If you're looking for an acting teacher who is passionate, dedicated, and truly cares about each…read morestudent's success, both individually and as a class, then you need to take classes at Nancy Friedman Studios. I have taken several classes with Nancy, and each time I leave feeling more confident and comfortable in my skills as an actor, and with a deeper understanding of myself. Nancy is incredibly knowledgeable about the industry and genuinely invested in helping every actor become the best performer they can be. From scene study and self-taping to headshots, she makes sure you're fully prepared to book auditions and land your dream role. I highly recommend her classes to any actor serious about their craft.

Great acting advice to get you to fully understand the character and your world in the script. Plus…read moreI got the part I auditioned for!

Alexis Vogel My 2nd Acting Class work shop tonite 4 hrs~…read morewith the famous Actor and humanitarian extraordinaire'!! A wonderful and so talented Coach- too learn from the best. Thanks Bruce for a great evening. Forgot to take a photo with you darn it. Great class.. you are a master. I am a novice but it was a great experience. Ron Kari dear special friend thank you too for sharing him ;) Love AV A friend Cathryn Marlowe writes- So awesome you are taking acting classes Lexi!!! You totally look like a movie star - so I have no doubt you could be one. Your post reminded me that I need to start working on new monologues. You always inspire me and give me the kick in the butt I need to get myself moving! xoxo

Bruce Glover's ability as an acting teacher is uncanny and brilliant…read more The language he uses to communicate specific ways for the actor to improve are remarkable!! He is a total original as a human being and he can only make you a better person. He's real though,so don't expect him to do anything but bring you the real deal and if you choose to listen you'll have made a huge step to becoming an artist /actor yourself!! Love the guy!!!!

I've taken and audited many acting classes since I've come to LA, and nothing is quite like Shaan…read moreSharma's studio. I came out here 12 years ago and struggled to find the balance of income and pursuing my passion without the support of mentorship or a community of actors around me. This studio isn't just a classroom, it really is a family. Aside from the invaluable experience Shaan invests into his students in a personal and genuine way (himself a working actor and session director for LA casting directors), he has also somehow magically created a culture of students who are as passionate about pouring into each others careers as their own. With this combo of real-life expertise and generous community, I feel I can finally take on this crazy - often daunting - adventure that I've sacrificed so much for. If you haven't chosen an acting studio/class yet- I highly recommend you audit this one!

Training under Shaan Sharma immediately shows you his drive and passion for the art. He really…read moreshows the love in his work! His skills and knowledge are unsurpassed but the message is that YOU are enough and as soon as you can believe that, your journey is well on its way. On camera, audition techniques, commercial, multi/single cam, cold reading...and you go on tape several times! Shaan also shares strategies, marketing and the "showbiz"sides to class. He brings you together like you would as a family, very strong about finding bonds and working together in/outside class! Shaan is in this because he truly loves it, not to keep you "in class".

After graduating TOA, I've gained a deeper appreciation for the art of Acting: There's way more to…read moreit than just performing your lines truthfully. Way more. Professionalism is also key, because it is a business, you want to be hired and gain a reputation as a good to work with. I feel confident and at home on a set thanks to everything I learned at TOA. I've had so many great memories and friends while I was in school. Even after I graduated, I still find myself coming back when I can, staying connected to the students and faculty, and attending events. I am eternally gratefully for everything they taught me. The Business can have its ups and downs, and that's the nature of it, but it's nice to know that TOA is a community that you can go back to for support and extended knowledge. Also, did I mention that you get to perform at The World Famous Comedy Store after you graduate?! You get such a rush after you get off that stage. Thank you TOA faculty!!!

There was a mix up with our meet and greet tonight and it was my husbands 50th birthday present so…read morewhen I discovered we missed it, I was obviously disappointed. Spoke to a few people on the staff until we got Christian. He was able to save the day in every sense of the word. I run clubs and major events throughout the country and he did what needed to be done because it was the right thing to do and then he elevated it. The venue should truly cherish this very talented individual.

Ok this review is several years in the making. I held off saying anything for a long time not only…read moreto process what happened to me, but also because - if I'm being honest - my experience here was so emotionally scarring, I was scared of her. YEP. A grown woman scared of a grown woman. That's where we're STARTING. Here's the thing: people like and swear by her. A few people in my class were total devotees and one of them was even famous (tho they had been famous as a child so I'm not sure if she was involved in the initial success, but still). Point is, a handful of students really liked her. So there's that. My first couple classes were ok, mostly because I avoided her wrath which brought someone to tears almost every class. It made it awkward but does give you that "oh I must be good because she isn't attacking me" type confidence. But then my time came up, my number was called (so to speak) and she rained insulting vitriol on me after a short scene where I made a big choice. Did the choice work? Probably not. Fine. Not the first time I've failed onstage. Won't be the last. But did I deserve the literal storm of personal and professional attacks I got after the fact? Absolutely not. For the first time in my YEARS of performing and taking classes all over, I actually cried from something a teacher said. Like, a lot. It was unprofessional and, more importantly, unproductive. I couldn't concentrate after the fact and she kept cutting me off when we would try the scene again, berating with new "notes" which alternated between inconsistent and straight up cruel. Some people might respond ok to that type of "teaching." Obviously, like I said, she has devotees. But I absolutely did not, would not, and have ever responded well to what felt like just straight up bullying. Class went late and was dismissed after she tore me TF down. I was red eyed and shaky for a while after. To her credit, she called the next day to talk about it but I was still processing and didn't know what to say. And, honestly, pretty scared of her. My self esteem at the time isn't what it is now. Now, I would have walked out the first class, the first time she attacked someone. But at the time, I was much more insecure, lost, and desperate for validation. Not unlike a lot of young actors I know. Shortly after this experience, I found another studio (check my other reviews) that was an incredibly supportive environment. I actually felt seen and safe there to fail (which I did plenty and was given excellent notes to actually improve) and actually learned so, so much from those wonderful teachers. Side note, a couple years later I was still getting emails from the studio so I emailed back and asked them to take me off the list and Sharon personally replied with a condescending and veiled attack that her assistants were just doing their job and I was asking too much by setting a digital boundary. Like...ok? I'm writing this so many years later because I hope a young bright eyed eager actor doesn't lose their spark from an experience like mine. Maybe she'll fan your flame. Maybe she'll snuff it. But please hear me that you don't HAVE to put up with this type of acting approach. Trauma doesn't need to be triggered in order to be creative. There are other options out there. Even if you're bad, man, go find somewhere else to make you better or at least make you continue to enjoy acting if you truly love it. And if you felt torn down and hurt and were made to cry and felt weak and stupid because she berated you for crying then continued to personally attack you using manipulative language to make it sound like you (as a person) the problem and it made you question if you as a human have any value...you are not alone. And you do. You very much do. But, hey, an extra star because Vincent D'Onofrio, right?

I've had a year to think about this review, so I hope it comes off as a fair assessment…read more Sharon's methods are harsh, rude, and not constructive. You are given a pdf with some info, but the class structure is not really explained. There are a lot of things that you are supposed to learn "on the go", and Sharon has no patience for those starting out in her class. I was given my assigned scene and expected to learn it and work with my partner outside of class. After presenting our scene, Sharon laid into me with personal attacks (she didn't even know me), that in no way helped me. She didn't coach the scene or give advice, she just attacked me. Was the scene bad? Probably! I was still fairly new to film acting, so it probably came off as stagey. Did I learn anything from her classes? Not really; I learned a lot more when she hosted Vincent D'Onofrio. In her defense, she did have a migraine that day, so maybe I caught her at a bad time, but from reading other reviews, she must always be in a bad mood. After that class I decided that her methods were not for me and I got a partial refund and used it for classes that have actually helped.

Alyson has been instrumental in helping me become more aware of myself as an actor and helping me…read moreto hone my skills and craft. She also knows how to challenge me to expand my ability to give my best and most authentic performances. I've been working with her throughout the past 5 years and she's been a wonderful mentor and acting coach I can rely on. She has been offering zoom scene study classes, audition preparation, and audition reading, which have been extremely valuable in the most recent years. Her own personal success and experience as a working actor is also a nice bonus in my confidence of having her on my team in my own success! I highly recommend Alyson and the Actor's Cartel.

I'm a writer, and I started taking classes from Alyson to get another perspective on my writing, to…read moresee what it was like to get a page of dialogue, to feel what pacing is like, to understand I was asking actors to do. I had no idea what I was doing and really zero confidence that I could do any kind of acting at all. But the more we did in class and the more Alyson explained that acting is about connection, about giving the person you're opposite something to work with--about being generous--it gave me something to hold onto. It's made me a far better writer, no question, but I'm also now working on acting as an art, as a potential performer myself. Under Alyson's guidance, acting has become this experience of single moments, about being 100% present, about working together with someone else to try to get at the truth of that one moment. And that feels like something I can do. Or at least try to do.

I met Shyra and her mother at a talent conference in LA early this year, we gravitated to each…read moreother and this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I have been taking acting classes with Amir for almost a couple months now and he is a very good teacher who really works with me not just on the fundamentals of acting and technique but he really challenges me and works with me to become the character. "Don't Act.. Be," in his words. I already am noticing significant change in how I approach scripts, how I analyze character development and my overall performance. I am very pleased so far with Star Talent Academy and I just am a huge fan of Shyra. She is very professional and pleasant and extremely active in her community. A great woman to be connected to and a great academy to work with. I am looking forward to working with them in the near future on upcoming project and further strengthening my performance skills!

I was the elected "CPAF" Gala chair for the past two years. The Center for the Pacific Asian…read moreFamily (CPAF) was founded in 1978 to proactively address the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse within Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. Shyra donated 100% of her time to help us with the performance. She really turned our 15 members band around and brought a lot showmanship into it. It was a successful event two years in a row and all our attendees had lots of fun. We quadrupled our fund raising amounts. I myself had six weeks intense training with Shyra. She really helped me with the stage presence and broadened my comfort zone into a totally different level. I also took some voice lessons with Irina. She had special teaching techniques to work with my natural voice. She is very serious when it comes teaching. I highly recommend Star Talent Academy. They are professionals, passionate in what they do and have the proper guidance in the entertainment industry.

I cannot say enough great things about LA Actors Institute. This place has wonderful instructors…read morewho take the time to help you develop and improve your craft as an actor. LA Actors Institute sets themself apart from the rest by providing genuine instruction that shows how important they view developing the actors that take their courses. They take the time to get to know the students here to better identify areas for improvement and to pinpoint strengths that can be nurtured to be even stronger. Whether you are just starting out or if you are an avid actor, this is a great place to start or to refresh & improve your skillsets. Please take the time and check this place out! A big shout-out to Holli & Amelia, you ladies are phenomenal!

The commercials class was great- I gained a lot of insight on the whole process from receiving the…read morebreakdown, to researching the brand, to character work, to recording a slate/self-tape, to what the casting directors/brand might think & want, & more... the class gave a lot of depth! It definitely challenged me as we worked with various types of commercials, some solo and some with partners. I feel better equipped now with the tools that the class gave me! Shoutout to Doug Bailey for the referral!