Acting Classes Philadelphia: Studios, Theaters, Improv and Colleges

Which type of class fits your goal

• You have never acted: look for a class named Intro, Foundations or Level 1, and for a school that says no experience is required.
• You want to work on camera: pick a studio where every student is filmed and gets playback.
• You want confidence and quick instincts: improv is the fastest route.
• You want credit toward a degree: use a college course.
• You are a parent: look for ages, class size and what the final session looks like.

Our guide to whether you need acting school can help you decide how much training you want before you start.

On-camera studios in Philadelphia

Screen acting rewards small, quiet choices, and a lens catches everything. These two studios build their teaching around the camera.

The Philadelphia Acting Studio

The studio says it was founded in 2009 and focuses on on-camera acting for film, television, commercials and streaming. Its Intro Acting Accelerator is a four-week beginner class that states no experience is required, and the class is limited to 12 students. It meets in person at 6757 Greene Street (zip 19119), with weekly live Zoom coaching added on. Also, students who show commitment may be invited to continue in an ongoing Scene Study program.

Besides that class, the studio’s other offerings include a professional actor training program, private coaching and public speaking coaching. See the Intro Acting Accelerator page for the current start date.

Actors Theater for Film and Television

This studio teaches on-camera acting in Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore and Chicago. In Philadelphia, the schedule lists Film Lab and scene study classes on weekday evenings, a Business of Acting workshop, an actors self-tape class and private coaching, plus a Saturday teen class. The address given for the Philadelphia schedule is 7201 Keystone St, Loft 202. Overall, the site says it offers classes for beginning, intermediate and advanced actors.

Some levels are limited. The advanced lab is by invitation, and the Film Lab is described for actors who have already taken a basic foundation class. So if you are new, first ask which section to start in. Browse the adult classes page.

Theaters with their own acting schools

Walnut Street Theatre School

Walnut Street Theatre, at 825 Walnut Street in Center City, runs its school through an online catalog with separate categories for adults and kids. The course 201A: Acting I, Intro to Acting, is a ten-week class that covers theatre games, acting exercises and scene work, with sections on several weekday evenings. For younger students, the catalog has had one-time masterclasses such as Acting Through Song for ages 8 to 15. The theater also lists a Theatre For Kids series and Camp Walnut, so families have choices too.

Terms are grouped by season, so look for the next one in the Walnut Street Theatre class catalog. The theater’s education page gives an overview.

Quintessence Theatre: Shakespeare Gym

Shakespeare Gym is an adult workshop for working actors ages 18 and up who want classical skills. Coaches lead work on text, voice, speech and movement, and the page says it is not only audition prep. It meets on Sunday evenings at the Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Ave in Mount Airy. Scholarships are also listed for people for whom cost is a barrier. The theater also runs a summer camp and other programs. The details are on the Quintessence adult classes page.

Act II Playhouse

Act II is a theater in Ambler, a suburb northwest of the city, at 56 E. Butler Ave. Its education page describes workshops in the fundamentals of performance, stand-up comedy and improv. It also links to a youth group called The Act III Players. The page does not post a class calendar, so first write or call the theater to ask what is running. Start with the Act II education page.

Improv in Philadelphia

Philly Improv Theater (PHIT) Training Center

PHIT teaches adults 18 and over. Improv classes move from Level 101 through 501, where students learn a full Harold, and an Intro to Improv class is offered separately. The center also lists acting classes for beginners and advanced performers. Most core classes meet in person once a week for eight weeks, usually two hours at a time, and a class showcase usually follows the last session.

The training center is at the Hamilton Family Arts Center, 62 North 2nd Street in Old City. However, the page says PHIT does not currently run programming for kids or teens. Check the PHIT training center page for open sections.

Colleges and universities with open acting courses

College courses cost your time in a different way. Because they run on a semester schedule, you usually enroll as a student. In return, you also get credit and a structured sequence.

Community College of Philadelphia

The college lists an Acting Proficiency Certificate of 13 credits. The sequence runs Acting I, Acting II, Rehearsal and Performance, and a choice between Voice and Articulation or Movement and Dance for Actors. The page says the certificate prepares students to audition for roles, and the credits can count toward an A.A. in Theater. Read the certificate page and confirm the campus with the college.

Temple University

Temple lists The Art of Acting among arts courses open to all Temple students, including an online summer section. For a longer path, undergraduates in other majors can add a 12-credit Certificate in Acting on the Main Campus, starting with Fundamentals of Acting. However, theater majors are not eligible for it. See the Temple certificate page.

Montgomery County Community College

Acting I (THA 105) is a three-credit entry course on body, voice, imagination and communication. Work includes improvisation, scenes and monologues. As a result, the page lists sections in Blue Bell, in Pottstown and online. It also names reading and writing prerequisites, so check them before you enroll. The course page shows current sections.

Kids and teen programs near Philadelphia

When you choose a youth program, ask about class size, the adults in the room and what the last class looks like. Our guide to becoming an actor as a teenager covers more of what parents should know.

Arden Drama School

The Arden Theatre Company, at 40 N. 2nd Street in Old City, teaches children from preschool through grade 12. Most classes meet on Saturdays. For example, options include eight-week classes in acting, musical theatre, improv, scene study and design, short mini-semesters, and one-day workshops that end with a performance. Bookworms is a parent-and-child class for ages 2 to 5. The Arden Drama School page lists the current terms.

The Media Theatre

The Media Theatre, at 104 East State Street in Media, offers weekly classes for kids in grades K to 12, grouped by ages 6 to 9, 10 to 13 and 12 to 18. The site says no experience is necessary. One class, a staged reading for ages 12 to 18, requires an audition. See the Media Theatre classes page.

Theatre Horizon

Theatre Horizon is at 401 DeKalb Street in Norristown. Its school has classes by grade band: Overtures for grades 3 to 5, Encores for grades 6 to 8 and Ovations for grades 9 to 12. Students work on scripted and original scenes, and then each class ends with a performance for family and friends. Besides classes, the theater also runs an Autism Drama Program, in person and online. Read about both on the Theatre Horizon education page.

Online options

Some Philadelphia schools also add a remote piece. For example, The Philadelphia Acting Studio includes weekly Zoom coaching with its in-person class, and Actors Theater lists classes by Zoom alongside its in-person schedule. Temple and Montgomery County Community College both list online course sections. For a wider look, see our guide to online acting classes.

How to compare your options

When you compare acting classes Philadelphia schools run, ask each one the same four questions. What does the last class look like? How many students share the room? Can you watch a session first? And who teaches it, according to the school’s own page? Also, a school that answers clearly is usually a good sign.

Then match the answer to your goal. If you want an on-camera credit for your reel, a taped scene is more useful than a showcase. Likewise, if you want stage work, a theater school that casts from its students may be a better fit. Our guides to acting schools and to acting classes near you cover other cities and formats, and voice acting classes are a useful add-on.

After the class: auditions

Once you finish acting classes Philadelphia schools offer, update your acting resume and pick a pair of monologues. Then practice a self-tape too, because many roles are cast that way. Philadelphia has no audition guide of its own on our site yet, so read auditions near me and browse open calls on our United States castings page and the full castings list. The actors’ union has its home at SAG-AFTRA. For comparison, see our guides to NYC and Chicago.