Los Angeles Acting Schools

Looking for Los Angeles acting schools?

Browse these detailed listings of acting schools in Los Angeles to find the perfect Los Angeles acting classes for you. Here you'll find all the information you need to choose where to study to become an actor in Hollywood.

Each LA acting school listing includes detailed information such as acting methods taught, performance opportunities, career preparation, degree earned and financial aid opportunities. You can also find out how to apply for each school as well as what are your chances of being accepted into each program.

Featured Sponsor School

The American Musical and Dramatic Academy
(AMDA)
6305 Yucca Street
Los Angeles, CA 90028

This is one of the acting schools in Hollywood that delivers a strong training in musical theater. This Hollywood acting school offers two 4-semester programs, the Integrated Program (which combines acting classes with singing and dance) and the Studio Program (which focuses on acting for stage, film & TV). Classes include stage and film acting, scene study, voice, speech, singing and dance. Depending on the program, actors may also study movement and stage combat, improvisation, classic texts, Shakespeare, music, sight-singing and musical theatre, as well as ballet, jazz and tap dancing. Acting students have the option of taking an extra 60 credits in performance and general education classes in order to obtain a BFA.

Performance opportunities: Students participate in a Performing Arts Practicum each semester. Second-year students work with a director on a full production. BFA students participate in additional performances.

Career preparation: Graduating students participate in 2 showcases. Actors attend career preparation seminars with agents or casting directors and prepare audition material through a series of audition classes and workshops.

Degree: Bachelor students receive a BFA in Acting or a BFA in Musical Theater. Actors who complete the Studio Program or the Integrated Program receive a Certificate in Professional Performance Training.

Tuition Fee: Contact AMDA for details..

Financial Aid: Scholarships and loan programs are available, as well as on-campus employment.

What you'll need to apply: Transcripts, 2 recommendation forms, an audition (auditions are held at the AMDA and throughout the country, as well as in Mexico, Canada and the UK. Foreign students can submit a taped audition). International students from non-English speaking countries need to submit TOEFL scores and may have to take another fluency test. Admission into the second year is by invitation only.

Acceptance rate: About 1 in 2 applicants who audition are accepted into the first year.

Audition policy: Students are not allowed to audition for acting work until the last semester of study at this LA acting school.

Click Here to Learn More about this Acting School

Los Angeles Acting Schools

Click on the links below to read detailed information on each of these Los Angeles acting schools.

Playhouse West Acting School
Playhouse West is a training ground for actors, writers and directors founded by Robert Carnegie and Jeff Goldblum in 1981. For over 30 years the school …

The Acting Center
The Acting Center offers classes for all levels focused on letting students learn at their own pace and develop their own unique artistic identity. …

The Sanford Meisner Center
Here you can take Los Angeles acting classes in the Meisner technique. This Los Angeles acting school offers an intensive acting program divided into three …

Acting Studio at Edgemar Center for the Arts FKA Larry Moss Studio
This acting studio in Santa Monica offers classes for all levels, including improv, scene study, sitcom classes, film audition classes and voice intensives. …

AquilaMorong Studio
This LA acting studio founded by 2 well-known casting directors uses Stella Adler Script Analysis, Meisner technique and scene study to prepare the serious …

The Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute
Of all the acting schools in LA, this is the one to go to for Method acting classes. Matt Dillon, James Spader and Uma Thurman are among the alumni. The …

The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA)
This acting school in Hollywood offers a two-year full-time conservatory program or a 2-year part-time program. Beyond the usual acting training, actors …

Jeffrey Fox Acting Workshop
Three-hour Wednesday night Acting Workshop for all levels, 7-10pm in Studio City. Class is on-going, no start or end date. Primarily a scene study class …

Berg Studios
Gregory Berger-Sobeck is an award winning instructor whose teaching and training is influenced by the Yale School of Drama. All instructors are graduates …

SkyPilot Studios
Acting classes taught by SkyPilot Theatre Company Artistic Director Bob Rusch. Offers affordable acting classes for the professional actor and beginners. …

Expressions Unlimited
Looking for a scene study class in LA? Among Los Angeles acting classes, Expressions Unlimited helps actors work on any role through challenging scene …

BANG Comedy Institute and Theater
Looking for comedy acting classes? This Los Angeles acting school offers a full comedy acting training, including stand up comedy classes and sitcom classes. …

Aliso Creek Voice Over Classes
These Los Angeles voice over classes take place in a professional recording studio where students can work on their voice acting skills for commercials, …

Actors Intensive
15 year veteran Los Angeles acting coach Kirk Baltz conducts workshops and acting classes in LA, throughout major US cities and abroad. His Los Angeles …

The New American Studio
This actor-founded Los Angeles acting studio offers both acting classes taught by working actors and performance opportunities all in one so actors can …

Talent to Go
Talent To Go is a showcase acting studio in Los Angeles for adult, teen and children actors. A select group of actors gets to present scenes rehearsed …

School for Stand Up
At School for Stand Up, Letterman regular and sitcom writer/producer Jonathan Leigh Solomon, offers you a unique class, Stand Up Comedy for the Actor …

The New Collective LA
One of the only Los Angeles acting schools that offers a conservatory atmosphere for an affordable monthly membership, this studio offers acting exercise …

Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio (EMAS)
EMAS is a Los Angeles acting school offering a 2 year Professional Actor Training Program based in the Meisner Technique. 12-week Beginning Actor Workshops …

USC School of Theatre
Of all the acting schools in LA, USC School of Theatre is thought to offer one of the best undergraduate theatre programs in the country. Forest Whitaker, …

Samurai Stage Combat Academy
Stage combat & stunt with fast paced action for actors. Performance Opportunities: Once a year. Tuition Fee: $75 per month for 4 classes …

Stella Adler Los Angeles
This acting school in Hollywood offers a 2-year program based on the Stella Adler technique. In addition to acting and scene study classes, actors study …

New York Film Academy (NYFA)
This Los Angeles acting school started in New York focuses primarily on film acting. Different LA acting training programs are available: a one-year intensive …

California Institute of the Arts
This California acting school located in Valencia, less than an hour from LA, offers a 4-year bachelor program and a 3-year master program. Don Cheadle, …

Claire Trevor School of the Arts
This is one of the California acting schools located close enough to LA (40 miles) for you to take full advantage of what the city has to offer. The …

UCLA School of Theater Film and Television
This LA acting school offers a 3-year master program where student actors explore a variety of techniques and approaches that prepares them for an acting …

Mother of Invention Acting School
These CA acting classes are taught by a Yale School of Drama graduate from the M.F.A. Director program, Andrew Utter. Actors work with the Stanislavski …

Los Angeles Acting Schoo l (LAACT)
This acting school in Hollywood offers 3-hour long evening acting classes taught by a veteran of stage and screen with 50 years experience acting and 35 …

AIA Actors Studio
This Los Angeles acting studio brings together actor training, career preparation and networking through classes by industry professionals. Career …

Act Hollywood Theatre of Arts
This acting school in Hollywood offers a 3-year certificate program. Classes include acting, improvisation, speech, voice, accent reduction, singing, movement, …

Why Choose a Los Angeles Acting School?

Picking an acting school in Los Angeles is a good idea if you're interested in a film acting career. Hollywood is, after all, the entertainment capital of the world. Because they are in the heart of the action, Los Angeles acting schools are also more likely to have working professionals among their faculty.

The majority of film and TV roles are cast here, whether it is at an indie producer's office or at one of the major Hollywood studios. There are also tons of television auditions for dramas, sitcoms and commercials. Serious actors can often start building their resume and acting reel by booking co-star roles on television (a co-star role is a small role that can be one line or a few short scenes). If you have a great commercial look, acting in Los Angeles may just be the answer for you. Even if your dream is not to be selling products on TV, landing a national commercial or a few smaller commercials each year can replace the "day job" so many actors need and allow you to focus on your career.

One thing a lot of people don't realize is that there is a lot of good theater in Hollywood too. There are much less very small Off-Off-Broadway theaters as you would find in New York, but there are several good well-attended mid-sized theaters you can audition for.

Just like New York, there is a lot of competition in LA, and it's hard to break into acting here, but since there is more screen work here, actors who do work tend to make a better living.