Acting Classes Chicago: Improv, Meisner and Scene Study Options

Improv acting classes in Chicago

The Second City Training Center

The Training Center teaches improv, sketch, writing, acting, stand-up and public speaking, plus TV, film and digital writing and production. It sits at 230 W North Ave, Chicago 60610, in Old Town. For example, newcomers can try a 90-minute drop-in, and the site lists Improv Drop-In dates from November 5 to December 17, 2026. Multi-week classes, youth and teen classes, camps and online classes are also available, so there is room to grow.

The Conservatory is by audition, and outside applicants need a year of improv at an approved school plus an acting course. Browse the Second City class finder to see what is open.

iO Theater Training Center

iO teaches longform improv in five levels, along with sketch comedy and music improv. Level 1 is for everyone, and the site states no minimum age. Classes run for eight weeks, three hours a week, in person. Shorter one-week intensives are listed for October 19 to 23 and December 14 to 18, 2026. House Team auditions are only for graduates of the full program or the Summer Intensive.

The theater is at 1501 N Kingsbury St, Chicago 60642. Because writing classes are also available online through a sister site, writing students can study from home. Start on the iO classes page.

Acting classes in Chicago for Meisner and scene study

Improv trains you to say yes to a partner. The schools below, however, train you to stay truthful inside a written scene, which is what most auditions ask for.

Green Shirt Studio

Green Shirt runs a Meisner program, on-camera acting, specialized classes, workshops and private coaching. Meisner Level 1 welcomes all experience levels, and On-Camera Acting is for adults 18 and over, beginners included. The page lists no audition or interview. The studio is at 4001 N Ravenswood Ave.

The Wednesday On-Camera class has six three-hour sessions from January 6 to February 10, 2027. Class size is four, and the course also ends with a showcase with feedback from invited casting professionals. See the Green Shirt classes page.

The Artistic Home

The Artistic Home is both an ensemble theatre, founded in 1998 by Artistic Director Kathy Scambiatterra, and a training studio. It teaches a Meisner series (Tech 1 to 3 and Advanced Meisner) and specialty classes such as Shakespeare, monologue and audition prep. Tech 1 requires a brief application and phone interview, and the series is taken in order with private evaluations.

The latest posted session ran from September 14 to November 7, 2026, and no 2027 dates were up when we checked. The studio is at 3054 N Milwaukee Ave. So watch the Artistic Home class page for the next term.

Chicago Actors Studio

Here you will find Acting As A Craft (beginner and advanced), an intro to improv, an on-camera auditioning workshop, an ear prompter class and classes for kids and teens. Adults from beginner to advanced are welcome, and no audition is listed. Some Acting As A Craft sections are online, while the others meet in person at 2040 N Elston Ave on evenings, weekends and daytime slots.

Some entries say “call for current schedule”, so confirm dates before you plan. The Chicago Actors Studio site has the list.

Remy Bumppo Master Class: Scene Study

This one is for working professional actors, so beginners should look elsewhere. Six Chicago directors each lead a session on different material, and each director picks the scenes or monologues for every student. The class meets on six Mondays, 6:00 to 9:00 pm, from November 2 to December 7, and it is capped at 12 students. The rehearsal room is at 1751 W Grace Street, Chicago 60613. The current listing is the Remy Bumppo scene study page.

Acting classes in Chicago for kids and teens

Piven Theatre Workshop

Piven is in Evanston, just north of Chicago, at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St. The school says it has worked with students for over fifty years, using the Piven Training Technique. Also, adults can study improvisation, games and risk-taking, or scene study in the Beneath the Words class, from beginner to advanced and without an audition. For adults, eight-week classes began the week of September 14, 2026.

Youth in grades 3 to 12 also have Saturday classes, and a spring 2027 session starts February 6, 2027. Read more on the Piven adult classes page.

Lookingglass Theatre Young Ensemble

Teens 13 to 18 can join the Young Ensemble at 163 E Pearson St, near the Water Tower, with no prior experience required. Students rehearse, devise and perform, and there are production-team tracks too. Then the group meets Mondays and Wednesdays from September to December, then Saturdays from January 2027, with performances on March 12 to 14, 2027. It has run since 1998. Auditions are held in the fall, so check the Young Ensemble page for the next round.

Porchlight Music Theatre youth classes

Porchlight teaches musical theatre to kids and teens ages 4 to 17 through Mini Musicals, Broadway Basics, Intermediate Ensemble and the Broadway Teen Intensive. Saturday classes in the Fall 2026 session run from September 19 to December 19, and the Teen Intensive runs December 5, 2026 to January 30, 2027. The grade 12 option prepares students for Chicago Unified Auditions in February 2027. Classes are also held at 230 W North Ave and 4200 W Diversey Ave. See the Porchlight youth classes page.

Sample acting classes in Chicago before you commit

Chicago makes this easy. Most acting classes Chicago schools run have some way to sample first. For example, a drop-in at The Second City costs you one evening. Asking to observe a class costs you an email. Then a first class at Green Shirt or Chicago Actors Studio will tell you quickly whether the teacher’s feedback helps you.

First, ask what the final class looks like. A showcase, a taped scene or a performance each prepare you for something different. Then match that to the work you want. Our guide to whether you need acting school can help you decide how much training is enough.

Turn classes into auditions

Once you have finished acting classes Chicago programs offer, get your materials ready. Build your acting resume and prepare a pair of monologues. Then read about auditions in Chicago and check open calls on our Chicago castings page. For comparison, see our guides to acting classes in NYC and Atlanta. The actors’ union has its home at SAG-AFTRA.