Acting Classes Las Vegas: Scene Study, Improv and Youth Theater

Scene study and on-camera work

DK Acting Class

DK Acting Class teaches scene study based on the technique of Milton Katselas, founder of the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Dean Kreyling leads the classes. The program offers a Level I class for people new to acting and a Level II class for advanced students. A Young Talent class is linked from the page too.

Also, students perform prepared scenes, monologues, songs or exercises and then receive notes. The curriculum lists body work, voice, movement, improvisation, script analysis, on-camera technique and self-tape practice. First, membership is month to month, and the site invites newcomers to audit a class for free. The studio is at 1800 S. Industrial Rd., Suite 205. The page carries a 2024 date, so confirm the current schedule with the studio. See the DK Acting Class site.

Improv acting classes in Las Vegas

Vegas Improv

Vegas Improv offers improv classes, workshops, coaching and training. Classes are held in person at 6060 Elton Ave, Suite B, and the school also teaches online by Zoom. The site speaks to adults who want more confidence and better communication, and it lists no age range. Improv will not replace scene study. However, it sharpens the listening skills that every audition tests. Start on the Vegas Improv site.

Youth and teen acting classes in Las Vegas

Rainbow Company Youth Theatre

Rainbow Company is the City of Las Vegas youth theatre, and it works out of the Charleston Heights Arts Center at 800 Brush St. A recent city announcement lists Storybook Adventures for ages 4 to 7, Youth Acting for ages 8 to 12 and Teen Acting for ages 13 to 18. It also lists Theatre and Audition Prep for teens and monthly Improv Workshops for adults of all experience levels.

Also, auditions for its productions are open to community members ages 10 to 18 and cost nothing to enter. Then applicants prepare a one-minute monologue. The city page itself blocked our automated check, so we link the city’s announcement, and you should confirm details on the city’s Rainbow Company page. Read the city announcement.

Broadway Kids Academy

Broadway Kids Academy teaches musical theater and show choir to students ages 3 to 18, and its site says no experience is necessary. Because of that, each child performs in a class show at the end of a semester. The site also mentions camps and adult theater classes. Las Vegas studios are in Centennial and Summerlin, with two more in Henderson, at Anthem and Horizon Ridge. Browse the Broadway Kids Academy site.

Drama Kids Las Vegas-Henderson

Drama Kids runs drama and acting classes by grade. Kinder Kids is for ages 4 to 5, and the primary groups cover kindergarten through fifth grade. An Acting Academy serves grades 6 to 12, and Take 2 classes add stage productions. Classes meet in schools or in community locations, and the site also lists camps. Parents can compare formats on the Drama Kids page.

Las Vegas Academy of the Arts

The Academy is an arts magnet school with conservatory programs in dance, music, theatre and visual and media arts. It lists application and audition requirements for prospective students. This is a school, not a class you can drop into. So it suits families planning a full high school path. The address is 315 S. 7th St. See the Las Vegas Academy site.

Arts school and college programs

Nevada School of the Arts

Nevada School of the Arts offers music, theatre and visual arts for all ages. Its home page lists a musical theatre conservatory and a Viewpoints intensive, and the school sits in the Historic Fifth Street School at 401 S. Fourth St., Suite 125, downtown. The page does not say which theatre classes suit adults or kids, so ask before you enroll. Read the Nevada School of the Arts page.

College of Southern Nevada Theatre

CSN’s theatre program offers courses in acting, voice and diction, playwriting, directing and stagecraft. It lists an Associate of Arts in Theatre Studies that can transfer to many four-year institutions, plus a certificate in theatre technology and production. Productions are staged in the Backstage Theatre on the North Las Vegas Campus, 3200 East Cheyenne Ave. That makes CSN, for instance, a practical first step if you want college credit. See the CSN Theatre page.

UNLV Stage and Screen Acting

UNLV, at 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy, offers a Stage and Screen Acting concentration with conservatory-style study in stage acting, acting for film and television, and voice, movement and speech. Students enter in their sophomore year, and admission requires an audition by appointment. Before that, applicants complete the theatre pre-major courses. Transfer students with equivalent courses can be placed at the right level. Read the UNLV Stage and Screen Acting page.

Match a class to your goal

Nine options can feel like too many, so a short list helps. These pairings come straight from what each school says about itself.

• **You have never acted:** look at DK Acting Class Level I, a Vegas Improv session or a beginner Broadway Kids class if you are a parent.
• **You want scene work for camera:** DK Acting Class lists on-camera technique and self-tape practice in its curriculum.
• **You want college credit:** compare CSN’s associate degree path with UNLV’s audition-based concentration.
• **You are a teen:** Rainbow Company and the Drama Kids Acting Academy both list teen classes.

Because many studios here teach groups, a private coach can fill gaps, so consider one if a class moves too fast. Our guide to online acting classes shows how to judge a live class on video, and the voice acting classes guide covers a separate skill. For wider choices, see our list of acting schools.

Questions to ask any studio

Before you sign up anywhere on this list, send a short email. First, ask what a typical class looks like from start to finish. Then ask how many students share the room, because a crowded class means less time on your own scene. Also ask whether the teacher works as an actor or director, since that shapes the feedback you get.

Next, ask what happens if you miss a week. Some schools let you make up a session, while others do not, so ask early. Finally, ask what you will have at the end. A reel scene, a showcase and a stage credit are all useful, but they are different tools. A school that answers clearly has usually thought about its students. Because you will spend weeks in that room, that care matters more than a flashy website.

Try a class before you commit

Las Vegas makes sampling easy in a few places. DK Acting Class invites newcomers to audit a class, and Drama Kids and Broadway Kids describe classes for children who have never performed. For example, one visit can tell you whether a teacher’s notes help. Ask to observe a session wherever a trial is not listed.

Also, parents should ask who supervises the room, whether they can watch a class and how pickup works. A good school answers without hesitation. Our guide to acting as a teenager adds more advice for families. Our guide to whether you need acting school can help you decide how much training is enough.

Turn classes into auditions

Las Vegas does not have its own audition guide on this site yet. Start with the nationwide auditions near me guide, then browse open calls on the castings page and the United States castings page. First, build an acting resume and a pair of monologues first. After that, learn the self-tape basics, because many calls today start on video.

For more ideas, read our overview of acting classes near me. For comparison, see the guides to acting classes in NYC, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago. The actors’ union has its home at SAG-AFTRA.