Acting Lessons in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County

Michelle Danner Los Angeles Acting Studio:
Located in Santa Monica, in Western Los Angeles County CA, The Michelle Danner Los Angeles Acting School offers a wide array of acting classes and workshops that are geared for actors of all ages and levels. Actors are encouraged to raise the bar and work to their full potential. Our mission is to provide a creative home to a community of passionate actors. Our actors are able to master the fundamentals and develop their craft by working on diverse material, honing their skills both on-camera and on-stage. We welcome all eager and enthusiastic students and offer a professional education for actors in all stages of their careers.

Acting Classes For Adults:

The Actor's Golden Box (Advanced Intensive Technique Analysis)
Learn how to create vivid and fleshed out characters through an intense and emotional workshop with lectures and technique exercises. 

The Golden Box is a two day in depth lecture that breaks down the technical map used at The Acting Studio at Edgemar. The class focuses on answering the following questions:

- Why are some choices more powerful than others?
- How does one deliver a raw unforgettable performance?
- What specific tools can be applied to film, television and stage work?
- How does one develop a personal story from scratch?

Beginning / Intermediate Scene Study:
Scene study class for beginning students who are new to acting or have some related experience. Actors are taught the foundations of technique through opening emotional exercises which are used to warm up the actor’s instrument and teach the tools that will be applied to their scene work. Students explore how to apply their backstory to the characters they are creating by working on contemporary and classical scenes and monologues. Emphasis is placed on learning how to make the best physical, emotional, and vocal choices.

Intermediate / Advanced Scene Study:
A scene study class for students who have had a few years of professional experience. Actors build on their foundation of technique with opening emotional exercises that are used to warm up the actor’s instrument. Students challenge themselves to stretch by working on risk taking material that requires them to go deeper into the work.

Advanced / Professional Scene Study:
An advanced lab for students who have had numerous years of acting training and/or professional experience. Students are encouraged to explore material that excites and ignites them and are asked to make bold choices in their work. Students relive experiences from the life of the characters they are working on through “The Biography Exercise”. Students are challenged to thoroughly explore a character by working on each monologue and scene from the play or screenplay. Every artist has at least one great story in them to contribute and each student is nurtured to write and develop theirs.

Audition for Film & Television: On-Camera Cold Reading:
An eight week long class designed to help students with their performances at auditions. Open to students of all levels to help them discover what casting directors are looking for at auditions.

Improv Workout:
A class designed to help students build strong characters through improvisation. Classes are held three times a week and consist of various improvisation games. The goal of the class is to teach students to take risks, overcome mental blocks, and learn to build strong believable characters.

Intensive Voice Classes (Levels 1 & 2)
Voice class entails a series of exercises designed to release areas where students hold tension which allows them to strengthen the parts of their voice that are weak. These exercises are applied to monologues, scenes, and personal audition material.

Also available:
- 12 Month Well Rounded Actor Training Intensive
- 6 Month Well Rounded Actor Training Intensive
- 3 Month Well Rounded Actor Training Intensive
- Michelle Danner's Two Day Film and Television Auditioning Intensive
- Casting Director Workshop
- Brad Garrett the Emmy Awards winning star of Everybody Loves Raymond teaches a 5 week sitcom / comedy intensive
- Private One-To-One Coaching classes also available

Acting Classes For Kids / Teens:
- On Camera Audition class (Ages 7-14 years)
- Acting and Improvisation course (Ages 7-14 years)
- Edgemar Acting Summer Camp
- Fantastical Story Hour (Ages 3-6 years)
- The International Children's Playhouse (Ages: Infants - 3 years)
- Children's Acting classes taught by Holly Bonelli