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Best places to study in Los Angeles?

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October 27, 2012, 01:01 AM
calffey
Best places to study in Los Angeles?
I really like the Elizabeth Mestnick Acting Studio on Melrose Ave. Elizabeth knows her stuff and she is part of the old school New York style of teaching aka No bullsh*t, straight to the point. Definitely worth an audit.
October 27, 2012, 01:02 AM
calffey
quote:
Posted October 27, 2012 01:01 AM Hide Post
I really like the Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio on Melrose Ave. Elizabeth knows her stuff and she is part of the old school New York style of teaching aka No bullsh*t, straight to the point. Definitely worth an audit.

October 30, 2012, 09:32 PM
sm1vk
Hi everyone,
I, too, am an actor just starting out. But I have dedicated a good while to my training and taking classes that would help me hone my craft. I took a 2 year professional Meisner technique class at the Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio out in L.A. Currently, I am taking scene study at the very same studio and it has been such an amazing transition into applying what I have learned.
The scene study class at EMAS helps develop all the tools in your toolbox while tempering the use of them to make ones understanding of a scene make all your technique and hard work seem effortless and invisible.
Elizabeth also helps refine your auditioning technique by doing cold reads and mock auditions every few weeks.
Check her out:
www.emasla.com/
November 18, 2012, 03:45 PM
Joleen
quote:
Originally posted by TRUTHTELLER59:
Here are some books that I've read. The starred ones are the ones that are my favorites:

*=highly recommend

Acting business:
*Self Management for Actors-Bonnie Gillespie
*How to Be a Working Actor-Mari Lyn Henry and Lynne Rogers
*An Agent Tells All-Tony Martinez
-Acting is Everything: Gold Edition-Judy Kerr
-How to Get Arrested-J. Wallach Michael and Paul Thurwachter
-How To Book Acting Jobs in TV and Film-Cathy Reinking
-One Less Bitter Actor: The Actor's Survival Guide-Markus Flanagan
-So You Want to Be in Showbusiness?- Steve R. Stevens
-Acting Truths and Lies (purchased at www.info4actors.com)

Acting:
*Book the Job-Doug Warhit
*Intent to Live-Larry Moss
*How to Stop Acting-Harold Guskin
-Acting for the Camera-Tony Barr
-Acting in Film-Michael Caine
-Acting Class: Take a Seat-Milton Katselas

Method Acting:
*Art of Acting-Stella Adler
*Actor's Art and Craft-William Esper
-Sanford Meisner on Acting-Sanford Meisner
-A Dream of Passion-Lee Strasberg
-On the Technique of Acting-Michael Chekhov
-The Power of the Actor-Ivanna Chubbuck
-No Acting Please-Eric Morris
-Respect for Acting-Uta Hagen
-Challenge to the Actor-Uta Hagen
-You Can Act!-D.W. Brown
-Strasberg’s Method-Lorrie Hull

Comedy
*8 Characters of Comedy-Scott Sedita
-The Sitcom Career Book-Mary Lou Belli

Improv
-Anything by Viola Spolin
-Steve Book on Acting: Improv
-Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out-Mick Napier

Auditioning/Cold Reading:
*How to Get the Part Without Falling Apart-Margie Haber
*Audition-Michael Shurtleff
*The 15 Guideline Map to Booking-Amy Lyndon
-The Best of You-Craig Wallace
-Secrets to Successful Cold Readings-Glenn Alterman


This is a Great List, very helpful! Thank you! Smiler


Joleen
December 07, 2012, 04:53 PM
Maxine
There are so many places to study in LA. Finding the right place for you can seem completely overwhelming. When I moved out here from NYC for work I didn't know what direction to go in.

I had heard about the big teachers Ivanna, Lesley and Margie but they are set up so you need to work into there classes.

I then heard Jen Krater, former owner of Sally Johnson studios in New York had relocated. I knew how amazing the actors who studied there w
Are from working on set and haven't looked back

They have free classes every month. It's all on camera. Really intense, but so worth it!
December 30, 2012, 03:25 PM
Vera Harvey
I strongly recommend Marjo-Riikka Makela at Chekhov Studio International & Theater of Arts.
Very individualized training, incredible results, and her heart is in the right place!
January 03, 2013, 10:33 PM
TRUTHTELLER59
Cold Reading/Auditioning:
-Annie Grindlay
-Saxon Trainor
-Tess Kirsch
-Margie Haber (Herself)
-Robert D'Avanzo
-Amy Lyndon
-Holly Powell

Commercials
-Killian McHugh
-Hey, I Saw Your Commercial!
-Chris Game
-Stuart K. Robinson
-Stuart Stone
-Francine Selkirk-Akerman
-Carolyne Barry

Improv
-Groundlings
-Second City
-Upright Citizens Brigade
-Improv Olympic

Scene Study/Acting (NO PARTICULAR ORDER! It varies. Some schools are not for everyone. Chubbuck and Howard Fine are not for people who aren't fans of Strasberg or Uta Hagen (ie. affective memory and substitution.) Playhouse West,Elizabeth Mestnik Joanne Baron/DW Brown, and Acting Corps are more Meisner oriented. Try to audit these places and make sure if they're for you or not.)

*=on camera oriented or scenes recorded
-Stan Kirsch*
-Doug Warhit*
-Carter Thor*
-Jen Krater Studios*
-David Kagen*
-Warner Loughlin
-Marjo-Rikka Makela
-Steve Eastin*
-RJ Adams (Actors Workshop)*
-Ron Burrus
-Stephen Book
-Diana Castle
-Howard Fine
-Stella Adler
-Ivanna Chubbuck
-Elizabeth Mestnik
-Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown
-Clay Banks*
-Jeremiah Comey*
-Marjorie Ballentine
-Playhouse West
-Aaron Speiser
-Acting Corps
-Anthony Meindl

Comedy:
-Lesly Kahn
March 14, 2013, 04:09 PM
voyagerla
I take a Television / Film class with Jon Simmons at Simmons and Scott in Burbank. Excellent class to take. You can simply google him. He discovered and taught people like Chad Michael Murry (One Tree Hill, House of Wax), Max Greenfield (New Girl), Kat Graham (Vampire Diaries) Charlie Barnett (Chicago Fire) and many more. He has a Wikipedia page for your research.

He teaches a wonderful approach and prepares you for getting the job. Can get you going and ready to audition quickly.

Known for really breaking in actors.
March 24, 2013, 11:05 PM
Tract
I am currently taking a REALLY great acting class with Jeff Seymour at Connect Studios. I find it to be one of the best acting classes I've ever taken and he gets amazing work out of everybody using his no-nonsense approach. Check out the Connect Studios website, because for a limited time you can even come check him out for free to see what I mean. 5 STAR!!!!
March 25, 2013, 09:42 AM
peanut112
Tract-"Because for a limited time" your post sounds like a shill.
If I'm wrong, I'll admit it, but ONE post a brand new profile, and that's the only thing you have to say.
What other classes that you've taken would you recommend? Hmmm? None? Oh, why is that?

At least VoyagerLA's brand new profile and brand new post offers the information in a less pushy, less shilling fashion.

People-If the teachers are great, there's no need to do the hard sell. Simply say "google him" or "read her reviews on Yelp" and the research will take care of the rest.

Truth's list is pretty comprehensive, broken down by category/type of studying and includes both the big boys and some of the more boutique type studios. You can't go wrong on that list.