In this article
- Acting Classes Los Angeles Actors Take for the Camera
- Margie Haber Studio
- Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop
- Young Actors Space
- Acting Classes Los Angeles Studios Offer in Method, Adler and Meisner
- Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, Los Angeles
- Art of Acting Studio
- Playhouse West
- Beverly Hills Playhouse
- Musical Theatre Masterclasses and Acting Classes Los Angeles Pros Take
- Los Angeles Musical Theatre Studio (LAMTS)
- Acting Classes Los Angeles for Spanish Speakers, Online Study and Kids
- Union Programs for Acting Classes Los Angeles Members
- Matching Acting Classes Los Angeles Offers to Your Stage
- Frequently asked questions
Quick answer: acting classes Los Angeles schools offer cover on-camera and audition technique, Method and Meisner-based scene study, musical theatre masterclasses and online options. Choose by the work you want to book. This guide lists verified studios by focus, with their areas and a link to each official class page.
Los Angeles is a company town, and the company makes screen work. That shapes its acting schools more than you might expect. For example, many of them talk about cameras, auditions and callbacks in the first sentence, not the last.
Here is a practical way to read the city. First, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire and North Hollywood each hold a cluster of studios, and traffic means you will not want to cross town twice a week. So pick a neighborhood you can reach after work, then compare what is taught there.
Everything below was checked on official sites in November 2026. Prices are left out because they change. Open each school page for current dates and tuition, because they change by term.
Acting Classes Los Angeles Actors Take for the Camera
If your goal is to book TV, film or commercials, start with schools that train for the audition room and the lens.
Margie Haber Studio
Margie Haber Studio is at 317 N La Brea Ave in Mid-Wilshire. It teaches on-camera acting, with a commercial workshop and an improv workshop. Levels run from beginner to master, and there are separate groups for kids 7 to 13, teens 14 to 21 and adults.
The studio places students by prior experience. It also offers foundation-to-advanced intensives, a two-week intensive, ongoing classes, camps, online group classes and video courses. Named programs include the Master Intensive Weekend and Hollywood Teen Week. Also, the homepage invites new students to an in-person or virtual intro session. See the Margie Haber Studio site.
Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop
Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop teaches scene study, on-camera work, acting foundations and cold reading, plus youth classes. It is open to beginners through professionals. Also, the founder started the workshop in 1998, according to the school’s site.
Classes and workshops are in person and online. For example, the Los Angeles events page listed an on-camera weekend intensive on December 5 and 6, 2026. Browse the Anthony Meindl events page. Because screen classes lean on tapes, our self-tape guide shows what you will be asked to do in the room before you commit.
Young Actors Space
Young Actors Space is in North Hollywood, where in-person classes meet at a theatre; the site does not give a street address. It was founded in 1979 by Diane Hill Hardin and Nora Eckstein. The approach is acting through improv and scene study, with on-camera work, dialects and audition technique.
It covers a wide age range: kids 8 to 11, teens 12 to 17 and adults 18 and up. Its calendar lists 2026 sessions of ten weeks in person, while the on-camera classes run six weeks over Zoom. Summer workshops and private coaching are also offered. Check the Young Actors Space calendar.
Acting Classes Los Angeles Studios Offer in Method, Adler and Meisner
These studios teach a way of working that you can apply to any role. Several also train screen actors, so the line between this section and the last is thin.
Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, Los Angeles
The Los Angeles campus is at 7936 Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood. It teaches the Strasberg Method, TV and film acting and script analysis, and it says it is the only school offering authentic training in that method. It welcomes beginners through professionals, and class audits are listed.
Formats are broad. For example, there are two-week intensives about every six weeks, plus a 12-week program (part time or full time), one-year and two-year conservatories and an AOS degree. There are also monthly Saturday workshops for alumni, online acting classes and teen summer programs. A Spanish-language intensive is listed as well (see the section on Spanish speakers below). The school runs an annual 3×5 film contest. Look at the Strasberg Los Angeles programs page.
Art of Acting Studio
Art of Acting Studio, at 1017 N Orange Drive in Hollywood, teaches Adler technique through scene study, on-camera, voice, improv, musical theater for film and physical theater. Its pages mention the Adler studio’s 75th anniversary in 2024, and it is accredited by NAST.
The full-time Professional Conservatory and the summer programs have auditions. Instead, part-time workshops, winter immersions and online programs open worldwide are the lighter options. There are teen programs too. Also, a film and television intensive ran in the summer of 2026, so check the Art of Acting Studio site for what is open this season.
Playhouse West
Playhouse West is in North Hollywood, on Lankershim, and teaches Meisner-based acting in Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced classes. Its history page dates the school to 1981, when it started with a six-week Meisner class.
The format is unusual. First, classes are ongoing, twice a week for about three hours each, and everyone begins in a Beginning class. Then you can start any time in the month, and there is an audit option. However, students must be 18 or older. The school also runs a Film Lab and an online screenwriting class. Learn more at Playhouse West.
Beverly Hills Playhouse
Beverly Hills Playhouse teaches scene study. Its site calls it one of LA’s oldest acting schools, with a history of more than 45 years. Beginners first enter a three-month Orientation and then move on to Intermediate scene study. Youth and teen weekly classes exist as well.
Classes are ongoing, twice a week in the evening. However, the site did not show a street address when we checked. The Beverly Hills Playhouse schedule page explains how the levels work.
Musical Theatre Masterclasses and Acting Classes Los Angeles Pros Take
Los Angeles Musical Theatre Studio (LAMTS)
LAMTS runs audition masterclasses, song and monologue work and cabaret. Classes are small, with 8 to 12 actors, and observer spots also exist. The audience is professional musical theatre actors, so beginners should look elsewhere. Classes meet at The Odyssey Theatre in West LA.
The site says “Now enrolling” and lists an Audition Masterclass with Laura Benanti on December 1, 2026. We also saw no online format. Visit LAMTS.
Acting Classes Los Angeles for Spanish Speakers, Online Study and Kids
Actors who work in Spanish or from outside LA have a few verified options. For example, the Strasberg Los Angeles page lists a Spanish-language intensive, so look there first.
Online study is also possible. For example, Strasberg offers online acting classes, Art of Acting Studio has online programs open worldwide, and Young Actors Space runs on-camera classes over Zoom. Margie Haber has online group classes. For kids and teens, Young Actors Space, Margie Haber, Beverly Hills Playhouse and Strasberg all list youth programs.
Union Programs for Acting Classes Los Angeles Members
The SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Conservatory offers workshops, panels and a Conservatory Weekend Intensive for LA Local members in good standing. It is not for non-members. However, if you are not there yet, read how to join SAG-AFTRA.
Actors’ Equity Association has a resource hub with audition information, and Equity rents audition studios in Los Angeles. It is mainly for members and stage actors, so check the eligibility first.
Matching Acting Classes Los Angeles Offers to Your Stage
A beginner might audit a class first, or instead start at a school with a clear entry level such as Playhouse West or Beverly Hills Playhouse. Someone with a reel and an agent might look at a masterclass or an intensive. Either way, prepare materials too, because a headshot and an acting resume will matter once class turns into auditions.
For more on judging a teacher, read how to choose acting classes. Then explore auditions in Los Angeles and the national casting calls in the United States page. If you are weighing coasts, compare with acting classes NYC.
Frequently asked questions
Where are most acting schools in Los Angeles?
The studios here sit in West Hollywood, Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire and North Hollywood, with others in West LA and Beverly Hills. Pick one near your home or work.
Can beginners join these classes?
Yes. Playhouse West starts everyone in a Beginning class, Beverly Hills Playhouse has an Orientation, and Margie Haber and Strasberg list beginner levels. Art of Acting Studio’s conservatory is by audition, but its workshops are lighter.
Do I need to audition for a class?
Only for some. The Art of Acting Studio conservatory and summer programs have auditions, and Strasberg conservatories have an application. Many ongoing classes allow you to audit first.
What is the difference between Method, Adler and Meisner?
They are different ways of preparing a scene. Strasberg teaches the Strasberg Method, Art of Acting Studio teaches Adler technique, and Playhouse West teaches Meisner-based acting. Sit in on a class if the school allows it.
Are there online acting classes based in LA?
Yes. Strasberg, Art of Acting Studio, Young Actors Space and Margie Haber each list online options. Confirm the schedule on the school’s site.
Do you have to be in the union?
Only for the SAG-AFTRA Conservatory, which is for LA Local members. The studios above are open to the public.
Reviewed in November 2026.
Books to go deeper
-
The Actor and the Target
Declan Donnellan For when you get stuck: Declan Donnellan explains where fear and tension come from and how to put your attention back outside yourself. See it on Amazon -
My Life in Art
Konstantin Stanislavski Stanislavski's memoir: his amateur years, the Moscow Art Theatre and the mistakes his system grew out of. See it on Amazon -
The Art of Acting
Stella Adler Stella Adler's classes, edited by Howard Kissel: imagination, given circumstances and the size a performance needs. See it on Amazon
Each book takes you to Buscalibre or Amazon, depending on your country. Some of these are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Casting and Acting may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Casting and Acting earns from qualifying purchases.
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