Amazing. Very comfortable and casual setting. The instructor knows what she's talking about and is…read morevery inspiring. I've never had more fun in an acting class. I highly recommend it.

this class is so much fun! i learned so much new stuff that i thought i knew but it was really…read moreclarified for me even more. the instructor is so open to any questions and is so willing to help with anything. she is so sweet, both of them are. the environment is very unique and makes it easy to feel comfortable. Being in this class has not only helped me grow as an actor and be able to use my mind better as an actor, but it helped me grow as a quick thinker and a person. i have also watched other people in the class break out of their shells and be more confident and give them self a bigger voice. thanks kid factor.

I'm an east coast voice actor, and was tipped off about the Kalmenson method by my old online…read moreimprov coach. When I contacted K&K about remote class offerings, I found the Working Pros class was upcoming, and space was available. The class is taught in weekly sessions over Zoom, with some homework assignments and class recordings shared after each session for review. This class helped me restructure my auditioning approach, embrace The Method, and, has helped me improve my audition quality, with renewed confidence tackling new challenges as they arise. I feel refreshed and focused heading into this last chunk of 2023. My recommendation is an enthusiastic "Yes" - if you're a voice talent, look over their offerings & select a class to help your career improve. If you put the work in, I'm sure you'll see the results come out!

I was so disappointed by how remedial this class was. Like most working actors in LA, because I'm…read morenot in the top 1% of the industry I have to work long, hard hours at my day job to make ends meet. As such, I want a class that has good bang for my buck, wows me and frankly blows me away. For example, the first time I went to Lesly Kahn & Co or The Groundlings, I had that exact experience...It took me all of 5 minutes to realize how much more I had to learn and where I needed to get to in order to be competitive in my industry. I've worked HARD on my craft and I book several prime time TV shows per year. Co-star, guest star, recurring... I'm always in class, hungry, humble and honing my craft or looking to challenge myself. That being said, I felt like this school is a complete waste of time for anyone who's ever taken a basic acting 101 class. Keep in mind, I attended the class for "working actors"....I can't even begin to imagine how remedial the beginners class for "non-working actors" is. I knew this was a bad and costly decision as soon as I saw the very outdated class materials and older copy. I was appalled to see a page of "feelings faces" with faces describing attitudes from A-Z like: Angry, Arrogant, Happy, Lovestruck, Sad etc (basically, the kind of chart non-verbal children use to express themselves). I digress, our class started with a cheesy, pre-taped video intro that made me feel like I was doing an online orientation for jury duty. The first 2 classes were like pulling teeth...we had to take turns reading instructions/rules, also a very bad sign (basically killing time to prolong and stretch out the material so that you take the NEXT level). In addition to being snail-paced the actual MEAT of the acting instruction was ridiculously basic in terms of applicable knowledge. Something incoherent to the effect of truth = attitude...attitude = truth blah blah. Huh? How is that applicable to text analysis?? what about operative words? antitheticals? builds? It didn't resonate with me at all and I really kept trying to keep an open mind and just go with the flow. We had NO time to practice our copy week to week. Our class met once a week, so one would think...ok, we'll get our homework copy in advance so that we can practice all week in prep for the next class and try to apply some of the famous Kalmenson method we were learning. NOPE. We got our copy 5 minutes before we had to perform it for our classmates. So we had NO TIME to sit with the copy, think about it, or try to re-read instructions from our Ebinder and apply it to the copy so that there was some kind of eureka moment where we could say...oh gee, I guess that technique can help after all. It took soooo long (I think it was 5 classes in) before we started getting re-direction on copy. My feeling is that a good acting class you start doing re-direction on Day 1. Instead of waiting till the next to the last class and promise: "more to come in the NEXT LEVEL!!" Yeah, I did not buy into that "join our next round of classes!" spiel. K&K wants you to really INVEST and take all their classes, which honestly I would have NO problem doing if I felt like I actually learned something or had measurable results. More than anything, I wanted to take a good Animation Class, an area where I have booked acting jobs on studio sets before....but instead I had to start with the Level 1 class where I felt unchallenged and uninspired, then take Level 2 and THEN I could take the animation class. Level 1 was abysmal, so there was no point in continuing with level 2. Oh and our last class we were told we would get a "special guest speaker"...which made me think we were getting a VO Casting Director or VO Agent or somebody.. but NOPE...Our guest speaker was just another K&K teacher. Huge letdown, but at this point I couldn't help but laugh given how bad the class was. I reamed my manager out for suggesting this class. I was literally going to fire my rep, but we talked it out and he was very apologetic. He made some phone calls, confirmed everything I reported with others in the VO industry and took K&K off their recommended class list. What we were told by another CD was that while K&K may have been good at one time, they really have not kept up with the times and they also cast very infrequently. Before my class ended, I called their office to express my concerns... so this review should not be a surprise and is not coming out of left field. In short, this was just a big waste of time and nowhere near worth $700.

My opinion: They Don't Stand Behind Their Product…read more I took TV 1 in January. I developed a pilot with specific direction from an instructor at Writing Pad. It was a really good experience. I took TV 2 in Feb, using the same exact draft from TV 1. In the first class of TV 2, the instructor said she didn't understand my pilot, and that I would need to change it anyway because marketing wouldn't know it sell it. I told this is how the instructor in TV 1 specifically told me to do it. I like it, so please only give me notes on how to make this story work. To the best of my recollection, the next 3 classes, the TV 2 instructor didn't to my knowledge read my outline. Each class, I wouldn't get much from her except her demand that I change my pilot for marketing reasons. I called Writing Pad to express my dissatisfaction with a marketing note in a TV Writing Class. This is the first phone call on the image below. The person there said he would look into it and call me back. Almost a week passed. Nothing. An hour before class, I called him. He said he didn't see her doing some other things, but to my knowledge made no mention of the "note issue" I referenced above. I asked him to focus on the "note issue" with the instructor. He said he would. Class started, but I didn't hear anything, so I emailed Writing Pad. They responded with the first text in green in the image attached to say they talked with teacher about the "note issue." The above interaction with Writing Pad didn't sit well with me. A student emailed me the next day, to say that she was dropping TV 2 and she wished to remain in touch. I asked her why she was dropping. Her response is the first email of 3 in the image below. I redacted this and sent it to Writing Pad that same day, Friday, since they had asked for proof regarding the issues I raised on the call. The next day, Saturday, Writing Pad responded with the second email of 3 in the image below, kicking me out of class and seemingly banning me from all of Writing Pad. I can't say why they did this in response to what I see as me simply informing them with proof that other students felt as I did. In response to their email, I told them that my opinion was they were reacting against me to reduce their liability because I had furnished proof. I pointed out the irony that they were saying no teacher at Writing Pad would understand my pilot, when I wrote it at the specific direction of another of their instructors in TV 1. This irony is what makes me feel like they don't stand behind their product. Because their reaction seemed to me unmerited, I reiterated the events through my eyes and told them I would post a review. My intention was to give them the benefit of the doubt to speak for themselves in what I saw as a major overreaction. They responded with the third email, which I see as a veiled threat. You may draw your own conclusions.

I enjoyed the classes I took here. It can be a real mixed bag. Had two instructors I loved and two…read moreI wished I hadn't taken classes from. The owners are very responsive and really care about their school. They have mixers and other events for new writers. The only problem would be that it's hard to figure out who is actually a good teacher and who isn't. There's no real way to find honest feedback about the instructors. It's quite expensive so a misstep in this direction could feel like it's career ending as the bad teachers, and screenwriters in general, can be quite nasty. That can be a problem at any school though. Overall, I recommend this place.

I highly recommend the Alliance Française de Los Angeles. The teachers are wonderful. My kids had a…read moregreat experience there. On vous remercie infiniment!

Alliance Francaise in conjunction with Bordeaux Sister Cities, Los Angeles celebrated Fête de…read moreBastille with a bang by featuring the wines of Bordeaux, the region that has given birth to super high-end vignerons such as Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Ausone, and others too numerous to count (about 10,000 in all). Bordeaux produces only about 1.5% of the world production of wine, but its world class wines hold a disproportionate amount of awe & influence, and with it, snob appeal. Apparently, the region of Bordeaux, which comes from "au bord de l'eau (by the water), especially in Saint- Émilion had been exporting wine to Rome since the 4th century. Château Ausone dates back to the days when the Roman Empire held sway. The Greeks may have been the first to introduce the grape to France since they established a colony called Massalia, which is now the present-day Marseille, in about 600 bce. However, there is no documentation that those original grapes planted by the Greeks have survived to this day. (DNA analysis of the grapes in France & in present day Greece may answer that question.) In Bordeaux, Reds predominate with 89% of production while whites comprise 11%. Merlot makes up about 66%, Cabernet Sauvignon a bit less than 33%, the rest is Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Carménère, & Malbec. White varietals are Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, & a touch of Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, Sauvignon Gris, Colombard. The large water way called the Gironde & its two tributaries, the Dordogne & Garonne, is the major dividing line so that there is a right & left bank. The right bank's soil has more clay-rich, relatively cooler soil temperature, water-retaining soil which is preferred by the early ripening Merlot. The left bank's soil is gravelly & stony so that the sun heats up the soil which is beloved by heat-loving Cabernet Sauvignon. The center piece in the lounge area was a long table whose center was decorated with the French Tri- Colors & deep red roses possibly symbolizing the people of France who have given their lives to the French Republique. Surrounding this was a groaning table of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, charcuterie, & crackers which would pair well with the wines to be sampled. Sommelier Laurent P. Michit, who is also a wine merchant, presented a good representative of wines from Bordeaux. 1) Chateau de Fontenille, Entre-Deux-Mers, 2012 is 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Sauvignon Gris, 20% Muscadelle, 20% Sémillon. Sweet musky bouquet with a touch of citrus & grassy tones. Smooth & astringent yet slightly rough due to higher acid. 2) Chateau Macquin, Saint-George-Saint Émilion, 2011 is probably primarily Merlot with Cabernet Franc. 3) Chateau Tenein, Bordeaux Superior, 2010 is 55% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc. 4) Chateau Patache d'Aux, Medoc, 2010 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot . This was my favorite drink-right-now wine. Very smooth, nice balance of soft tannins & acid with a touch of cherry & light blue berries that has the right sugar content to make it great to drink just by itself. I guess this wine appeals to my plebeian nature since it is listed as Cru Bourgeois. 5) Chateau de la Cour, Saint-Émilion 2010, Grand Cru is 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. This wine probably would mellow out in about 10 years. The tannins & acids are relatively strong so that the wine can rest for a long time to mellow out the tannins & acids although I have had other Grand Crus that were far harsher. Good bottle to buy for those who believe that all good things come to those who wait. The guests at the Fête de Bastille were a mixture of Francophone & Anglophone speakers which made for a nice mix. The cultural & educational awareness was high unlike some soirées where we Americans predominate. There was little talk about La Revolution & about Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, and the talk of wine predominated. I would guess that Vins = La Vie, at least to the French. Vive la France!!!

I love this acting studio. I was brought to Cynthia after watching Hailee Steinfeld on True Grit…read moreand seeing her Oscar nomination for the role. I needed to know this coach to send my clients to. As a talent representative, I could not be more pleased with the quality of classes and coaching offered here. I have sent many clients to these classes and have seen the results in bookings! Cynthia has always been accommodating and treats her clients well. She is respected in the industry and I would recommend her to anyone looking for an acting class ages 5-30.

I have been a student at CBYAS for 4 years and absolutely love it! Cynthia, Jillian, and all of the…read morecoaches here have molded and strengthened my acting abilities so much. They show so much care and consideration for every student and I love being a part of such a great studio!

I had an amazing experience here and would highly recommend. I took the live drawing class with…read moregraphite and the model did great! The class was calming and Ann just let us do what felt right but also guided at the same time. Materials were provided which makes it perfect. In Addition, so many great places to eat around for a fun day in k-town.

Ann is a brilliant artist and teacher who patiently guides beginners in developing their artistic…read moreskills while helping more advanced artists refine their abilities. Her studio is warm and inviting, making every class an enjoyable experience. A few years ago, I brought my daughter to one of her young artist classes, and she enjoyed it, too.

I attended and graduated from both the New York and Los Angeles campus and am so thankful I did…read more The experience of living in both cities alone grew me as a human and artist immensely. The teachers that are hired are working professionals with incredible resumes. They truly care about you and will whip you into shape physically and artistically. I learned that performing arts is a business as much as it is an art form and thanks to AMDA I can call myself a working actor. Because of the opportunities given to me from AMDA I had my television debut earlier this year and returned as a recurring guest star. As well as many other amazing paid opportunities since graduating last year June. Thanks AMDA!

The reason we came to LA. Maddy's bestie is in a play, located in Hollywood. The theater is small…read morebut very cute. We sat front row. The play was A Midsummer nights dream. Each actor brought something different to the play. We had an amazing time. GO Ally!

The best word I can think of to describe this class is... real. It's real…read more Kevin is a natural-born teacher. He can't help but care about his students. It's almost pathological. I'm kidding. Kind of. I like having a teacher who's also an incredible actor himself. It's so much fun to be around a guy who loves the doing as much as he loves the teaching. He's smart. Crazy smart. Unbelievably kind. And just authentic. A level of authenticity that rubs off on the people around him. I've taken every acting class in LA. This is in a different category.

This class is one of those things you know is special as soon as you walk through the door. It…read morechanged the way I saw things for the better. Acting became so simple and living in LA became so much sweeter. Kevin demanded and allowed me to be truthful to every single part of me, the darkness, the light, the love, the fear...This truly expanded the way I approached things, all of a sudden I was able to access emotions that I did not even know existed. It made my acting richer, more real and it honestly made me a happier human. I will forever be grateful to Kevin. He is an incredible teacher and one of the kindest people I know.