Acting Classes Orlando: Improv, Meisner, Camera and Youth Options

Improv acting classes in Orlando

Improv is the gentlest door into a room of strangers. It also trains the quick choices that theme park auditions reward. Two official sources for it come first.

SAK Comedy Lab

SAK is an improv theater at 55 West Church Street, Suite 211, in downtown Orlando. Its class program, SAK U, has four levels. Level 1 teaches the basic philosophy of the house style, and the site says you do not need experience to start. The Level 1 page sets a minimum age of 18 and says the class is in person.

Classes meet once a week, usually from Sunday through Wednesday, according to the class FAQ. Level 1 ends with a showcase show, and Level 4 ends with a graduation show. Also, the site offers a free class, a summer camp and seasonal TeenProv workshops for ages 12 to 15. However, you cannot watch a class first. SAK suggests catching a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night show instead. Start on the SAK Comedy Lab site and read the class FAQ.

Melrose Center at the Orlando Public Library

The Melrose Center is run by the Orange County Library System, and its theater calendar lists improv and acting sessions that meet in person. Improv Four is a nine-week round that requires earlier improv education. The Improv Jam Series, however, is open to improvisers of all levels without registration.

The acting list is more specific. First, Scene Study focuses on scenes that lead into songs. Character Movement for Actors teaches you to build a character through physicality, and Self-Tape Kit Orientation shows you how to film audition pieces. Because of that, registration is required for those three. The page lists no age rules, so confirm them before you plan. The Melrose rooms sit inside the library at 101 E. Central Blvd. Browse the Melrose theater calendar.

Acting classes in Orlando at studios

Studios are where most adults go for steady weekly work. Both schools below teach adults, and both let you try a class before you commit to a long plan.

The Actor’s Group Orlando

The Actor’s Group is at 2910 Maguire Rd in Ocoee, west of downtown Orlando. Its flagship class is for adults 18 and older. It covers scene and character study, including monologues, scene study, improv and script analysis. The site says there is no contract or long-term commitment.

The school also lists a commercial workshop, meet-and-greets with agents and casting directors, and taped performances that you can use for a demo reel. Private lessons, a workshop and online classes appear in its menu as separate offerings, though the page does not describe the online classes in detail. First-time students can book a free introductory class. See the Actor’s Group class page.

Truthful Acting Studios

Truthful Acting Studios is at 5542 Hansel Avenue, Orlando 32809. Its Master Meisner Program runs by semester, and the January course on the site is Meisner I: Living Truthfully, with morning or evening options. The page says enrollment for the January semester opens soon.

Beyond Meisner, the studio also lists an eight-week On-Camera Commercial Foundations class and a self-paced online course called The Foundations of Acting in Film. It also hosts free live video sessions and private coaching. The site does not mention an audition, and it gives no age range. Check the Truthful Acting Studios site for the next term.

Acting classes in Orlando at theaters and arts centers

Theaters teach with a stage in mind, so these classes often mix acting with voice, movement and performance. Three arts organizations list classes today.

Orlando Shakes

Orlando Shakes teaches from the Lowndes Shakespeare Center at 812 E. Rollins St. Its adult acting page says the next offering is coming, with a focus that can lean toward auditions or scenes. So check back before you plan around it. The education menu also lists Saturday classes, workshops and summer camps.

The Saturday course on the site when we looked was Auditions Made Easy, for high school students. It is a six-week Saturday morning course that covers choosing material, stage presence, cold reading and resume writing, and it ends with a showcase. Start with the Orlando Shakes adult class page or the Saturday classes page.

AdventHealth School of the Arts at Dr. Phillips Center

The school teaches at the Dr. Phillips Center, 445 S. Magnolia Avenue, downtown. Its class page says fall and spring classes include adults, and summer camps build skills across acting, singing, comedy and dance. Camps run for a week, and they end with a showcase on a Dr. Phillips Center stage.

The acting listing we found was ACTING: Commercials for teens ages 13 to 17. It trains you for film and commercial work, including the shift from stage to screen and callbacks, and the class holds 12 students. The page mentions no audition. Because listings rotate, first read the Dr. Phillips Center classes page for the current acting offer.

Orlando Family Stage

Orlando Family Stage, formerly Orlando Rep, is a theater at 1001 E. Princeton Street. Its Youth Academy runs from babies and toddlers through eighth grade. Creative Drama serves grades 1 and 2, and Performance Workshop serves grades 3 to 8.

Then older kids can take the Audition Edge Workshop or Audition Coaching, both for grades 3 to 12. The page also lists homeschool versions of some classes. See the Youth Academy classes.

Acting classes in Orlando at colleges and universities

Degree paths ask for more time than a weekly class. Instead, they give you a fixed sequence and a transfer route.

Valencia College

Valencia offers an Associate in Arts pathway in Theatre, Acting and Musical Theatre. Acting (TPP1110) is a first-term course in the full-time plan. The pathway prepares you for UCF’s BA in Theatre or its BFA tracks in Acting and Musical Theatre.

The page says auditions or interviews are required before UCF for acting and musical theatre. It also says a fall start is needed for the right course sequence. Read the Valencia theatre pathway.

University of Central Florida

UCF offers a four-year BFA in Theatre with an Acting track at its main campus, 4000 Central Florida Blvd. Faculty evaluate applicants through auditions and interviews in the year before they enroll. The program uses Stanislavski-based methods alongside other techniques and ends with a professional internship. It also requires a fall start. This is a degree, not a drop-in class, so use it if you are thinking about a four-year plan. See the UCF Acting track page.

Acting classes in Orlando for kids and teens

Orlando has real options for young performers, but they differ a lot. For example, SAK offers TeenProv workshops for ages 12 to 15, and the Dr. Phillips Center lists a teen commercials class for ages 13 to 17. Orlando Family Stage covers the youngest students, and Orlando Shakes offers a course for high schoolers.

Before you enroll a child, ask a few direct questions:

• How many adults are in the room, and how many students share them?
• Does the class end with a showcase, a taped scene or nothing at all?
• Can a parent watch a session or read the schedule in advance?

Our guides to acting for teenagers and to auditions for kids and teens cover safety and fake offers in more detail.

Online acting classes from Orlando schools

You do not have to live near downtown to train with an Orlando school. Truthful Acting Studios lists a self-paced online course and free live video sessions, and The Actor’s Group lists online classes. Both are good ways to try a teacher before you commit to a drive. For a wider look at the format, see our guide to online acting classes.

How to choose acting classes in Orlando

Ask each school what the last class produces. A showcase, a taped scene and a stage performance each prepare you for different work. Then match that to the jobs you want. Also, ask whether you can observe, whether a free class exists and how many students share the room.

Think about the drive too. Orlando is spread out, so Ocoee and downtown are not next door. Because of that, a class you can reach after work is the one you will finish. If you still wonder how much training you need, our note on whether you need acting school can help.

After the class: auditions and next steps

Once you finish a term, put the work to use. First, update your acting resume and practice a self-tape. Then read our guide to auditions in Orlando for the theme park and screen calls. You can also browse open calls on our castings page and the United States castings page.

If Orlando is not your only option, compare it with our guides to acting classes near me, acting schools and voice acting classes. For union questions later on, start at SAG-AFTRA.