Acting Workshops & Classes in Los Angeles Area, CA

hollywood acting workshop:
The Hollywood Acting Workshop provides professional-level television, commercial and film acting classes in the Los Angeles area for adults and teenagers. Classes cater for beginning to advanced levels in Hollywood, Pasadena, the South Bay (Long Beach, San Pedro, Manhattan Beach) and Orange County. Further, the school offers 2-day weekend intensive nationally and internationally.

Courses / Programs include:

NEW! Young Actor 6-Week “On-camera” Workshop (Teens and Tweens, Ages 11-18):
This class is dedicated to teaching young people to merge their own uniqueness into the demands of acting on television and film. The young actor learns how to make a scene real, about the technicalities of working on camera, as well as various audition techniques to make them stand out. Throughout each class, improv exercises and other techniques will be introduced to develop the foundation of acting and help students gain a freedom in front of the camera. By immediately focusing on practicing scenes and auditioning “on camera”, we will cover the entire cycle from scene study, improv techniques and character development…to the audition process (cold reads; callbacks; and screen tests)…to booking the role and bringing all of the elements together on set (performance; camera & stage blocking; redirection incorporated through multiple takes; pick-ups; and inserts). Thus, a full-range of acting training is covered without having to take a different class for each skill. We believe this is the most efficient, economical and cost-effective method for each student.

In addition, you will learn first-hand up-to-date information on industry terminology, how to stand out in an audition, what kinds of headshots and resumes impress the casting directors, how to market yourself, getting an agent, about the unions and getting the job.

NEW! Young Actor Ongoing “On-camera” Classes (Teens and Tweens, Ages 11-18):
In this on-going class for young actors, we will incorporate cold reading auditioning for camera, technical aspects of film acting, scene study, script analysis, utilizing improv, and more. The teacher approaches each actor as an individual working to find their unique connection to the characters they portray. The teacher will select scenes specifically for you that they believe are best suited for your growth. The scene study in this class is used to fine tune, stretch, and further develop the actor’s skills. At times, you will audition with script in hand (on-book) on camera. At other times, you will act on camera off-book (memorized). We will work in the areas of both auditioning for roles, and acting on camera. We will work on your facial angles, blocking, cheating toward the camera, etc. You will work off of a person standing next to the camera, and then off of a person moving—to improve your focus and concentration. After watching your scene on tape, you will receive a lot of very helpful, constructive feedback from the teacher. Then you will have a chance to do it again, incorporating the feedback into your performance. Performance on camera followed by critiques will enable us to optimize your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses. At the end of a few cycles, you will have compiled many scenes of your work on a DVD for your reel.

This class was designed for the young actor who has taken our 6-week workshop or has been professionally training for at least 1 to 2 years.

6-Week “On-camera” Workshop (Adults):
This intensive and comprehensive 6-week workshop was designed for the new actor. It offers the fundamentals essential to develop the skills necessary to become a quality working actor. Throughout each class, improv exercises and other techniques will be introduced to develop the foundation of acting and help students gain a freedom in front of the camera. This gives the actor the opportunity to learn to gain self-confidence, and recognize their individuality, abilities and talents. By immediately focusing on practicing scenes and auditioning “on camera”, we will cover the entire cycle from scene study, improv techniques and character development…to the audition process (cold reads; callbacks; and screen tests)…to booking the role and bringing all of the elements together on set (performance; camera & stage blocking; redirection incorporated through multiple takes; pick-ups; and inserts). Thus, a full-range of acting training is covered without having to take a different class for each skill. We believe this is the most efficient, economical and cost-effective method for each student.

In addition, you will learn first-hand up-to-date information on industry terminology, how to stand out in an audition, what kinds of headshots and resumes impress the casting directors, how to market yourself, getting an agent, about the unions and getting the job.

Ongoing “On-camera” Classes (Adults):
In this on-going class, we will focus on cultivating the actor’s skills and emotional freedom utilizing personally selected scenes and/or monologues. The teacher approaches each actor as an individual working to find their unique connection to the characters they portray. The teacher will select scenes specifically for you that they believe are best suited for your growth. The scene study in this class is used to fine tune, stretch, and further develop the actor’s skills. Actors are encouraged to create new characters, delve deeply into their material and hone their work to stay sharp. At times, you will audition with script in hand (on-book) on camera. At other times, you will act on camera off-book (memorized). We will work in the areas of both auditioning for roles, and acting on camera. We will work on your facial angles, blocking, cheating toward the camera, etc. You will work off of a person standing next to the camera, and then off of a person moving—to improve your focus and concentration. After watching your scene on tape, you will receive a lot of very helpful, constructive feedback from the teacher. Then you will have a chance to do it again, incorporating the feedback into your performance. Performance on camera followed by critiques will enable us to optimize your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses. At the end of a few cycles, you will have compiled many scenes of your work on a DVD for your reel.

This class was designed for the actor who has taken our 6-week workshop or has been professionally training for at least 1 to 2 years.

2-Day Weekend Intensives:
This 2-day intensive workshop covers the essentials that you need to know to strengthen your all-important cold-reading skills…that will enable you to win auditions and perform on the job.

Our goal is to give you expert guidance from two casting industry professionals to improve your cold reading technique, instill self-confidence and ease in front of the camera, and bring out your unique strengths. On the first day, you will cold read audition with one teacher, and then respond to re-directs. After this, your teacher will give you valuable critique and recommendations that will help you to optimize your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses. On the second day, you will have a chance to perform the exact same audition again (that you have had a chance to rehearse) with a second teacher. The second teacher will also provide you with valuable critique and recommendations of this rehearsed audition. As well, the second teacher will give you a new script and ask to perform another cold read audition. Again, you will be given re-direction, and then some final advice that will help pinpoint your weaknesses and offer exercises that will help you strengthen your performance.

1-Day Casting Director Workshops:
We provide cold-reading workshops with the industry’s top casting directors (such as Glee, 24, Heroes, 90210, Gossip Girl, network soap operas, etc.) We select the casting directors who are the most sought after in town, and are either in the process of casting or gearing up to cast a project. We also choose casting directors who we personally know have a propensity for calling actors from workshops. Casting director workshops are a great way to be pro-active in your career enabling you to meet casting directors who do not otherwise call in actors they have not met before. Most workshops are cold readings—which means that scripts will be assigned to you by the casting director when you arrive. The actors will have roughly 15-20 minutes to prepare their scenes. At the casting director’s discretions, some scenes may be re-worked. Each actor will perform their scene in front of the other actors. You should bring 2 copies of your headshot and resume to every workshop. There is no need to bring a copy of your reel, but you are free to do so if you wish.

Private One-on-One Coaching:
In addition to teaching classes, our teachers are also available for private coaching. This is a remarkable opportunity for actors who are preparing for an important audition, or for professional actors who want coaching for a television, commercial or film role.