail.com
www.sharonchatten.com
213-486-4229; 310-650-4030
Private coaching available; All levels; Ongoing
Ongoing classes include: scene work for film & TV, audition techniques, relaxation, sensory work, and improvs. Current clients include: Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Justin Bieber, Marg Helgenberger, Keri Russell, and Scott Speedman.
SHAWN NELSON FILM ACTING MASTER CLASS
Studio City, CA 91602
shawnnelsonusa@yahoo.com
www.shawnnelson.info
818-762-8439
8 students max; industry referral only; Intermediate, advanced, and professional; Free audit required in most cases; Ongoing, most Tuesday evenings
Shawn Nelson, coach to stars and working actors for more than 25 years, teaches weekly on-camera classes. Work and notes are recorded on the actor’s mini-DVD or memory stick. Actors work on new, current material from film and television each class.
SOUTH COAST REPERTORY
PO Box 2197
Costa Mesa, CA 92628-2197
education@scr.org
www.scr.org
714-708-5577, Fax: 714-708-5529
18 students (youth and teen class); 20 (adult class); 30 (professional intensive); All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing; Work study permitted on a case-by-case basis
This respected Orange County theater has an extensive education program through the Theatre Conservatory, directed by Hisa Takakuwa. The conservatory includes a progressive multiyear youth and teen program, with its introductory summer theater workshop. The adult program, for those 18 and older, offers weekly evening classes in beginning through advanced acting, improvisation, acting for the camera, musical theater, screenwriting, and play writing. The four acting levels take students from the fundamentals through advanced technique, including individual instruction in performance, scene work, characterization, and script analysis. The Professional Intensive Program is an eight-week summer course for serious career actors, who are accepted through audition. Classes include audition technique, script analysis, voice, Shakespeare, and physical characterization. The director of the Professional Intensive Program is LADCC winner Karen Hensel, who teaches alongside a staff of seasoned professionals.
Other: Young Performers
STACIE CHAIKEN WHAT’S THE STORY? STUDIO
2nd St. and Main St.
Los Angeles, CA
info@whatsthestoryla.com
www.whatsthestoryla.com; www.staciechaiken.com
310-450-1312, Fax: 213-625-1025
12 students max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing, with evening and weekend intensives; Work study available
Stacie’s expertise is solo performance. She works within a group process with writers/artists who are wrestling with personal material for the stage, the page, and the screen.
STAGING COURT ACTORS LAB
Cheryl Lubin
at The Complex Hollywood
6476 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
clubin@earthlink.net
818-317-0140
15 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Staging Court offers a unique, nurturing, and rigorous approach to improvisation and scene study for actors in the heart of Hollywood. A renowned nationwide speaker on courtroom drama, Lubin uses techniques from the courtroom to help students recognize nuance, passion, and sense of place.
STAN ROTH
West Hollywood, CA
sandbroth@att.net
www.stanroth.com
323-930-2424
2 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Ongoing
Stan Roth teaches two-person cold reading- and scene study intensive classes and offers private audition coaching at his studio in the West Hollywood area. Admission is by interview and audition.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
STEINLEIN PRODUCTIONS INSTITUTE
Iris Steinlein
5405 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 273
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@steinleinproductions.com
www.steinleinproductions.com
323-934-6280
15 students max; Private coaching available; Beginner and intermediate; Auditing not permitted; By sessions; All participants will undergo an audition for a short film shot in August
Young actors receive intensive training on the international level. Learn innovative techniques for your craft and gain new perspectives during this individualized program.
STEPHANIE LLOYD ON-CAMERA ACTORS’ WORKSHOP
1170 North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
stephanielloyd@cox.net
949-497-8274
Private coaching available
Billed as “the L.A. Workshop in Orange County,” Lloyd’s actors training center focuses on talent development, career coaching, and establishing connections in the entertainment industry. Classes also available with Richard Delancey and Jeff Gerrard.
STEPHEN BOOK ACTING WORKSHOP
stephenbook@stephenbook.com
www.stephenbook.com
323-461-4263
Private coaching available; Must attend a free seminar to be eligible to apply; Ongoing
Book, an author and former faculty member at Juilliard and USC, teaches a technique for improvising performances while speaking scripted lines.
STEPPENWOLF WEST
info@steppclasseswest.com
www.steppclasseswest.com
Small class sizes; All levels; advanced level requires audition; Free introductory workshops several times a year; 8- to 12-week sessions, special workshops vary
Offers exclusive scene study, viewpoints, and improvisation classes as well as audition, on-camera, and Shakespeare workshops. Classes are taught by members of Steppenwolf Theatre’s acclaimed ensemble and award-winning professionals in an environment where actors’ work is respected and practicing craft is paramount.
STUART ROGERS STUDIOS
5267 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA
info@stuartrogersstudios.com
\www.stuartrogersstudios.com
818-763-3232
15-24 students per class; Private coaching available; Ongoing
Rogers has taught for the last 15 years. His students have won Emmys, Golden Globes, and Tony Awards. The studio offers classes in scene study and audition technique for all levels.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
STUDIO C ARTISTS
John Coppola and Michael Sonntag
6448 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
info@studiocartists.com
www.studiocartists.com
323-988-1175, Fax: 323-988-2144
20 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Internships are available
Offers a curriculum of acting classes, career-related seminars, and workshops. Teachers are industry professionals who train each actor to use and market his or her individual talents, assets, and personality.
SUSAN GIOSA’S ACTING WORKSHOP
Santa Monica, CA
susan@susangiosa.com
www.susangiosa.com
310-828-8544
20 students max, Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted and mandatory; Ongoing
Award-winning actor Giosa, who trained extensively with Larry Moss, teaches a unique emotional technique. Classes focus on scene study, emotional exercises, script analysis, advanced character work, and auditioning.
TED BRUNETTI STUDIO
1445 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
tedbrunetti@me.com
www.tedbrunettistudio.com
310-403-0213
8-10 per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Call for free audit, enrollment by interview and referral only; By sessions and ongoing; Work study available
Uta Hagen’s protégé, producer, director, coach, and actor, Ted Brunetti is faculty/guest faculty at the most prestigious directing and acting programs/institutions across the U.S. Brunetti Studio offers on-camera acting, audition, scene study, cold reading, and commercial classes, as well as coaching and tapings for auditions.
THEATRE GROUP STUDIO
Lorinne Vozoff, artistic director
2635 S. Robertson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
faculty@theatregroupstudio.com
www.theatregroupstudio.com
310-839-9771
12 students max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Theatre Group Studio teaches Method acting using the technique of objective-problem-action, along with emotional memory, imagination, communion, and inner creative state.
THEATRE WEST ASSOCIATE PROGRAM
3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West
Los Angeles, CA 90068
staff@theatrewest.org
323-851-4839
6-20 students per class; All levels; Audition is required; Ongoing; Internship program available with $10-per-month fee and a work requirement of 10 volunteer hours per month.
This program provides a weekly three-hour class conducted by Laura James, professional director-teacher-actor. Theatre West has been a professional artistic cooperative for actors, writers, directors and designers for almost 50 years.
3-DAY DEMO AND THE TOTAL WORKSHOP FOR ACTING, CREATED BY MICHAEL SAVAGE
sirtony@3daydemo.com
www.3daydemo.com; www.thetotalworkshopforacting.com
818-762-5769
Private coaching available; All levels; Certain times of the year
Savage is an alumnus of the Tony Award honoree The Acting Company, founded by John Houseman and Margot Harley, and a former star of “General Hospital.”
TIGERTAINMENT STUDIOS
Westwood, CA
create@tigertainment.com
www.tigertainment.com
310-287-9809
12 students max; All levels; Auditing permitted with RSVP; Classes periodically throughout the year; Work study available
Director-producer Michael John’s studio offers acting workshops in cold reading, audition techniques, and stage combat.
TOM TODOROFF STUDIO
at the Magicopolis Theatre
1418 Fourth St.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
lastudio@tomtodoroff.com
www.tomtodoroff.com
310-428-3388
Class size varies; All levels; Ongoing
The class provides a personalized road map to reach your highest potential as an actor in a uniquely supportive environment. Actors work on scenes, monologues, auditioning, musical pieces, cold reading, on-camera technique, and original material. Ongoing weekly class in N.Y. Two-day intensives every other month in L.A.
TONY TORRISI’S ACTING WORKSHOP
310-569-1439
Small class sizes; Private coaching available; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
A 35-year acting veteran, he now teaches classes covering cold reading, improvisation, scene work, and camera technique, for “a well-rounded approach.”
TVI ACTORS STUDIO
14429 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 118
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
laadmissions@tvistudios.com
www.tvistudios.com
818-784-6500, Fax: 818-784-6533
16 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted for some courses; By sessions and ongoing
TVI offers comprehensive and affordable acting classes, workshops, and seminars in all of its locations, including acting for film, television, and musical theater.
THE VALLETTA WORKSHOP
Al Valletta
info@vallettaworkshop.com
www.vallettaworkshop.com
760-941-3208; 760-271-0501
20 students max; All levels; One audit permitted; Ongoing
Valletta has taught acting for film and TV for more than 30 years. His workshop offers 8-week programs on film and TV acting, with showcases presented throughout the year. Classes for adults, teens, and kids.
THE VINCENT CHASE WORKSHOP
1206 N. Detroit St.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
vincentchase3@yahoo.com
www.vincentchaseworkshop.com
323-851-2685
2-8 students per class; Private coaching available for auditions and film assignments; All levels; Auditing is permitted and recommended
The workshop is geared to teach the actor how to make his audience give the best performance of its life through him.
THE VISION ACTING STUDIO
Justine Visone, Kurt Sinclair
East Valley Family Y
5142 Tujunga Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
myspace.com/visionacting
818-506-4302
12-15 students per class; Private coaching available; All level
Visone teaches an acting workshop with partner Kurt Sinclair, an actor-director, using the Meisner technique word games (the repeat), improvisation exercises, monologues, and cold reading on camera to record progress. Workshops include professional guest speakers and a professional showcase at the end of each semester. Three-hour classes, everyone works. Interview required.
WAYNE C. DVORAK
1949 Hillhurst Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
www.waynedvorak.com
323-462-5328
12 students per class; Private coaching available; Beginner, intermediate, and professional; Free audit required; Sessions twice a year
Dvorak has been a teacher for more than 20 years and holds a BFA and an MFA in theater. He teaches a full two-year professional-level Meisner program.
Other: Business of Acting
WCI STUDIOS-BILLY COWART
7542 Collett Ave.
Lake Balboa, CA
billy.wcistudios@mac.com
www.wcistudios.com
310-230-5358
8 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; serious students only; adults and children; Two-hour intro session and one free class; Ongoing
The studio of working actors specializes in realism, overcoming the right/left brain battle, and the physiology of feelings. Classes are on-camera and in audition format, with industry guest teachers in addition to staff, and a 13-hour marketing intensive.
THE WILLIAM ALDERSON ACTING STUDIO
1103 N. El Centro Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
actmeisner@aldersonstudio.com
www.aldersonstudio.com
323-466-0799
12-16 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing
A successful New York actor who studied with Sanford Meisner, Alderson began teaching at Meisner’s insistence and served as his assistant and associate director at the Neighborhood Playhouse for more than 20 years. Alderson came to Los Angeles in 1994 and now offers the Meisner technique in its intended two-year study period. He describes his as a “technical approach that teaches the actor specific tools so he can organically work out of himself. To act from the inside out is not easy, but once that is learned, it becomes like a religion to the talented actor, and he will not settle for less.” Classes meet twice a week, and include a number of exercises that act as steps for actors to use in their instinctive and intuitive approach to character.
THE WORKSHOP WITH JEFFREY TAMBOR
Santa Monica Playhouse
1211 Fourth St.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
staff@jeffreytamborworkshop.com
www.jeffreytamborworkshop.com
Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
The Workshop provides a challenging yet safe environment for artists to test their boundaries, grow and reignite the passion that led them to career in the arts.
Audition Technique/Cold Reading
BERRYWOOD
Linda Berry, instructor
4710 Hillcrest Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91941
info@berrywood.net
www.berrywood.net
619-507-6395/310-410-1836
Private and on-set coaching only; All levels; specializes in beginner and intermediate, kids/teens; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Berry offers training at her San Diego center and workshops in L.A. for actors. Training includes on-camera cold reading and scene study monologue work, preparing actors for auditioning and getting the role. Also offered: “How o Master the Business Side of the Entertainment Industry” - personal one-on-one training and consultation, which includes a workable marketing plan and useful promotion materials.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Acting Technique/Scene Study
THE CASTING PLAYHOUSE
Raleigh Studios
650 N. Bronson Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
thecastingplayhouse@gmail.com
www.thecastingplayhouse.com
310-922-6821
14 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Created by CD Jason Buyer,the Casting Playhouse offers kids, teens, and adults group and private audition technique classes, all on camera with honest and direct feedback.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
CHARLENE TILTON AND BOB RUSCH
T.U. Studios
10943 Camarillo St.
North Hollywood, CA 91602
tiltonruschacting@gmail.com
www.tiltonruschacting.com
323-229-2753
12 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
On-camera audition technique for half-hour comedy, hour long drama and film roles by putting the actor in a professional audition setting. Helps the actor make strong choices, improve their cold-reading skills, and develop better “in the room” presence, which enables them to audition with more confidence.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study; On-Camera Technique
COMEDY CAST INTENSIVE
G. Charles Wright
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
actorscomedystudio@gmail.com
www.actorscomedystudio.com
323-302-9152
16 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; By sessions
The Comedy Cast Intensive is your gateway to understanding the art of performing comedy in front of a camera. In this dynamic, one day event, you will learn specific techniques for sitcom acting and auditioning, inside information about how the industry works, and, most importantly, you’ll understand more about who you are in today’s competitive marketplace.
DAVID LEHMAN STUDIO
Julia Huffman, teacher and director
1819 W. Verdugo Ave.
Burbank, CA
filmactingcoach@yahoo.com
www.filmactingcoach.com
818-749-3628
12 students max; All levels; Free audit available; Ongoing
After studying with David for 8 years, Julia Huffman is now the studio director and teacher of David Lehman’s Studio. Classes cover cold reading and on-camera memorized scenes.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
ELIZABETH BAUMAN
contact@elizabethbaumanactingcoach.com
www.elizabethbaumanactingcoach.com
323-385-5237
Private coaching for individuals and small groups; All levels; Ongoing
Bauman specializes in monologue work, training the actor to engage the material and develop an intimate connection with it. She will also construct custom monologues for an actors, drawing from their own personal experiences and values.
HOLLY POWELL STUDIOS
11650 Riverside Dr., #3
Studio City, CA 91602
hollypowellcasting@yahoo.com
www.hollypowellstudios.com
818-377-4588
12 students max; Professional; admission to class is by referral or a picture, and résumé must be submitted; Auditing not permitted; 4-week sessions
Emmy Award-winning former casting director Holly Powell teaches 4-week audition workshops that demystify the audition process. Other actors “act as” producers as the actor travels through the “preread” with the casting director, the “callback” for producers, reading for studio executives, and “testing” at the network.
Other: On-Camera Technique
JACK HELLER
323-850-6328
Private coaching only; All levels
Jack Heller is an award-winning director, working actor, and lifetime member the Actors Studio. He studied with Harold Clurman, Robert Lewis, and Uta Hagen.
JAMES HARPER
jamesharper_actor@yahoo.com
818-749-4678
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
A Juilliard graduate, an award-winning actor/producer, and casting associate/consultant, he has taught master classes at numerous universities and colleges throughout the United States. Mr. Harper specializes in audition coaching and ongoing once the job is secured.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study; On-Camera Technique
KEN LERNER STUDIO
kenlernerstudio@kenlerner.com
www.kenlerner.com
818-753-7744
20 students per class; private coaching available; Beginner to advanced; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Lerner offers cold reading and scene study classes in a challenging but nurturing style. Students work every week in class. He has been teaching for 25 years, acted steadily in movies, TV shows, commercials, plays, and shares his on-set experiences to his students.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
MARCI LIROFF’S AUDITION BOOTCAMP
liroffcasting@sbcglobal.net
www.marciliroff.com
818-784-5434
Small class size; private coaching available via Skype; For working professionals, not beginners; Auditing is not permitted; Sessions at certain times of the year; visit website for announcements
Liroff offers three-night intensive courses in L.A. to learn how to “nail it.” Hers is a hone-and-tone course, not a fundamental skills class, and is aimed at working professionals, not those with limited audition experience. She provides a clear perspective on the business of acting and explores audition techniques, audition etiquette, online opportunities, and covers the do’s and don’ts of auditioning from the points of view of directors, producers, studio executives and casting directors.
Other: Business of Acting
CD MELISSA SKOFF’S PROFESSIONAL LEVEL COLD READING CLASSES
melissaskoffacting@gmail.com
www.melissaskoff.com
818-760-2058
Private coaching available for actors of all ages; Advanced and professional; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing classes for adults; New ongoing teens and kids classes
Casting director Skoff teaches cold reading and audition technique classes for working and advanced actors. Skoff teaches actors how to get the callback and how to book the job. She has cast more than 100 feature films, MOWs, pilots, and series. She was named one of Hollywood’s Top 20 TV Casting Directors by Ross Reports. Her experience covers drama and comedy, including sketch comedy. There is an emphasis on improvisation in the class, and she has worked with many well-known comics. Skoff has been a casting executive at Warner Bros. and Fox Broadcasting, as well as casting projects independently. Skoff has a keen eye for talent and cast such stars as Vince Vaughn, Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, Robert Downey Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, David Spade, Lauren Graham, and Catherine Bell early in their careers. Skoff creates a positive environment that encourages actors to challenge their skills and make exciting choices. Industry professionals visit and work with the class. Skoff holds a B.A. in theater, film, and television from UCLA. Classes are purchased by the month. Disclaimer: No guarantee of employment.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
PAUL GUTRECHT
info@auditionandactingcoach.com
www.auditionandactingcoach.com
888-732-3257
4-6 students per class; Intermediate to professional; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing
Small classes, semiprivate and private coaching that focus on the work-life realities of actors. Use ongoing audition simulations to prep for any upcoming auditions. Learn to handle anything that throws you off, from a distracting waiting-room environment to on-the-fly adjustments to your work at auditions or on-set.
Other: On-Camera Technique
THE RICHARD LAWSON STUDIOS
4450 Tobias Ave.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
richard@richardlawson.net
www.richardlawson.net/studio/index.html
818-793-8767, Fax: 818-990-0369
Scene study: 50 students; improv: 20 students; on-camera: 20 students; ongoing audition: 20 students; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted but there is a free open class once a month; 16-week sessions (on-camera class) and ongoing
Lawson is an award-winning actor-director with 40 years’ experience and 30 years’ experience as a master teacher, offering scene study classes, improv classes, on-camera auditioning classes, on-camera classes (acting for film, filmmaking and career concept development).
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
RISA BRAMON GARCIA MASTER CLASS
Los Angeles, CA
risa@risabg.com
risabg.com
818-986-9777
15-20 actors per master class; Professional; Auditing not permitted; By monthly sessions
A full-day workshop that focuses on the audition and acting for the camera: interpreting the text, making the best choices for the scene and the character, connecting with the other character(s), staying truthful, authentic, relaxed, confident while making the boldest choices for oneself. Class is by invitation, with professional references.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
WALLACE AUDITION TECHNIQUE
Craig Wallace
Castaway Studios
info@wallaceauditiontechnique.com
www.wallaceauditiontechnique.com
323-960-7852
8 students max; All levels; Auditing on a case-by-case basis; Classes run in 6-week cycles
Voted favorite audition teacher in the 2010 Back Stage L.A. Readers’ Choice poll, Wallace’s technique gives actors the tools to relax, own the room, and book the job.
Business of Acting
ACTING BUSINESS BOOT CAMP
Peter Pamela Rose
13924 Panay Way, Ste. 601
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
actingbusinessbootcamp@gmail.com
www.actingbusinessbootcamp.com
310-712-5655
Group intensives; Private coaching available; All levels; Free phone and live seminars; free 3 by email request; Ongoing
Peter Pamela Rose, PCC, uses her extensive experience and skills as a certified coach to motivate actors, empowering them with the courage and opportunity to show their talent with honesty and confidence without fear.
THE ACTOR’S JOURNEY PROJECT
Stanley Livingston, CEO and lead instructor
Studio City, CA
school@theactorsjourney.com
www.theactorsjourney.com
323-656-4275, Fax: 323-654-0326
15 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; By sessions
The Actor’s Journey is not about “acting” or “performance skills.” The Actor’s Journey is a powerful new program developed to teach aspiring actors the industry-specific business and career-development skills needed to launch, advance, and sustain careers. These are skills not taught at any of the schools, colleges, universities, or academies that teach “acting.” Why spend years, if not decades, down in the trenches? Learn everything about the “industry” and how to function in it from 100 distinguished and award-winning entertainment-industry veterans who have already traveled down the road you are about to take. These are not teachers far removed from the processes that lead to work, these are professionals who have been there, done that and succeeded. Come to this powerful 4-session program, then hit the ground running. Learn from the ultimate authorities how to make all the right decisions and career moves from day one.
DOING BUSINESS IN THE BUSINESS
Mimi Mayer and Alex Alexander
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
actorscomedystudio@gmail.com
www.actorscomedystudio.com
323-302-9152
16 students per class; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; By sessions
Mimi, Alex, and ACS have developed an innovative and interactive class that helps actors avoid fatal career mistakes. In this information-packed course, you will learn inside information that successful actors know and use to achieve their goals.
KARI NISSENA
blissprods@yahoo.com
www.karinissena.com
213-397-8069
Private coaching to large seminars; All levels; Free phone consult; Ongoing and special events; Possible work study available
Coaching and career development specializing in realistic acting and creating major breakthroughs on the business side.
STEVE TRUITT COACHING
stevetruitt@verizon.net
www.stevetruittcoaching.com
310-463-9056
Private coaching only
Truitt is a working host as well as a certified life coach and NLP practitioner. He coaches actors in hosting, standup, copy interpretation, and guides them to discovering the keys to success.
WENDY HAINES IGNITE YOUR CAREER WORKSHOPS
mk@wendyhaines.com
www.wendyhaines.com
310-395-3246
30 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing; Work study available upon request
Haines developed a system to master the “inner game” of succeeding in your acting career. “Discover what holds you back, effectively move beyond what keeps you stuck, and set goals to achieve what you want.”
Classical
THE ANTAEUS ACADEMY
5114 Lankershim Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
academy@antaeus.org
www.antaeus.org/theacademy
818-506-5436, Fax: 818-506-5436
26-28 students per class; Intermediate to advanced; Auditing is permitted; Classical Styles and Advanced Classical Styles meet in fall and spring; Shakespeare Workout is ongoing; Limited work study internships available
The Antaeus Academy offers advanced training in the classics to actors of all ages and levels of training. A project of the Antaeus Company, L.A.’s classical theater ensemble, the academy trains actors in the classics through a series of 12- to 14-week scene study workshops. Classes meet weekly and are moderated by a rotating group of Antaeus Company members, directors, and acting teachers. Moderators have included, among others: Dakin Matthews, Armin Shimerman, Gregory Itzin and John Glover. The 14-week workshops culminate in a casual scene presentation for invited guests. All actors participating in academy programs are eligible for casting in Antaeus Company readings, workshops, and productions Also, after taking classes with us, students may be eligible for invitation into our A2 Ensemble, which produces and performs its own readings and productions, and participates in a number of casting director workshops and master classes. Admission into the Antaeus Academy is by audition only; looking for actors with classical training and experience, but will consider beginners with strong potential. Tuition varies.
JENIFER PARKER - NO FEARE SHAKESPEARE
PO Box 92299
Pasadena, CA 91109
nofeare@aol.com
626-660-8818
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
20-plus years’ experience training contemporary actors to successfully handle Shakespeare, European, and American classical styles of acting with confidence & technical proficiency.
KATE GEER’S SHAKESPEARE SURVIVAL SCHOOL
Kate Geer
shakespearesurvival@mac.com
www.shakespearesurvival.com
310-455-4295
15 students max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Geer is a founding member of both the Will Geer Theatricum and the Carousel Stage. She offers Shakespeare workshops that stress solid foundational work. Ms. Geer is building a small repertory group to perform free Shakespeare for the public.
MARTIN JAGO
Los Angeles, CA
jagomartin@aol.com
www.martinjago.net
323-590-2865
15-20 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Classes by appt. only
Jago’s special emphasis is on classical theater, focusing on Shakespeare. Author of “To Play or Not to Play,” an acting Shakespeare how-to book. He adopts a practical, on-your-feet working method to the Bard.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study; Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction; On-Camera Technique; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
A NOISE WITHIN
234 S. Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91204
education@anoisewithin.org
www.anoisewithin.org
818-240-0910, ext. 5
5-20 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels, including children; Working audits are permitted; Ongoing; Acting and production internships offered in fall and spring
The company offers conservatory and internship programs that provide focused, personal attention from skilled, working professionals in a welcoming environment that seeks to develop the whole artist. Conservatory classes include Speaking Shakespeare, Acting Shakespeare, and the Classics Workout.
WILL GEER THEATRICUM BOTANICUM ACADEMY OF THE CLASSICS
Susan Angelo, program director
1419 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga, CA 90290
academy@theatricum.com
www.theatricum.com
310-455-2322, Fax: 310-455-3724
10-16 students per class; All levels; Ellen Geer’s master class limited to professional actors and directors, audition required; Auditing is not permitted; By sessions and ongoing; Internships available as well as a limited number of professional training packages
Offerings include a five-week, 90-hour summer intensive Shakespeare seminar; a four-weekend, 65-hour winter intensive Shakespeare seminar; spring and summer eight-week Shakespeare scene study and monologue workshops; a winter eight-week master class in classical theater; and a variety of technique workshops.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Commercials/Voiceover
BUDDY POWELL’S COMMERCIAL ACTING FOR SENIOR PERFORMERS
Hollywood and North Hollywood, CA
www.buddypowell.com
818-220-0875
15-20 students per class; All levels; Specializes in beginners; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Enrollment open September through June
Learn the necessary on-camera skills to pursue a career in commercial acting. Buddy Powell is a professional performer (Broadway, television, and film) and a certified adult instructor.
CAROLYNE BARRY’S COMMERCIAL, IMPROV, AND ACTING WORKSHOPS
www.carolynebarry.com
323-654-2212
14-18 students per class; All levels; Interview required for auditing; By sessions and ongoing
In her 30-plus years in the business, Barry has been an audition teacher, appeared in more than 400 national TV commercials, cast hundreds more, published tape programs for actors on the market, and directed an Off-Broadway musical. Barry’s programs offer commercial, improv, hosting, and acting workshops.
COMMERCIAL ACTING WITH ADRIENNE OMANSKY
Westside Community Adult School
11800 Texas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-914-3565
25 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; By sessions
This course provides students with the fundamental skills necessary to pursue a career in the field of commercial acting, as well as the opportunity to apply competencies learned in this course by performing in industry and community showcases. Only $15 per semester for student over 60; $45 for under 60.
DAN BALESTRERO
Agua Dulce/Santa Clarita, CA 91390
dan@masteringvoiceover.com
www.masteringvoiceover.com
661-450-6004 or 310-827-3500
10 students max; private coaching available; All levels; Free introductory seminar; Ongoing; Work study/internship program available
Dan Balestrero has taught vocal technique for voiceover artists and actors for more than a quarter of a century. Balestrero’s classes and workshops emphasize cold reading skills, breath and voice development, voiceover styles, naturalness of delivery, home studio setup, and business networking skills.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Business of Acting
FOLEY/MARRA CASTING
13425 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
sendtomegan@charter.net
www.meganfoleycasting.com
818-216-9350
10-12 students per class; All levels; Auditing for the ongoing class only; Ongoing; Work study available
Megan and Chuck Marra offer a weekly class as well as their famous one-day commercial intensives for adults and for kids. They also offer online mentoring and coaching.
JEFF GERRARD CASTING INTENSIVE FOUR-WEEK COMMERCIAL WORKSHOP
jeff@jeffgerrard.com
www.jeffgerrard.com
818-782-9900, Fax: 818-782-0030
10-12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; By sessions only four times per year
Jeff Gerrard has been offering this commercial intensive for more than 25 years. The four-week workshop is offered four times a year and covers the business and technical side of commercial acting, including specific kinds of commercial demands: eating, singing, m.o.s., props, cue cards, dialogue-driven spots, and improvisations with fellow actors.
KALMENSON & KALMENSON VOICE CASTING
Donna DuBain, director of education
105 S. Sparks St.
Burbank, CA 91506
education@kalmenson.com
www.kalmenson.com
818-377-3600, ext. 111
8-10 students per class; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing
The owners of Kalmenson & Kalmenson commercial voice casting service have spent more than 25 years educating actors. Voiceover classes are available for all levels and are taught in the same full-service recording studios where auditions are held daily. Improv and scene study classes also offered.
Other: Improv and Comedy; Acting Technique/Scene Study
L.A.’S BEST COMMERCIAL WORKSHOP
Bill Bailey
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
actorscomedystudio@gmail.com
www.actorscomedystudio.com
323-302-9152
12 students per class; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; By sessions
LA’s Best Commercial Workshop offers you the most current information on the art of commercial audition technique. This six-week, comprehensive class will familiarize beginners with every aspect of commercial auditioning, challenge veteran actors with a new perspective, and provide all students with the resources and knowledge to audition and book commercials with complete confidence.
MARC CASHMAN-CASHMAN COMMERCIALS: THE “CASHMAN CACHE” OF VOICE ACTING TECHNIQUES
cashcomm@earthlink.net
www.cashmancommercials.com
661-222-9300
8 students per class; Beginner, intermediate, advanced and professional; Audits encouraged, payment plan available; Ongoing
This Clio-winning casting director and producer instructs beginning, intermediate, advanced, and professional actors on the tricks of the trade in developing a successful radio/TV voiceover career.
ORANGE COUNTY COMMERCIAL ACTING WORKSHOP
Rod Michaelson
info@occaw.com
www.occaw.com
714-832-1895
5-6 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 6-week sessions (beginning), 5-week sessions (advanced)
Ron Michaelson, the “Ditech Guy” and a working actor for more than 20 years, teaches beginning and advanced on-camera commercial classes. His school, based in Tustin, also offers an improv class, a cold reading technique class, and a scene study sitcom class.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Improv and Comedy
SANDRA MERRILL COMMERCIAL CLASS
sm@sandramerrill.com
www.sandramerrill.com
323-662-7720
3-6 students per class; Private coaching available; Ongoing
A former casting director and talent agent, Merrill teaches on-camera commercial classes and offers an insider’s perspective into the casting process and successful audition techniques. Prior acting experience recommended.
SANDY HOLT/VOICECASTER
sandyloops@aol.com
310-271-8217
Private coaching available
Sandy Holt, a Second City Chicago alum, teaches a voiceover workshop for commercials and animation that covers sharpening audition skills and booking the job, making the copy your own and being original, having fun playing different characters, and improvising and learning recording techniques. Holt produces demos custom-made to the actor’s talents.
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
SECRETS OF VOICEOVER WITH DAVID H. LAWRENCE XVII
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
actorscomedystudio@gmail.com
www.actorscomedystudio.com
323-302-9152
14 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted
David H. Lawrence XVII was chosen favorite voiceover teacher by Back Stage L.A.’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards for this series of ongoing weekly classes, training actors in both voiceover skills and voiceover career management. Each class includes a worksheet, a lecture, and actual on-mic work, with the audio given to participants in MP3 format.
Other: Business of Acting; Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
STUART STONE CASTING
stuart@commercialacting.net
www.commercialacting.net
323-645-4433
Award-winning casting director for commercials, voiceovers, film, print, and television, Stuart Stone has created a commercials workshop to teach actors how to audition with his proven audition techniques that has helped many actors book commercial and film jobs, learn what advertisers and directors are looking for, understand their type, and develop what makes a successful working commercial actor. His students become working actors.
TERRY BERLAND - BERLAND CASTING
Terry Berland
c/o 310 Casting Studios
2329 Purdue Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
info@berlandcasting.com
www.berlandcasting.com
310-275-0601
14 students max; All levels
Berland teaches an on-camera technique workshop designed to enable talent to give the small commercial space multiple dimensions and reveal depth and layers of their personality in less than 30 seconds. The end result will be a performance that is connected and involved in the scene, as opposed to a sell. Berland is a Cleo Award-winning casting director who has been casting commercials for more than 20 years, co-author of ‘Breaking Into Commercials,’ and is called on nationally to teach commercial acting technique in a weekend format.
VOICEPRINT WEST
c/o 310 Casting Studios
2329 Purdue St.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
info@voiceprintwest.com
www.voiceprintwest.com
310-275-0601
Small class sizes; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Seminars, workshops, one-day workouts and events. Special home reads and self direct, and marketing seminars offered. Up-to-the-minute training with working industry professionals Terry Berland, Nick Omana, Allen Lulu, and others.
Conservatory/University
ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY
Acting School
79 New Montgomery St., 4th Fl.
San Francisco, CA 94105-3410
www.academyart.edu/ep/acting-school/index.html
800-544-2787
Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Founded by artists for artists, the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, School of Motion Pictures & Television/Acting continues to improve and expand its accredited A.A., BFA, and MFA programs. Recent classes have been added under the supervision of department director Diane Baker: Advanced Acting for Performance; Advanced Voice: Speech and Singing; Advanced Movement: Alexander Technique; and Modern Dance. These classes assume a love and dedication to the acting craft. All classes are taught in world-class facilities with top industry professionals.
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ARTS - LA
1336 N. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
admissions@ca.aada.org
www.aada.edu
800-222-2867, Fax: 323-464-1128
12-16 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
America’s first and foremost acting conservatory, The Academy was founded in 1884 and the Los Angeles branch opened in 1974. Located in the heart of Hollywood, AADA LA continues the tradition of excellence with its fully accredited two-year conservatory program, culminating in an Associate of Arts degree. Areas covered in the conservatory program include acting, voice and speech, movement, theater history and styles, fencing, makeup, musical theater, and Shakespeare among others. Classes in working on camera are offered in the second year where students apply what they’ve learned to film media. A select group of students are accepted into a third-year repertory company. In addition, AADA offers four and two week summer intensives in acting for the camera, audition technique, and youth theater. AADA New York is located at 120 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, 800-463-8990.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
CALARTS SCHOOL OF THEATER
24700 McBean Parkway
Valencia, CA 91355-2340
admissions@calarts.edu
www.calarts.edu and http://theatercalarts.com/home
661-253-7853
8-15 students per class; Auditing not permitted; Fall entrance only
One of the nation’s leading professional training programs with an environment designed to support the creation of new work and original interpretation.
EAST WEST PLAYERS ACTORS CONSERVATORY
Marilyn Tokuda
120 N. Judge John Aiso St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
mtokuda@eastwestplayers.org
www.eastwestplayers.org
213-625-7000, ext. 15, Fax: 213-625-7111
8-12 students per class; All levels; Auditing permitted with permission of the instructor; Ongoing; Limited number of full and work-study scholarships available
The nation’s largest producers of Asian-American artistic work and the longest-running professional theater of color in the country, they offer classes for emerging and professional artists.
ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
1010 N. Main St.
Santa Ana, CA 92701
admissions@ocsarts.net
www.ocsarts.net
714-560-0900, Fax: 714-664-0463
20-30 students per class; Must have min. 2.0 GPA; Auditing not permitted; Aug.-June with summer, weekend, and evening classes available; Varies by conservatory
Nationally recognized as a premier arts school, OCHSA encourages artistic creativity and academic excellence while providing students with a environment focused on individual growth, opportunity, and diversity.
Other: Young Performers
PACIFIC CONSERVATORY OF THE PERFORMING ARTS
Gloria Lopez
at Allan Hancock College
800 S. College Dr.
Santa Maria, CA 93454-6399
conservatory@pcpa.org
www.pcpa.org
805-928-7731, Fax: 805-928-7506
12-18 students per class; Admission by audition; All levels; Auditing by permission only; By sessions; EMC Program
PCPA’s conservatory program is geared for serious students with professional aspirations. Each year, 30 students train as members of the professional equity company and also graduate with approximately 76 units of lower-division drama credits, useful for those students transferring on to B.A. or BFA programs.
PROMENADE PLAYHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY
1404 Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
info@promenadeplayhouse.com
www.promenadeplayhouse.com
310-656-8070, Fax: 310-656-8069
10-15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Four quarters a year with customized programs available monthly; Work-study program available
Since 1995, founder and artistic director, Natalia Lazarus has been at the helm of the Conservatory, which includes an Equity-approved theater, renowned 3rd Street Comedy & The Promenade Players Theatre Company. The Conservatory helps actors with customized programs through Meisner, Adler, Strasberg, on-camera, and screenwriting.
THE RUSKIN SCHOOL OF ACTING
3021 Airport Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
info@ruskinschool.com
www.ruskinschool.com
310-390-4212, Fax: 310-397-4920
Class size varies; Private coaching available; Auditing is permitted; interview required; By sessions and ongoing
John Ruskin was Sanford Meisner’s apprentice, studying with him in New York and teaching for him at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. The Ruskin School offers a two-year course of study in the Meisner technique, as well as a master class for those who have previously completed the two-year program.
Other: Young Performers
STELLA ADLER ACADEMY OF ACTING - LOS ANGELES
6773 Hollywood Blvd., 2nd Fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
theadler@stellaadler-la.com
www.stellaadler-la.com
323-465-4446, Fax: 323-469-6049
10-14 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Work study available
Founded by one of the world’s most respected acting teachers, the Stella Adler Studio offers a two-year conservatory program and individual classes. With six terms each year, classes include: acting technique, film/stage scene study, script analysis, theater to film audition technique, styles of acting, voice, movement, improvisation, Shakespeare, Chekhov, stage combat, dance, dialects, accent reduction, and commercial skills, all culminating in a play/film production. Ongoing professional class instructors include Benicio Del Toro, Holland Taylor, Mark Ruffalo, Kate Mulgrew, and Anthony Zerbe. Not associated with the Stella Adler Studio in New York.
THEATRE OF ARTS
Hollywood Plaza
6755 Hollywood Blvd., #500
Los Angeles, CA 90028
lizm@toa.edu
www.toa.edu
323-463-2500, Fax: 323-463-2645
6-10 students per class; Application and audition required for entry into the program; 12-week trimesters, 2-year program; Limited work study and scholarships up to $5,000 available
Theatre of Arts opened in 1927 and has evolved through the leadership of outstanding directors like Max Reinhardt and Michael Chekhov into today’s accredited college for the contemporary actor.
UCLA EXTENSION DEPARTMENT OF ENTERTAINMENT STUDIES AND PERFORMING ARTS
entertainmentstudies@uclaextension.edu
www.uclaextension.edu/entertainmentstudies
310-825-9064
This program offers a diverse and comprehensive acting curriculum taught by industry professionals. Courses cover all aspects of the business, from using props on set to managing a career.
Improv and Comedy
ACME ACTORS STUDIO at ACME COMEDY HOLLYWOOD
Dan Kane
7122 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
actorsstudio@acmecomedy.com
www.acmecomedy.com
323-525-0202
6-12 students per class; All levels; some classes require an audition; Auditing with permission; Ongoing; Work study/internship available
ACME Actors Studio @ ACME Comedy Hollywood proudly celebrates more than “20 Funny Years” of success in our classes and workshops and in productions on our famous stage, helping launch the careers of actors and writers for hundreds of TV shows, films, and commercials. ACME offers a variety of workshops to help you find your voice and hone your talents, comedic or otherwise. Our programs feature fundamental and advanced skill development as well as performance opportunities equally appropriate for beginners and experienced actors. You want to study at a studio that offers real stage and camera time in the professionally produced shows of a respected and recognized theater/broadcast studio. That’s why so many actors have studied at ACME. Participation in advanced workshops may lead to an invitation to join one of our top-level stage performance groups or the cast of one of our popular online TV shows.
ACTORS IMPROV STUDIO
10707 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
actorsimprovstudio@earthlink.net
www.actorsimprovstudio.com
818-790-3413
16 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Bill Applebaum, former member of Second City Chicago and founder of Actors Improv Studio, offers ongoing improv workshops that help actors and anyone who wants to become more creative, spontaneous, and relaxed.
ANNE BEATTS
beattsclass@aol.com
http://modernmirth.com/anne/annebeatts.html
310-273-1637
Beatts, the Emmy-winning original “Saturday Night Live” writer, teaches sketch comedy writing-performing in a course that culminates in a performance for an invited audience in a recognized comedy venue.
BANG COMEDY INSTITUTE AND THEATRE
457 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@bangstudio.com
www.bangstudio.com
323-653-6886
14 students max; Auditing is permitted; By session
Bang Comedy Institute and Theatre offers a comprehensive comedy program, including classes in improv, sketch comedy, stand-up, web series development, sitcom acting and writing, screenwriting, musical improv, and more. Bang has long been well-regarded for its offbeat and experimental brand of comedy, fostering such talents as Jeff Garlin, Jane Lynch, and Sarah Silverman.
BARB & STEVE NORTH’S COMEDY WORKSHOP
22647 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 422
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
steve@funnycoach.com
www.funnycoach.com; www.comedynorth.com
818-347-5098
12 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Steve North (“the Comedy Coach”) and his wife Barb’s Comedy Workshops offer a complete comedy development environment from beginner to professional. The workshops focus on the North’s “comedic character” method of training performers to be comedians rather than comics, students regularly perform in the “Beyond Standup” show.
BOBBIE OLIVER - STANDUP ACADEMY
Bobbie Oliver
Ice House Comedy Club Main Room
24 N. Mentor Ave.
Pasadena, CA
bobbie@bobbieoliver.net
www.standupacademy.net
323-697-8287
12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Four sessions per year
Comedian Bobbie Oliver teaches three ongoing standup comedy classes in eight-week sessions. Class ends with a graduation show in the main room.
THE COMEDY ACADEMY
Craig Anton
comedyacademy@gmail.com
www.thecomedyacademy.com
310-413-6633
Limited class size; Private coaching available; All levels
Comedy Academy emphasis is on comedy scene study. Classes show actors how to bring more of themselves to each role and how to dig out and discover the funny.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
COMEDYSPORTZ LOS ANGELES
733 N. Seward St.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
mail@comedysportzla.com
www.comedysportzla.com
323-871-1193, Fax: 323-871-1192
10-20 students per class; All levels; Auditing permitted in the beginner class; 4- to-8-week workshops throughout the year; Internships available
This approach to improvisation organizes teams of performers in athletic-style competition. Since 1988, L.A.’s own professional team offers improv workshops plus a Sunday team that performs for the public.
CYNTHIA SZIGETI
bigsind@hotmail.com
www.talenttogo.net
818-389-6485
16 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; beginners especially welcome; Auditing not permitted; Sessions at certain times of the year
Legendary improv teacher (formerly ran the schools at The Groundlings and The ACME Comedy Theatre) whose former students include Conan O’Brien, Lisa Kudrow, Joel McHale, Adam Carolla, Michael Hitchcock, Will Forte, Julia Sweeney, and Alex Borstein teaches not only the fundamentals of improv but how to apply it to auditions, scene work, writing, and the creation of content in the digital media age.
FLAPPERS UNIVERSITY
Brain Jack, training center
director/improv teacher/coach; Dave Reinitz, standup teacher/coach
102 E. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
classes@flapperscomedy.com
www.flappersuniversity.com
818-845-9721
6-10 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; By sessions and ongoing
At Flappers University we believe that comedy is truly an art form, a combination of raw talent and technique. Talent can be lost without technique, so we first teach joke structure and the basic language of comedy. We also believe that what makes a great comedian is being personal and authentic and, perhaps, a rule-breaker, so we provide a safe and fun environment where you can be just that: authentic, inspired, and successful. Whether you are already a working comedian, looking to make it your profession, simply need help with that next presentation, or just want to come and have fun, we can help you find the path to funny.
THE GAY MAFIA IMPROV COMEDY WORKSHOP
thegaymafia@yahoo.com
www.thegaymafia.net, www.mikeplayer.net
10-12 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Work study is available
This workshop is led by Mike Player, director and head writer for the improv/sketch comedy troupe The Gay Mafia and a graduate of the Warner Bros. comedy writers’ workshop.
GERRY KATZMAN’S STANDUPCOMEDYCLASS.COM
Venice, CA 90291
comedyclass@gmail.com
www.standupcomedyclass.com
323-251-1286
10 students max; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced; Auditing permitted in some cases; By sessions; Work study/internship program in some cases
Voted favorite comedy class in L.A. by Back Stage’s Readers’ Choice Awards, Gerry Katzman has a magical and kind way of coaching people into being hilarious, personal, unique, and confident onstage.
THE GROUNDLINGS SCHOOL
7307 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
school@groundlings.com
www.groundlings.com
323-934-4747, ext. 21
16 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted but auditions are run like the first day of a class and are free; Sessions every six weeks throughout the year; Email résumé and cover letter for internship opportunities
This 30-year-old sketch comedy institution, home of the famous Groundlings performing troupe, offers improvisation classes taught by Groundlings and alumni in a safe, structured, and supportive atmosphere. Students with previous acting or improv experience are recommended to audition for Basic, the first level of the core program which teaches the fundamentals of the Groundlings’s world-renowned form of improv. Extension workshops for beginners are also offered that do not require an audition. Sessions begin every six weeks; specific registration dates are available on the website or by phone.
HARVEY LEMBECK COMEDY WORKSHOP
Helaine Lembeck, Artistic Director
lembeckworkshop@sbcglobal.net
www.harveylembeckcomedyworkshop.com
310-271-2831
20-22 students per class; Private coaching also available; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced; Audits by arrangement only; Ongoing
Emmy-winning director Michael Lembeck and his sister Helaine Lembeck took over these comedy classes 28 years ago, 19 years after the late Harvey Lembeck began the workshop. The workshop offers classes aimed at the trained working actor wanting to specialize in comedy. Workshops are designed to teach the actor how to play comedy legitimately in a scene, using improv as a tool to enhance comedic skills for sitcoms, TV, and film. Students participate onstage three or four times each night. Critiques are by instructors only. Former students include Robin Williams, Bryan Cranston, Penny Marshall, John Ritter, Kim Cattrall, John Larroquette, Jenna Elfman, Ted McGinley, Marilu Henner, Mary Kay Place, Lenny Clark, Alan Rachins, Scott Baio, David Leisure, Sally Kirkland, and Sharon Stone.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
IMPRO THEATRE
1727 N. Vermont Ave., Ste. 211
Los Feliz, CA 90027
improlosangeles@gmail.com
www.improtheatre.com
323-401-6162
15 students per class; Nonactors to professional; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing and workshops; Internships programs available
The Impro Theatre School teaches the skills necessary to improvise full-length plays. They focus on truth in the moment and allow comedy to arise out of that.
IMPROV COMEDY WAY WITH ANDY GOLDBERG
Andy Goldberg
Avery Schreiber Theatre
11050 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
www.offthewallcomedy.net
310-283-4027
Private coaching available; Ongoing
Goldberg, author of “Improv Comedy,” has been teaching for more than 20 years. His classes emphasize character development through exercises, games, and scene work.
IO WEST
6336 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
laclasses@ioimprov.com
http://west.ioimprov.com
323-962-7560
Varies; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced; Auditing for improv teams permitted with special permission; New sessions every 7 weeks; Internship program available
Born in Chicago more than 30 years ago, IO is best known for its long-form improvisation, including the signature form “The Harold” (and for its alumni: Mike Myers, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Chris Farley, and Andy Richter, to name a few). IO West offers seven levels of improvisation classes as well as writing and acting classes. Stage time is guaranteed with showcase and performance opportunities in the improv and writing classes. New classes begin every seven weeks.
JACQUIE LOWELL’S IMPROVISATIONAL COMEDY CLASSES
San Diego, CA
j@jlowell.com
www.teachmeimprov.com
858-581-0050
8-16 students per class; All levels; Sample class available for $20; Ongoing
Lowell has taught improv in San Diego for the last 35 years and has performed with and directed multiple improvisational comedy performing troupes. She leads creativity communication, and team-building workshops for organizations, conferences, and events.
JODI MILLER
323-525-0202
Miller offers a standup course separate from the curriculum at the ACME that consists of group classes, private lessons, and a final performance, after which the student receives a DVD.
JUDY BROWN’S STAND-UP COMEDY WORKSHOP
Santa Monica, CA
judybrowni@usa.net
310-663-7019
Private, intensive coaching; All levels; Ongoing
Brown helps students turn their natural sense of humor into a professional comedy act. Along the way, she says, they’ll learn comedy timing, delivery, and joke writing, and graduate with a comedy monologue.
KATHLEEN MAZZOLA
kathleenmazzola@hotmail.com
310-924-9380
Class size limited
Mazzola, known for her simple, direct, and oftentimes hilarious method of teaching, focuses on improvisation, scene study, and preparing the actor for auditions and a professional career.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
L.A. CONNECTION COMEDY PRODUCTIONS
Kent Skov, artistic director
13442 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
kentskov@aol.com
www.laconnectioncomedy.com
818-710-1320
All levels; Auditing permitted in some cases; Ongoing; Work study opportunities in office and theatre.
L.A.’s longest-running improv company, voted “Best Place to Laugh Until You Cry” 2011 by Cityvoter, offers performance training and an adult improv repertory company that allows members to perform before a live audience on a weekly basis.
LESLEY WOLFF’S STANDUP COMEDY WORKSHOP
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
actorscomedystudio@gmail.com
www.actorscomedystudio.com
323-302-9152
16 students per class; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; By sessions
Lesley’s hands-on standup class consists of four group meetings, a private consultation, and a class showcase. In five weeks, you’ll be taken through the paces of joke writing, storytelling, honing material, developing an act, performing onstage, and having fun. The class culminates in a showcase at Actors Comedy Studio, where you’ll most likely become hopelessly addicted to applause and/or standing ovations.
MERILYN CARNEY: IMPROVISATION AND COLD READING/CLASSES AND PRIVATE COACHING
merilyncarney@earthlink.net
www.merilyncarney.com
323-620-1689
8-12 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing every Wednesday afternoon; Scholarship program available
Carney believes improvisation is the best training for actors. Carney says, “In this workshop actors become fearless, emotionally free, and driven in their careers.”
M.i.’s WESTSIDE COMEDY THEATER
1323A Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
classes@westsidecomedy.com
www.westsidecomedy.com
310-451-0850
14 students max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing; Work study/internship program available
Offers a full calendar of shows and classes every night. The WCT was recently named one of the best places to scout talent in L.A. by Variety. We’re committed to fostering a down-to-earth, supportive, professional environment to create opportunities for talent to gain exposure and further their careers.
ONE-PERSON SHOW START-TO-FINISH MASTER CLASS
Terrie Silverman
PO Box 35404
Los Angeles, CA 90035
terrie@creativerites.com
www.creativerites.com
310-281-3175
Limited class size; All levels; Auditing is not permitted, but potential students can sign up for one pro-rated class; By sessions
Terrie Silveman, writer/performer and Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center’s artist-in-residence, offers a six-month intensive leading you through the entire process of creating the one-person show, from the first draft to a workshop production. In a supportive environment, you’ll learn the nuts and bolts of storytelling, dramatic structure, and character development. Release the inner critic and access your authentic voice while writing, improvising, and performing weekly. The intensive culminates in a full-length solo show for an invited audience. Shows developed with Terrie have toured internationally and Off-Broadway. Alumni include Laraine Newman, Ann Randolph, Olivia D’abo, Roma Maffia, John Fugelsang, Melanie Chartoff, Heather Woodbury, Lucia Ryker, and Maureen Teefy. Terrie has also been a director and dramaturge for a number of acclaimed one-person shows.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
PAUL RYAN’S TV HOSTING & COMEDY STUDIO
4645 Van Nuys Blvd., Ste. 202
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
paul@paulryanproductions.com
www.paulryanproductions.com
818-788-2190, Fax: 818-788-0706
8 students per hosting intensive; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Sessions are scheduled; Possible work study available
TV hosting intensives and comedy workshops are scheduled by Mr. Ryan, who is the author of “The Art of Comedy: Getting Serious About Being Funny,” published by Random House. He recently co-starred as Bruce on “Desperate Housewives.” Host producer of more than 700 celebrity TV shows.
SANDI C. SHORE’S STANDUP COMEDY WORKSHOP
The Comedy Store
916 Pearl St.
La Jolla, CA 92037
sandi@sandishore.com
www.sandishore.com
858-454-9176
Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Check website calendar for class dates
Shore offers eight-week sessions culminating with a showcase in the final week. A textbook is required: “Sandi Shore’s Secret to Standup Success.” Workshops are held at the Comedy Store in La Jolla.
THE SECOND CITY TRAINING CENTER
6560 Hollywood Blvd., 2nd Fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
training.la@secondcity.com
www.secondcity.com/hollywood
323-464-8542, Fax: 323-464-1861
16 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Work study/internships available
The Los Angeles Training Center offers classes in improvisation and sketch comedy year-round for actors of all ages. Called the “Ivy League of Comedy,” the Second City has trained many of the country’s leading comedy actors, writers, and directors. Its alumni include John Belushi, Bill Murray, Alan Arkin, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Sean Hayes, Steve Carell, Harold Ramis, and more. Youth program available for ages 8-18, along with summer boot camp and intensives.
STEVE KAPLAN’S COMEDY INTENSIVE
skcomedy@aol.com
www.kaplancomedy.com
818-718-7570
10-16 students per class; Advanced to professional; Auditing not permitted; Fall and spring sessions; Work study available
Day One: The hidden tools and techniques of comedy are explored through exercises, improv, and theater games. Day Two: You apply the tools to text TV, theater, and film.
TIM SIMEK
hotczech1@earthlink.net
www.slowchildrenimprov.com
818-410-7529
10-12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Occasionally will have interns help at improv shows
Founder-director of the comedy improv group Slow...Children at Play (13th season), Simek offers ongoing improv and scene study classes, including character development and audition techniques. He has 20 years’ experience in the entertainment industry as an actor, director, producer, and instructor.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
On-Camera Technique
ANDREA MORRIS’S ONLINE AUDITIONING AND ON-CAMERA CLASS
Los Angeles, CA 90027
class@andreamorris.com
www.andreamorris.com/class
323-744-1253
8 students max; All levels; Ongoing
Class focused on online auditioning and detailed on-camera work. Students are encouraged to use the class either as a training tool or in conjunction with their representation. For instance, an actor’s coached audition is uploaded to a private video link which the actor’s rep can then forward to casting.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
BRAD’S CLASS! FILM ACTING WORKSHOP
Brad Greenquist
The Promenade Playhouse
1404 Third St.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
brad@bradgreenquist.com
www.bradsclass.com
12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Actor Brad Greenquist teaches students to deliver shots: long, medium, two-shot, close-up, walk and talk, handheld, dolly, etc. Students are taught to think in shots, to understand editing as it affects the actor and how to use the technology to their advantage.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
CHAD McCORD ACTORS STUDIO
Hollywood Media District
Los Angeles, CA 90038
chad@chadmccord.com
www.chadmccord.com
323-868-9225 or 323-939-7339
1-3 students per class; private coaching available; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced; Auditing not permitted; must do consultation before enrolling; Ongoing
Chad McCord offers audition coaching and private classes specializing in script analysis, organic preparation, audition technique, and the business of acting. All classes are on-camera, using current pilot, film, and TV material only.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study; Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Business of Acting
CREATIVE COMBUSTION ACTING STUDIO
coach4actors@aol.com
www.ccactingstudio.com
310-285-6777
12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted if contacted in advance; Sessions Sept.-May with ongoing intensives throughout the year
Director and acting coach Joshua Finkel offers classes for actors and public speakers of all ages and levels. All work is on-camera and taped.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Acting Technique/Scene Study
JD FERRANTINO
See Screen Actors Studio.
ON-CAMERA CLASSES WITH CHRISTINNA CHAUNCEY
3575 Cahuenga Blvd. West,
Ste. 125
Los Angeles, CA 90068
info@oncameraclasses.com
www.oncameraclasses.com
818-720-3052
10 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; interview required; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing classes as well as seasonal; Work-study program available
Focuses on developing strong cold-read, audition, and on-camera skills specific to television. Chauncey has more than 15 years’ professional experience in front of and behind the camera.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Acting Technique/Scene Study
PUPPET SCHOOL
13440 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 108
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
info@puppetschool.com
www.puppetschool.com
818-986-9944
12 students max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Puppet School is comprised of a group of creative artists with a passion for puppetry. Teachers are primarily who we are, but we also love to share our gifts and talents through puppet making and performance. Puppetry is a thriving art form, both in the U.S. and abroad, that we at Puppet School are privileged to perpetuate and preserve.
SCREEN ACTORS STUDIO
Sonia Lopes, JD Ferrantino
Los Angeles, CA 90048
sonia@screenactorsstudio.com
www.screenactorsstudio.com
310-358-5942
12 students max; Private coaching for auditions available; All levels; Free class audit and audition; Ongoing; Work study/internship program available
Lopes and Ferrantino teach on-camera workshops at Exclusive Casting for all levels. They offer film and commercial classes for kids and adults.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study; Commercials/Voiceover
STEVE EASTIN STUDIO
10107 Camarillo St.
Toluca Lake, CA 91602
steve@eastinstudio.com
www.eastinstudio.com
818-980-9828
Private coaching available; Free audit provided
Steve Eastin Studio offers ongoing on-camera instruction to small classes of working actors and actors starting out. Eastin, who has been teaching for 20 years, is known for his lead roles in “Field of Dreams,” “Con Air,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “The Black Dahlia,” and “Matchstick Men.”
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
TAKE AFTER TAKE
dennis@takeaftertake.com
www.takeaftertake.com
“Take After Take” teaches actors to prepare their emotion and deliver their performance under a variety of pressures, including rapid and repeat takes, acting with nonactors, and the like. “Marks and Matching” focuses on teaching actors to hit marks and match action for continuity. Workshops are held in Los Angeles and New York City.
TIM PHILLIPS STUDIO -
LA/NY
2124 S. Redondo Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
assistant@timphillipsstudio.com
www.timphillipsstudio.com
310-772-8262 (LA); 212-505-5593 (NY)
10 students per class; Private coaching available; Advanced and professional; Interview and audit required for all classes; Ongoing
Phillips currently has three ongoing “On Camera” audition classes and monthly “Sherlock Holmesing the Text” lectures.
WEIST-BARRON-HILL ACTING FOR TELEVISION AND FILM
4300 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
wbhillacting@aol.com
www.weistbarronhillacting.com
818-846-5595
10 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; By sessions and ongoing
Offers an array of on-camera classes, but the centerpiece is the 10-session commercial TV workshop. They use their own cold reading technique, devised over the years.
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Acting Technique/Scene Study
Physical Theater/Movement
DANCE FOR THE ACTOR - THERESA HAYES
8205 Santa Monica Blvd., #1-132
West Hollywood, CA 90046
dancefortheactor@aol.com
www.dancefortheactor.com
310-923-4787
No class size limit; Private coaching available; Beginner, intermediate; private coaching for all levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Offers dance classes specifically for performing artists. Theresa Hayes (“Sophisticated Ladies,” “Dreamgirls,” “The Tap Dance Kid,”) is a cum laude graduate of UCLA, where she received her B.A. in theater arts.
MIME THEATRE STUDIO
info@mimetheatrestudio.com
www.mimetheatrestudio.com
310-494-MIME
Private coaching also available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; 2-day intensive workshops, ongoing weekly classes
Actors learn how to “make the invisible visible,” using the body to express character, thought, and emotion, and how to better understand and use their movement. MTS director Lorin Eric Salm is a graduate of the Marcel Marceau Paris International School of Mimodrama and has been teaching for more than 20 years.
Singing/Musical Theater
AUDITION SUCCESS WITH MICHAEL SARTOR
Studio City, CA
musicinla@msn.com
818-763-4898
12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
L.A./NYC vocal coach and frequent audition pianist Sartor coaches performers seeking to develop musical theater performance skills. He assists in selecting and arranging unique audition material.
BILL HALLER - VOICE TEACHER
818-780-8240
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Bill Haller trains singers in pop/Broadway belt technique. He was named one of the top private coaches in Back Stage West’s 2006 Best of L.A. readers’ poll.
BOB GARRETT
bahbeeg@aol.com
www.bobgarrett.net
818-506-5526
Master class available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; By sessions, six times per year
Garrett offers private voice classes and musical theater workshops. His techniques focus on breath control and support, expanding range, voice placement, calming nerves, and preparation of audition-technically, emotionally, and presentationally.
CAROL WEISS MUSICAL THEATER WORKSHOP
1249 N. Lodi Pl.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
carolstage9@sbcglobal.net
www.carolweissmusic.com
323-460-6006
Class size varies; All levels
Carol Weiss is an accomplished musical director, who has worked at the Sacramento Music Circus, the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, and the South Bay CLO. Her classes prepare students for musical theater the way singers train for opera.
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
CAROLE D’ANDREA
caroledandrea@yahoo.com
www.caroledandrea.com
310-281-7116
15-20 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
D’Andrea’s 50-year career includes the original Broadway “West Side Story” (also the film) and “Gypsy.” She has directed productions of “Company,” “Guys and Dolls,” and “Damn Yankees” and offers courses on singing performance, scene study, cold reading, monologues, and exercises.
ACTORS VOCAL @ ACS WITH CORINNE DEKKER
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
actorscomedystudio@gmail.com
www.actorscomedystudio.com; www.cdekker.com
323-302-9152
All levels
Private, one-on-one lessons that include warm-up and technical exercises. Corinne can assign you songs or work with material you provide. You’ll work on vocal and performance technique with material geared towards pop and musical theater. Perfect for beginning singers, working actors and artists, kids and teens!
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
DAVID COURY’S SINGING FOR ACTORS
The Howard Fine Acting Studio
1445 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
info@howardfine.com; david.coury@davidcoury.com
www.howardfine.com; www.davidcoury.com
323-962-3188
Ongoing
David Coury is an international voice expert and teacher who works with leading professionals across industries, from consumer products executives, Top 40 recording artists and management consultants to actors and broadcasters. His proprietary voice and presentation method has transformed everyone, from his corporate to celebrity clients, into powerful and engaging professionals with potent vocal capabilities in their fields.
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
HOWARD AUSTIN’S VOCAL POWER SCHOOL
North Hills, CA
austin@music-world.com
www.borntosing.com
800-929-7464 or 818-895-7464
Private or shared coaching; Introductory half price session; Ongoing; Instructor training available
Howard Austin, creator of the Vocal Power Method, says his training will develop your voice control, personal style, and performance power.
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
MARY McGREGOR
818-762-0309
Private coaching only; All levels
McGregor works to combine the necessary techniques to help you “free your sound.” Says McGregor, “In acting and in singing it is necessary to understand what your instrument can do for you.”
Other: Voice/Dialects/
Accent Reduction
MUSIC1ON1
geraldwhite@music1on1.com
www.music1on1.com
310-430-4802
20 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Sessions every quarter at AFTRA/SAG
Music1on1, a studio run by Gerald White, strives to build the singing community and provide opportunities for singers to excel in all aspects of the music industry. We offer sightsinging classes, vocal coaching, audition prep, singer workshops, and studio recording.
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
OUR LEARNING SPOT MUSICAL THEATRE CLASSES
Madilyn Clark Studios
10852 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
info@ourlearningspot.com
www.ourlearningspot.com
818-760-1964
8 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Acting, singing, and dance training in a professional, safe, and encouraging environment. Work one-on-one with working industry pros who give students the tools for success as a musical theater performer.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
RICHARD FREDRICKS: I TEACH ANYONE HOW TO SING!
3520 Hughes Ave.
Culver City, CA 90034-7558
metbariton@aol.com
www.richardfredricks.com
310-838-3355, Fax: 310-838-0505
Private coaching only; master classes upon request; All levels, all styles; Auditing of a friend’s lesson is permitted; Ongoing
Fredricks, who performed with the New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera as a principal baritone, teaches the breath support/breathing technique he has used for more than 40 years.
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
SINGING WITH CHERIE VALARAY
4872 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Ste. 342
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
cherie@soundfeelings.com
www.hbr2.com
818-712-0103
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing permitted with special permission; Ongoing; Work study available
Valaray specializes in advanced vocal technique, operatic training, performance skills, stage presence and many other professional skills for all singers. Lessons focus on vocal technique, including breath support, breathing, posture, register blending, vibrato control, resonance, vocal beauty and reaching high notes with ease.
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
THE STEVEN MEMEL STUDIO
www.stevenmemel.com
818-789-0474
Private coaching only; All levels
Memel has had a multifaceted career as a singer, actor, and director, as well as an internationally acclaimed teacher. He has helped everyone from beginning singers to Grammy Award-winning recording artists such as Maroon 5, actor Drew Barrymore, and Tony Award-winning Broadway performers.
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
VALERIE FAHREN
Glendale, CA
fahrenproduction@aol.com
www.valeriefahren.com
818-815-8584
Private coaching only; All levels; By sessions
Taking an actor/singer to the next level of his/her career, tailor-made programs for each person, voice coaching, cold reading prep, audition prep, scene study, studio coaching, recording studio coaching, how to do a meeting, industry showcasing.
Other: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Solo Shows
MARK W. TRAVIS
10322 Mary Bell Ave.
Shadow Hills, CA 91040
mark@markwtravis.com
www.markwtravis.com
818-273-9273
6 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Work study is available
For the past 22 years, Mark W. Travis has been involved in the development of solo shows for hundreds of actors and performers.
Stage Combat/Stunts
ACADEMY OF THEATRICAL COMBAT
c/o Swords Fencing Studio
2115 N. Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91504
info@theatricalcombat.com
www.theatricalcombat.com
818-364-8420
Students per class varies; All levels; Auditing by permission; introductory fight class held at beginning of month; Ongoing
Dan Speaker and Jan Bryant offer several levels of fight scene training that cover safety and the primary techniques of hand-to-hand combat, broadsword, quarterstaff, and cutlass plus slaps, punches, kicks, falls, and throws. Advanced training includes double cutlass, rapier, dagger, theatrical saber, French classical smallsword, and a variety of exotic weaponry.
COMBAT AT BEVERLY HILLS FENCERS’ CLUB
combat@robertabrown.com
www.swordcombat.com
310-266-5151; 310-204-0085
Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing by permission
Instructors are professional fight directors and swordmasters. They provide classes, workshops, and private coaching for actors in combat for screen and stage, with a particular focus on swordplay.
DAVE LEA’S MOTION PICTURE STUNT/FIGHT TRAINING
Burbank, CA
davelea7@earthlink.net
www.davelea.com
818-603-9696
Unlimited students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted, but you are given a 10-minute assessment; Ongoing; call for appointment
Actors advance your on-camera fighting skills including weapons, dynamic styles, flashy kicks. Fight audition prep. Choreographed routines created and filmed for your show reel. Not to make you fit in but stand out.
FILM FIGHTING L.A.
Robert G. Goodwin
bob@filmfightingla.com
www.filmfightingla.com, www.stuntfightingworkout.com
310-447-8438
14 students max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing with new classes starting on the first Sunday of each month
Learn how to fight for contemporary films from Robert Goodwin. He has worked on “Sherlock Holmes” and “WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011” and trained Christian Bale for “Batman Begins.”
SAMURAI STAGE COMBAT
Los Angeles, CA
info@samuraistagecombat.com
www.samuraistagecombat.com
310-849-1466
All levels; By sessions and ongoing
Michi Yamato, a former member of the original “Power Ranger” stunt team and stunt coordinator, teaches Japanese stage combat, karate, sword fighting, gymnastics, and trampoline techniques.
SWORDPLAY FENCING STUDIOS
director@swordplayla.com
www.swordplayla.com; www.timweske.com
818-566-1777
20 students max; Private coaching available; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Teaches all edged weapons, including Olympic-style fencing. Ongoing film and stage-combat classes focus on extreme detail to safety, balance, footwork, and confidence in memorization of choreography.
Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
ACCURATE ENGLISH
13101 Washington Blvd., Ste. 231
Los Angeles, CA 90066
accurateenglish@aol.com
www.accurateenglish.com
310-568-0077
Private coaching only
Lisa Mojsin, M.A., speaks five languages, has an acting background, and has taught at the college and university level. She helps her students learn to speak accurately and clearly.
ADELE CABOT
acabot@lavoicejoy.com
www.lavoicejoy.com
818-800-0301
10 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Cabot is a Designated Linklater Voice Coach, specializing in acting, voice, speech, dialects (including General American), audition prep, and last-minute or MFA acting programs.
ALAN SHATERIAN
shaterian1@aol.com
310-824-2720
Private coaching only
Shaterian has a Ph.D. in linguistics and phonetics, and offers private coaching in speech and dialect, foreign languages, and character preparation.
ALISO CREEK PRODUCTIONS - WILLIAM WILLIAMS
4106 W. Burbank Bl. or PO Box 10006
Burbank, CA 91510
www.alisocreek.net
818-954-9931
4-6 students per class; Free studio visit with consultation available
Williams has been producing commercials for 20 years. His six-week classes in commercial and animation voiceover meet in a recording studio under real-life performing conditions.
ANGEL DIVA MUSIC
www.angeldivamusic.com
818-888-5885
Workshops and private coaching available; All levels, ages 5+; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Jan Linder-Koda is a Grammy nominated singer/songwriter/actor who produces and has worked with more than 20 Grammy winners. She specializes in artist development and teaches artists to access their inner feelings and bring out their best performances.
BEVERLY BREMERS’ VOICERCISE
contact@voicercise.net
www.beverlybremers.com or www.voicercise.net
949-874-0616
6 students max; Private consultation available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Working voiceover professional Bremers offers voiceover classes and pro workouts in Orange and San Diego counties and also produces voiceover demos and house minutes. Bremers additionally offers classes in accent reduction, singing, and songwriting.
BONNIE BIZOZA - ACCENT ON ACCENT
818-783-0473
Private coaching only; on-set coaching available
Ms. Bizoza offers accent/dialect training and accent reduction for beginners and established professionals. She is a licensed speech therapist and an experienced dialect coach who uses a multisensory approach adapted to the student’s learning style to achieve authentic, natural speech patterns.
BREATH
Natsuko Ohama
breath@natsukoohama.com
www.natsukoohama.com
818-754-2400
Private coaching available
Natsuko Ohama, a teacher of Kristin Linklater’s approach, uses exercises that involve breath, sound vibration, physical work, emotions, thought, and text.
BREATH WITH DWIGHT BACQUIE
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
actorscomedystudio@gmail.com
www.actorscomedystudio.com
323-302-9152
Private coaching only; All levels
Dwight has been training actors in voice and speech for more than 20 years. He teaches ongoing speech classes at Actors Comedy Studio as well as BREATH: a two-day intensive that deals with voice work for the camera. Dwight is also available for private dialect coaching and accent reduction or development.
CARLA PEREZ
cjperez-gtn@charter.net; imaginesinging@gmail.com
www.imaginesinging.com
626-482-8648
All levels
Carla Perez has a master’s in voice performance. She teaches a “full-body presence” technique-singing from head to toe, addressing vowels, breath, support, musicianship, interpretation, and stylistic nuance.
CAROL TINGLE VOICE STUDIO
2918C Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
info@caroltingle.com
www.caroltingle.com, www.centeringforperformance.com
310-828-3100
Private coaching available; All levels and styles
Tingle works with singers placing emphasis on the development of the voice within the style of the singer, as well as safe, healthy vocal production, audition preparation, and alleviating performance anxiety.
CORFF VOICE STUDIO
Bob Corff
www.corffvoice.com
323-851-9042
4 students max; Private coaching available; Auditing permitted with student invite; Ongoing
Veteran performer and voice/performance coach Bob Corff is author of “The Bob Corff Speakers Voice Method” and “The Bob Corff Singers Method” available on CD or as a download. Along with his wife, Claire (with whom he has written and produced the CD and workbook “Achieving the Standard American Accent,” also downloadable), Corff offers accent courses for actors on CD and download, and private lessons in L.A. or via Skype on how the voice works and how to make your vocal instrument work for you in the best possible way. Remember, “Your voice is your other face.”
DARLENE KOLDENHOVEN
Studio City, CA
darlene@darlenekoldenhoven.com
www.darlenekoldenhoven.com, www.artofsinging.com
818-980-2840
Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Koldenhoven offers vocal coaching and techniques for projection, diction, breathing, pitch, and rhythm. She is the author of the book with seven instructional CDs “Tune Your Voice” and teaches all styles and all ages.
DEBORAH ELLEN VOCAL STUDIOS
Los Angeles and Simi Valley, CA
info@deborahellen.com
www.deborahellen.com
310-422-9166
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Deborah Ellen is one of the top vocal coaches in L.A. and Ventura counties. She teaches a technique that can be applied to all styles of music. She is also a published songwriter with A&R contacts at major labels.
DEBORAH SHULMAN VOICE STUDIOS
deborah@deborahshulman.com
www.deborahshulman.com
323-851-7344
Private coaching available
Shulman teaches performing strategies, how to find your own performance personality, and, most importantly, she helps you increase your self-confidence as a complete performer.
DEREK GRAYDON
derekgraydon.sing@yahoo.com
www.derekgraydon.com
323-656-9356
Graydon is a Juilliard-trained star of Broadway and opera. He offers the “bel canto” technique. Dame Judi Dench says he is “unsurpassed”; John Travolta calls him “magic.”
DERRA HUXLEY “ACCENT REDUCTION NOW”
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
derrah@pacbell.net
www.accentreductionnow.com
818-385-1716, Fax: 818-385-1796
Individuals and small groups of 2-3; All levels; Auditing not permitted; free screening/demonstration offered; Ongoing
Derra Huxley, M.A., is a Calif. state-certified speech pathologist, who helps actors reduce foreign accents and regional dialects, speak more clearly, become more easily understood, widen their professional options, and build self-confidence. Classes tailored to fit your schedule.
DIALECT UP WITH SAMARA BAY
West Hollywood, CA
dialectup@gmail.com
www.samarasworld.com
646-831-0404
Private coaching only; All levels
Samara Bay is a fun, fast, phonetics coach whose long list of successful clients includes Broadway, television, and film actors in N.Y. and L.A. Bay offers coaching at her studio, on-set, or via Skype if you’ve booked a dialect-heavy role, you have an audition tomorrow, you’re looking to master accents that match your type, or you keep hearing you need to reduce your foreign or regional accent and learn “standard American.”
DIAMANTE VOCAL STUDIO
diamantesings@yahoo.com
323-466-7881
5-6 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Edward Diamante teaches a speech-level technique that has supported 112 Grammy Award winners while they were recording. He helps actors who don’t sing professionally but who want to learn to control their voices through exercise, or who have injured their voices through laryngitis or other vocal illness. Students are recorded and a CD is provided after the lesson.
Other: Singing/Musical Theater
DR. CAROLE MOSKOVITZ, M.A., D.S.S.
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
carole@singingfromtheheart.com
www.singingfromtheheart.com
310-821-SONG
Small classes; Private coaching available; All levels
Moskovitz draws upon a wide range of traditional and creative modalities to help her clients expand vocal range, broaden communication skills, develop inner listening and dialogue rhythms, and strengthen breath work.
Other: Empowerment Coach
ELISABETH HOWARD’S VOCAL POWER ACADEMY
www.vocalpowerinc.com
800-829-7664
Howard, founder of the Vocal Power Academy, is an internationally acclaimed vocal technician and vocal stylist. A Juilliard graduate and on the vocal staff at Pepperdine University, she has conducted vocal technique workshops in 10 countries.
ELIZABETH BURNETTE
elizburnette@aol.com
310-480-6377
4 students max; Private coaching available; All levels but mainly works with professionals by referral; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Burnette specializes in coaching foreign actors to speak standard American English (no region) for film, television, and stage. She has been coaching in L.A. for 15 years.
ELOCUTION SOLUTION
info@elocutionsolution.com
www.elocutionsolution.com
800-597-9691
4 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted, but free 30-minute evaluation is offered; Ongoing
Elocution Solution’s speech pathologists offer individual or group sessions in voice and diction for actors, including breathing, relaxation exercises, pitch adjustment, projection, resonance, and voice care. They also work with actors on reducing or acquiring accents and learning specific speech patterns such as those associated with hearing difficulties, strokes, and stuttering. Additionally they specialize in articulation and tongue thrust therapy. Free evaluation. Located in the San Fernando Valley.
GODEANE GRACE EAGLE, M.A.
godeane@godeanegraceeagle.com
www.godeanegraceeagle.com
310-450-5735
All levels
Eagle teaches singing, speech, pitch training, and stage voice.
JEFFREY ALLEN’S VOCAL ARTS CENTER
PO Box 4056
Valley Village, CA 91617
sing@vocalsuccess.com
www.vocalsuccess.com
818-782-4332; 800-644-4707, ext. 22, Fax: 818-782-4412
Allen offers professional voice-strengthening and problem-solving for speech or singing, onstage, and in the studio, as well as audition/demo preparation. All ages, levels, and styles.
Other: Singing/Musical Theater; Audition Technique/Cold Reading
JESSICA DRAKE
323-662-1831
Private coaching only; All levels
The Juilliard-trained Drake has been coaching actors in dialect, speech and Shakespeare for more than 20 years, with credits that include “W,” “Milk,” “The Pink Panther” with Steve Martin, “The Terminal,” “Forrest Gump,” AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” and HBO’s “Band of Brothers” and “Six Feet Under.”
KELLY REITER: REEL ENGLISH
details@reelenglishcoach.com
www.reelenglishcoach.com
323-957-4758
Private coaching available; All levels; Assessment interview required;
Ongoing
Standard American dialect specialist Reiter’s character study approach gives her students the tools, confidence, and professional American voice they need, from getting an agent to getting the part.
LEIGH GILBERT
leeleethevoguru@aol.com
323-692-5704
Limited class sizes; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Gilbert offers private and group classes.
LISA POPEIL’S VOICEWORKS
14431 Ventura Blvd., #200
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
lisa@popeil.com
www.popeil.com
818-906-7229
Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Popeil teaches vocal control, range, power, creating emotional magic, speech improvement, vocal projection for acting, vocal health, sight singing, demo recording, performance coaching, audition preparation.
LOUISE CHAMIS
818-985-0130
Private coaching only; All levels
Chamis’ workshops are a place for voiceover actors “to learn, to work out, and to stretch.” Students analyze copy to find out what they are selling and how best to sell it. She has been teaching for more than 36 years and is the voice of the Queen and the Crone in “Snow White” in all current Disney projects.
MARJORY TAYLOR’S VOICE MASTERY
310-246-1743
Dr. Marjory Taylor, Ph.D., Ed.D., teaches voice building, diction, broadcast English, commercials, cold reading, accent correction, and other aspects of communication and performance.
MJ LALLO
4020 W. Magnolia Blvd, Ste. K
Burbank, CA 91505
mjlallo@creatingvoices.com
www.creatingvoices.com
818-149-5255
10 students max; All levels; By sessions and ongoing
Award-winning voiceover artist Lallo has worked for Disney, Universal Interactive, Fox Kids, TV Guide, GNC, and has done more than 100 commercials, CD-ROMs, and feature film ADR. She has been teaching commercial and animation voiceover for 12 years.
PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING WITH JULIE DANIELS
voicegal@aol.com
www.teechspeech.com
818-623-8960
Private coaching only; All levels and ages; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Voice, speech, accent reduction, proper breathing techniques, articulation, projection, and interpretation, with the goal being “a fully textured voice that sells your strengths as an actor.”
Other: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
RICK ZIEFF’S UNBELIEVABLY FUN VOICEOVER CLASS
yellowbirdcasting@yahoo.com
www.rickzieff.com
323-651-1666
8-10 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; By sessions
Rick Zieff teaches mic technique for TV and radio commercials, animation, narration, and audio books. As a busy voiceover actor, director, and casting director, he emphasizes the importance of character development, text analysis, and making strong creative choices at the microphone. He guides actors through preparing a demo that will be their “calling card” to the voiceover world. He cast the Academy Award-winning animated short “The ChubbChubbs!” and directed the animated feature “Steamboy” (starring Patrick Stewart and Alfred Molina). Rick coaches adults and children at his studio in West Hollywood. Rick’s fun, fast-paced style makes him one of L.A.’s most sought-after teachers for adults and children.
ROBERT EASTON
818-985-2222
Easton is best known as the “Henry Higgins of Hollywood” for his extensive and highly specialized dialect coaching. Easton has taught more than 2,600 performers. Recent Oscar-winning coaching sessions include Forest Whitaker, (“The Last King of Scotland”), Helen Hunt, ( “As Good as It Gets”), and Robin Williams (“Good Will Hunting”).
ROWENA BALOS
rowvoice@gmail.com
www.rowenabalos.com
310-285-8489
Private coaching available; All levels
Balos offers short-term and ongoing workshops and private coaching in voice production, speech, accent reduction, and Shakespeare. She has taught at many acting studios, universities, and theater companies around the world, including, NYU, UCLA, CalArts, the Howard Fine Acting Studio, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the Sydney Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theater, and Antaeus Classical Theatre Company.
Other: Classical
SANDI MASSIE
smassie00@earthlink.net
www.sandiemassie.com
818-903-4016
Private coaching only
Massie is a coach for voice, speech, dialects, and accent reduction. She has been a coach of theater, television, and film for the past 20 years and teaches relaxation, breath support, resonance, diction, and many other aspects of voice.
THE STUTTERING FOUNDATION
info@stutteringhelp.org
www.stutteringhelp.org
800-992-9392
Offers information on stuttering and referrals for speech therapists who specialize in the disorder.
VANESSA MIZZONE
vmizzone@gmail.com
310-968-7631
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Mizzone is on the theatre arts faculty at both Santa Monica College and East Los Angeles College. She offers voice and speech coaching for actors, including accent reduction, based in the Linklater voice method with a Skinner approach to speech.
VOCAL STYLINGS
lisa@vocalstylings.com
www.vocalstylings.com
310-737-9387
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing and by appointment
Vocal Stylings offers private singing lessowallyns and in-studio vocal production to give you the freedom to perform with greater passion, power, emotion, and energy.
VOCAL YOGA
Heather Lyle
voice@vocalyoga.com
www.vocalyoga.com
310-200-0506
Private coaching and group instruction available; All levels
Vocal Yoga offers technique for singing, acting, and public speaking.
THE VOICECASTER VOICEOVER WORKSHOPS
Huck Liggett
1832 W. Burbank Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
casting@voicecaster.com
www.voicecaster.com
818-841-5300, Fax: 818-841-2085
10-12 students per class; Private coaching available; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced; Auditing not permitted; 4- to 6-week sessions
The Voicecaster workshops, headed by owner Huck Liggett, focus on exploring and discovering the strength of each individual so that he or she has a better idea of how to approach VO professionally.
WALLY (NO B.S.!) BURR VOICEOVER WORKSHOPS
wallyanimation@roadrunner.com
www.wallyburr.com
818-763-2618
10 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; One visit permitted; Ongoing six-week cycles; one session per week
DGA member, voice director and casting on 2,000-plus cartoons (98 “Transformers,” 92 “GI Joe”s, 65 “Jem”s, 65 “Conan”s) plus hundreds of spots for Kellogg’s, Pillsbury, StarKist, etc.
Young Performers
THE ACTING CAMP
Erik Lingvall
11560 Calle Real
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
info@theactingcamp.com
www.theactingcamp.com
424-265-0022
64 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; By sessions
The Acting Camp (TAC) is an all-inclusive three-day experience for young performers and their parents. At TAC, the young talent work with and learn from L.A.’s best acting coaches, while their parents interact with experienced industry professionals and parents of working actors. The event culminates in a showcase performance in front of top casting directors, agents and mangers.
ACTING FOR CHILDREN & TEENS AT EDGEMAR CENTER FOR THE ARTS
2437 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
info@edgemar.org
www.edgemarcenter.org
310-399-0815, Fax: 310-399-2898
15 students per class; private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted, free info sessions Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Ongoing
Edgemar, made up of two state-of-the-art theaters and an art gallery complex in Santa Monica, offers on-camera, cold reading, and acting and improvisation classes for ages 6-17. Students will perform in a showcase for parents and agents at Edgemar at the end of the eight-week session. Fantastical Story Hour for ages 3-6: Through costume, storytelling, and music, children create an enchanted magical kingdom and explore their creativity and dramatic flair.
AGOURA CHILDREN’S THEATRE
Ellen Marano and Susan Elton, directors
28240 Agoura Rd., #202
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
ellen@agourachildrenstheatre.com; susan@agourachildrenstheatre.com
www.agourachildrenstheatre.com
818-389-1799 or 818-225-1459
8-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing plus summer camps
Agoura’s first children’s theater. Improv and cold reading classes for teens ages 13-19, and theater and improv classes for ages 6-14.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study; Improv and Comedy
BARB NORTH THE KIDZ KOACH
22647 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 422
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
barb@comedynorth.com
www.funnycoach.com
818-347-5098
Private coaching only
North works with children and their parents in what she calls “a fun and nurturing environment.” She teaches children acting and audition strategies, and works with parents “to help navigate the business.”
BB’S KIDS ACTING WORKSHOP WITH BELINDA BALASKI
Belinda Balaski
Santa Monica, CA
bbs4kids@aol.com
www.bbskids.com
323-650-KIDS (5437)
10-16 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Three 8-week sessions per year, one 6-week summer session; Work study/payback system available
Balaski has more than 40 years of acting experience in the business, and 25-plus years of teaching kids and teens, as well as her invaluable parent seminars.
CARTER THOR STUDIO “ON THE MARK” YOUNG ACTOR CLASS
12417 Ventura Ct.
Studio City, CA 91604
carterthorstudio@gmail.com
818-760-9426
20 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Per class, month-to-month basis, and ongoing; Work study and scholarship offered
The studio now offers a class for young actors, 9-18, that it describes as “revolutionary.” The goal is to help young actors develop confidence and fluidity in front of the camera through the understanding of scene study, script analysis, and cold reading.
HARRIET GREENSPAN
818-266-6698
All levels; Once per month
A casting director for more than 20 years, Greenspan currently casts for the Nickelodeon network and offers private coaching and intensive workshops for kids, teens, and young adults.
HOLLYWOOD YOUTH DIVISION
Lauren Bertoni
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
actorscomedystudio@gmail.com
www.actorscomedystudio.com
323-302-9152
12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing
Lauren’s Hollywood Youth Division encompasses cold reading, audition technique, script analysis, character development and much more. Lauren instills confidence in all her students and understands that when a young actor begins a career in TV and Film, the whole family is involved. Lauren also teaches a foundational course for adult actors.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Acting Technique/Scene Study
JOY THEATRE - JOSH and JANIECE JARY MINNICK
The Raven Playhouse
5233 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
jnj@joytheatre.com
www.joytheatre.com
818-505-9355
15 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Work study/internship program available
All things comedy, sketch, standup, characters, improv etc. A fun way for kids of all levels to get up on stage and build confidence for the future. Our encouraging style of teaching is designed to nurture the creative side using the tools of comedy.
Other: Improv and Comedy
KIDS ON CAMERA
Phil De Champlain
10944 Ventura Blvd.
Studio CIty, CA 91604
stopdreaminactors@yahoo.com
www.stopdreamin.com
818-500-0037
10-14 students per class; All levels; One time free audit; Ongoing; Internship available with film school
Phil De Champlain’s classes focus is on on-camera auditioning, cold reading, improvisation, and film and TV scene study, helping students discover what makes them unique inside.
Other: On-Camera Technique; Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Improv and Comedy; Acting Technique/Scene Study
LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE - YOUTH THEATRE
Donna Inglima
donna@lagunaplayhouse.com
www.lagunaplayhouse.com
949-497-2787, ext. 202, Fax: 949-497-3287
10-14 students per class; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced; Auditing not permitted; 1-year audition based conservatory, ongoing non-audition workshop classes, and summer theater workshops; Unpaid intern/work study opportunities occasionally exist
This acclaimed regional theater offers a variety of acting and creative drama classes ongoing for youths ages 6-18. Classes are taught by theater professionals after school and in weekend workshops.
THE LARRYMORE-KELLY PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY
Warren Center Towers
21550 Oxnard St., Ste. 300
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
larrymorekellyent@gmail.com
818-723-4699
All levels
Critically acclaimed actress Rae’Ven Larrymore-Kelly is sharing her passion and experience with the next generation. Having founded the Larrymore-Kelly Performing Arts Academy with her mother, veteran entertainment and literary manager and longtime celebrity acting coach Phyllis Larrymore-Kelly, she aims to “provide youth a solid foundation in the performing arts through a cathartic and nurturing educational process.” The academy offers instruction in scene study, improvisation, and audition technique, among other subjects, for kids (4-12) and teens (13-18). A UCLA graduate, RaéVen Larrymore-Kelly has been in the business since age 2. She has been honored with a Young Hollywood acting award, an NAACP Theatre best lead actress award, and a National Black Theatre Festival award, among others. Phyllis Larrymore-Kelly manages a stable of successful onscreen talent, has won numerous awards for film and theater projects, and is a magna cum laude graduate in performing arts with a dual degree in speech pathology.
LIZA MONJAUZE PRODUCTIONS
Los Angeles, CA
lizamonjauze@mac.com
www.lizamonjauzeproductions.com
323-656-9424
30-45 cast members; Ages 8-18; Fall, spring, and summer sessions
Liza Monjauze Productions has created a place for children and young adults to build confidence, improve theater skills, and create lifelong friendships.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study; Singing/Musical Theater
MARNIE COOPER SCHOOL OF ACTING INC.
www.howdoiact.com
818-760-8009
20 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not available; Ongoing
An acting teacher and coach with more than 20 years of experience, Cooper specializes in audition preparation and currently has five children working as series regulars on major TV series.
ORANGE COUNTY PROFESSIONAL ACTORS’ WORKSHOP WITH ELIZABETH KENT
ekent949@sbcglobal.net
949-675-3272
10 students max; All levels; Ongoing
Kent has more than 18 years’ experience as an acting coach for film, TV, and theater. Her students have found professional representation through her coaching in Los Angeles.
ORANGE COUNTY SONG & DANCE CO.
5860 Westminster Blvd.
Westminster, CA 92683
ocsdc@aol.com
www.orangecountysonganddance.com
714-897-4475, Fax: 714-899-9675
This company offers acting for the camera, addressing script reading, camera presence, cold reading, and audition techniques. Character analysis and portrayal will be presented in an on-camera environment.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study; Singing/Musical Theater
QUIT ACTING!!
5312 Radford Ave., Ste. 5
Valley Village, CA 91607
quitacting@yahoo.com
www.quitacting.com
818-437-1911
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Laura Lasky’s ongoing monthly sessions for kids and teens are designed to help her students “find out what’s holding [them] back and quit it.” Her one-on-one classes/coaching emphasize individualized training including audition techniques and specialty workshops including “crying on cue.”
THE SANTA MONICA PLAYHOUSE EDUCATION CONSERVATORY
1211 Fourth St.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
education@santamonicaplayhouse.com
www.santamonicaplayhouse.com
310-394-9779, ext. 673, Fax: 310-393-5573
10-15 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Sessions in each season; Internship program is available
This conservatory, now celebrating 42 years of continuous theatrical and educational services to the community, offers extensive training for actors, from beginners through professionals, year-round. A variety of workshops for all ages, preschool through adult, focus on audition technique, communication skills, musical theater, character development, movement for the stage, voice, performance, and camera technique. Alumni include Kate Hudson, Jason Ritter, Zooey Deschanel, Jason Segel, and Maroon 5’s Mickey Madden. Acceptance is by interview only.
SEAN HOWSE
323-309-7718
All levels; Auditing is permitted; By sessions
Howse has been teaching acting to teenagers for more than a decade and trained under Joanne Linville and Stella Adler. Classes run in three-month semesters and incorporate the Adler technique.
TALENTORIUM
Montré Burton, creative director
1042 Princeton Dr.
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
info@talentorium.com
www.talentorium.com
310-550-9777
Talentorium has built its reputation on the creation of a curriculum that runs the full performance-to-production gamut. A dedicated talent executive (“T.E.”) guides each and every one of Talentorium’s students, which has proved to be an indispensable too, as the T.E. is an ideal partner to the parents.
TEEN ACTORS LAB
Los Angeles, CA
info@teenactorslab.com
www.teenactorslab.com
310-428-7055
30 students max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing
Teen Actors Lab is for passionate young actors of all levels. All classes culminate in a showcase performed for invited audiences, including industry guests, and have earned a reputation for excellence.
TOTAL IMPROV KIDS
The Avery Schreiber Theatre
11050 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
linda@totalimprovkids.com
www.totalimprovkids.com
818-481-8072
12-14 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing; Possible work study available
Total Improv Kids uses the art of theatrical improvisation to offer children a means of tapping into and expanding their imaginations, nurturing important life skills, and allowing children to find the greatest potential in themselves and each other.
Other: Improv and Comedy
TRACY MARTIN/KOACHING KIDS & TEENS
Toluca Lake, CA
tracy@koachingkids.com
www.koachingkids.com
818-752-8487
10 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing for agents and managers only; Classes offered four times a year; Possible work study available
Since Martin’s classes began in 1998, her students have worked as leads in major films, as series regulars, and guest stars in TV series, commercials, voiceovers, and animated series. Martin offers classes for ages 6-18 and audition “koaching” in film, TV, and voiceover.
YOUNG ACTORS CAMP
Azusa Pacific University
Los Angeles, CA
request@youngactorscamp.com
www.youngactorscamp.com
909-982-8059, Fax: 909-482-2011
10-12 students per class; All levels; Summer only
We are the largest and most well-rounded residential child/teen acting program in the U.S. YAC was named a top 5 camp by the Travel Channel, a distinction owed to the great celebrity guests and iconic companies that help teach our young actors about the Hollywood film industry. The training is second-to-none as we bring in award-winning teachers to challenge the most experienced young actor.
YOUNG ACTORS SPACE
5918 Van Nuys Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
info@youngactorsspace.com
www.youngactorsspace.com
818-785-7979, Fax: 818-989-0172
15 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Fall, winter, and spring sessions; summer conservatory
Established in 1979, this school for young professionals offers weekly classes for students, ages five to adult, in scene study, improvisation, audition techniques, and sensory work.
Other: Acting Technique/Scene Study
THE YOUNG ACTOR’S STUDIO
5215 Lankershim Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 91601
www.youngactorsstudio.com
310-281-7545
15 students max; Adult classes also available; Auditing is not permitted; Set up interview to learn more about studio; By sessions
Offers coaching and training for young actors, ages 5-18, and uses the basics of the Stanislavsky system to help them learn to use their personal, unique qualities in their acting.