Find the Best Acting Teacher in Los Angeles Now

Life as an actor is hard. The very last thing you need is an unkind or unhelpful teacher. This is why it’s important to find the very best acting teacher who can help you develop your craft and build your confidence in a safe space.

As someone who didn’t attend a formal acting school, I’ve always had to search for good teachers on my own. Because even though I work full-time behind the mic as a voice actress, I never stop training as an on-camera and stage actress.

Why I’m Always Training

1. Practicing regularly is essential to improving as an actor. Professional musicians practice up to eight hours daily! Actors need discipline too.
2. Acting can’t be done in isolation. It must be practiced with others.
3. Living in Los Angeles means being ready for opportunities that can appear suddenly.
4. I’m committed to personal and professional growth and always want to learn more.

Over the years, I’ve experienced it all. Some classes pushed me to the brink with temperamental or overly strict instructors. Others lifted me up and helped me improve in ways I never thought possible. The pursuit of better training led me to find the best acting teacher who was supportive, skilled, and challenged me in just the right way.

There’s no shortage of acting schools in Los Angeles. But quantity doesn’t always mean quality. That’s why I want to help you navigate your choices to find the best acting teacher for your unique journey. (If you’re into comedy, check out my blog on the comedy scene in Los Angeles. I’ve attended classes at most of the major improv schools here.)

Beware of Great Marketing

Los Angeles is a hub for actors, which means there’s no shortage of acting schools vying for attention. Each school is competing for a share of the market and many of them simply aim to turn actors into on-going customers.

To attract students, many schools get flashy with their marketing. For example, you’ll often see advertisements claiming that a school or teacher has worked with “Famous Person X.” This often implies that their unique teaching style will make you famous, or that you’ll make better industry contacts here than elsewhere.

To complicate matters, there’s an overwhelming number of classes, intensives, and workshops covering countless aspects of the craft. Whether or not you genuinely need these types of training depends on your goals. 

Old School vs New School Training

If you’re studying acting outside of a formal college or university program, you’ll likely encounter Old School teaching styles. These traditional techniques offer a solid foundation for cultivating the skills you need as an actor.

Old School curricula often include elements of “The Method,” developed by Konstantin Stanislavsky and later refined by American acting teachers in the mid-20th century. These teachers (who became pioneers in their own right) include:

• Sanford Meisner (acting is reacting);
• Lee Strasberg (acting is feeling);
• Stella Adler (acting is imagining);
• Uta Hagen (acting is substituting);
• Michael Chekhov (nephew of playwright Anton Chekhov).

Many of these teachers established their own schools, and their techniques are still being used in acting classes today. In fact, some of their students, now in their 60s or older, are teachers themselves. While their approach can be highly effective, some of these instructors adhere to a strict, almost dogmatic view of how acting should be taught, practiced, and experienced.

While it’s absolutely possible to grow as an artist studying under these teachers (as I certainly have), it’s also fair to say that their methods can occasionally feel somewhat limited in perspective or approach.

Enter The New School

Today, these methods are often combined in flexible ways, along with more modern tools. For instance:

• Atlantic Theater School, founded by David Mamet and William H. Macy, incorporates new techniques into its approach.
• Many Los Angeles-based schools focus on specific areas like cold reading (e.g., Meindl Studios) or psychology-based acting (Warner Loughlin).
• Improvisation-based training, rooted in Viola Spolin’s work, has grown in popularity through schools like UCB, The Groundlings, and Second City. (If you’re interested in improv, check out my blog on improv training in Los Angeles for more details.)

Some schools in Los Angeles don’t focus on technique at all. For example, when I attended the Advanced Scene Study class at Beverly Hills Playhouse, the main goal was to perform completed theater scenes, evaluate what worked, and refine everything to engage the audience. In this environment, students were often expected to use their own “special brew” of techniques, whether learned elsewhere or self-taught.

The school’s guiding question was: “Are we (as actors, directors, and writers) telling the story in a way that delivers the writer’s message and resonates with the audience?”

What Is A Good Acting School?

Whatever school you choose, it will ultimately depend on three main factors:

1. How you feel about what is being taught, including the school’s acting technique, approach, or philosophy about acting.
2. How it is being taught, whether through empowering students, denigrating them, or playing mind games with them.
3. How well you connect with the teacher.

Some good initial questions to ask yourself include:

• Do I need to improve my technique? If so, what is the area that needs most improvement? Emotional connection? Imagination?
• Do I need help with script analysis?
• Am I in a good place with technique and script analysis and simply need to put my craft into practice with scene work?
• Do you feel comfortable asking questions? Or are students being shot down?
• Does the teacher seem to have a mean side?
• Are students treated like children?
• Are you impressed by the teacher only because of their famous affiliations?
• Do you trust the teacher?
• Are most people in class simply curious about acting?

If the acting teacher has coached famous actors, but no one in class is actually a working professional…you could be dealing with someone who has changed their focus to long-term beginner students. This will make the level of work seen in class a lot harder to sit through, long-term.

What Is A Good Teacher?

A good teacher is someone who challenges you professionally and creates an environment where you feel comfortable discussing obstacles related to your craft. They should help point you in the right direction. Whether by suggesting exercises, or acting material, such as great scenes to work on. And they should always be providing constructive advice.

However, most of your interactions with a teacher should revolve around the improvement of your acting skills. While this can sometimes involve personal reflection (for instance, “I struggle to express emotions on stage because I am uncomfortable being emotional in life”), your teacher is not your therapist. Nor should they try to take on that role.

A teacher is also not someone you should feel inclined to deceive. Your respect for them and for yourself should be enough to avoid making excuses like, “I was distracted during the exercise because I got bad news today,” or “I was late because there was traffic, and parking was hard to find.”

Professionalism is key. You should interact with your teacher and classmates as professionally as you would with peers or colleagues in any professional setting. Remember that when it comes down it, Los Angeles is a small town. You never know who is observing you. A classmate, teacher, or administration personnel may one day be in a position to refer you to others in the industry. If you’re unprofessional, you won’t ever be considered.

The Right Teacher

The right teacher is as professional as you, if not more so. They demonstrate qualities that serve their students. A great teacher will never be:

• Late
• Self-aggrandizing
• Mean
• Temperamental
• Incompetent

And they won’t ever speak poorly of students (past or present) or other schools. 

The purpose of attending class is to learn and grow, not to accommodate individuals who are unfit to teach. Their behavior towards you (and others) should never overshadow the learning environment.

I once attended a school in which students not only had to hand in their phones during class, but were “evaluated” for admission into the school on a strange criteria: whether or not students were taking notes when the teacher spoke.

You’re not dedicating yourself to acting so that you can play the permanent role of the “perfect disciple” for an egotistical instructor. That won’t be sustainable or help your acting.

Similarly, you did not become an actor to support someone without the qualifications to teach. Some casting directors fall into this category, and many such individuals are running schools or programs in Los Angeles.

Audit An Acting Class To Find The Best Acting Teacher

Why Audit A Class?

One of the best things you can do before committing to a school in Los Angeles is to audit a class. This allows you to observe the teacher, the teaching style, and the overall environment. While auditing, pay close attention to the teacher’s behavior and consider these questions:

• Is the teacher on time?
• Are they providing constructive feedback to every student?
• Are they spending more than five minutes discussing irrelevant events that didn’t happen in class or don’t pertain to acting?
• Are they name-dropping celebrities for extended periods (e.g., more than five minutes)?
• Are they excessively personal with students?
• Do they love speaking of people they “kicked out”?
• Would you feel comfortable inviting your friends or family to see this teacher?

I was once saw a teacher give a 45 minute critique to a pair of students that had nothing to do with acting. Instead, it was about the objects the students had brought in for their scene. This is irrelevant. Actors never bring set props to a theater, TV, or film production. The actors learned nothing about what they had done in the scene.

So if your answer to most of the questions above is “no,” it may be time to move on – no matter how popular or “hot” the class seems. Additionally, if you observe destructive or unprofessional behavior from the teacher, don’t just walk out, run out of the class. You’ll find better opportunities to learn in healthier environments.

The Importance Of A Positive Environment

Countless psychology books explain why a positive and supportive learning atmosphere fosters better growth. Teachers often attract students who share their mindset and values. For example, my favorite teachers drew in students who were wonderful to work with and grow alongside. Many of my closest actor friends come from those types of classes.

In contrast, certain classes often seemed to attract students with whom I struggled to form meaningful connections. This is a pattern worth noting as you audit different schools.

Acting School List To Find The Best Acting Teacher

To help you in your search, here is a list of recognized schools that frequently appear on Los Angeles actors’ resumes. -If you find a famous teacher absent from the list, it’s because I cannot recommend them in good faith. They were either excessively late or ran excessively late, and/or cruel.

Each link directs you to their official website or relevant information:

• Beverly Hills Playhouse (in Beverly Hills)
• Annie Grindlay (in West Hollywood)
• The BGB Studio (also a Casting Director, in North Hollywood)
• Warner Loughlin (in Hollywood)
• Chris Fields (in North Hollywood)
• Anthony Meindl (in Hollywood)
• Lesly Kahn (in Hollywood)
• D.W. Brown Studio (in Santa Monica)
• Ivana Chubbick (in Hollywood)

When selecting a school, do your due diligence and take your time. Acting classes are a significant investment, with costs ranging from $250 to $500 per month, so it’s important to choose judiciously.

I encourage you to seek teachers who will challenge you while remaining supportive. You should ultimately feel excited and motivated to attend class. Participating should be both demanding and fulfilling. Remember, the right school can nurture your growth, while the wrong one can hurt both your wallet and your spirit.

It’s far better to spend a couple of months auditing classes to find the best acting teacher and fit than to join a school just because a “cool” friend or a famous person recommended it. Choose a school that aligns with your goals, values, and learning style.

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