Studio A.C.T.

I have enjoyed their last 3 plays, except Sargent Barbara, that one was awful. It’s a decent theater with a nice bar downstairs.

Valentine and Karly were very helpful!
Thank you! Check out was fast and effective!

I had a great experience at this acting school. Stephanie DeMott’s intro class provided a welcoming and safe atmosphere for doing something as crazy as emoting in front of a bunch of strangers. Patrick Russell, another young actor, who taught the next class, was so inspiring that he drew a cult following, petitioning for him to be installed as the head teacher of all classes to follow, and I agreed after taking the next class.

I took about 4 classes here at Studio ACT, many years ago. It’s been a while since I’ve been back. They have nicely structured classes, very professional teachers– and you can transfer credits as well. An accredited and tremendously respected school. However, from what I remember, the environment was a little formal (too much theory for my personal ways of learning). I intend to go back for another couple rounds. It’s beneficial to be trained under different instructors/​techniques. I’m so in awe of some of the students that graduated from there… I have much to learn!

Wow! What an amazing little theater!
I came to see A Normal Heart played here and this theater was great! The seating was comfortable and the acoustics weren’t all that bad.
I guess I am biased as the play was phenomenal but it was still a great theater!

I attended A.C.T.‘s Summer Training Congress. My acting teacher was Trina Oliver, and I have to say for 3 months, I didn’t have time to doubt myself, and I broke through so many personal barriers in my craft that freed me to do the authentic, honest work I am meant to do.
I recommend this program to any actor or regular person who is interested in breaking through fear boundaries to achieve their true artistic potential.

What a wonderful theater. I had a friend visiting from out of town we decided to go see a local play. (Teals Of The City) we where so surprised that it was so good and that a lot of big names are tied to it. The Theater is vary small, we had tickets in the 2^nd row, i I would believe any ticket would do just fine

I took my ACT 1 and 2 there, and will take 3 too.
The studio ACT courses are pretty good for working people that do or want to do acting as a hobby. I had 2 different instructors and both were nice, knowledgeable (2 different styles /​methods /​schools) — so it was a very nice experience. If you feel you are talented… why not then take their Master program!
It is a bit far for me… but it gives me a nice occasion to go SF.
They propose a lot of kinds of classes (acting, auditioning, improv, Shakespeare, movie acting, musicals etc.)
I wish they have more thematic classes (for example Boulevard comedies acting, drama, maybe on some specific authors — and eventually acting in other languages too. maybe I am asking too much :))
Anyways, I believe this is good acting school.

I am currently taking ACT II, a scene study class with Paul Finocchiaro and have found it invaluable to my acting pursuits. I just completed a 20 run performance of «Tambourines to Glory» and the director was very impressed with my techniques. I hope to take more classes at Studio A.C.T. and possibly the Summer Conservatory next year.

I’ve taken 6 classes at Studio A.C.T. I’ve loved all the teachers I’ve had and I’ve made connections with some amazing and interesting people. Even if you’re not interested in acting, Studio A.C.T. provides a fun and safe place to explore the nuances of your personality and become more comfortable in your own skin. Aces.

I have taken 5 classes over the last 3 years and have enjoyed every one. The teachers vary in style and quality, but have all been at least decent. The class sizes are good, and the fellow students have all been nice and fun to work with. The facilities are a bit old, but have enough space, which is really all you need for an acting class. Overall, I would recommend taking a class here if you want low-​pressure amateur acting fun.

I attended Studio ACT for two years and completed numerous classes in acting, voice-​building, singing, and auditioning. During my time at Studio ACT I was thrilled with my progress, especially in the Voice Building and singing Master Class taught by Ava Victoria.
I was an experienced, but out-​of-​practice singer when I started those classes. Ava put me through my paces and helped me build strength, refine my technique, improve my acting, and learn to connect emotionally to the material. She has an amazing ear, and a knack for knowing exactly what a student is doing wrong. Ava also has a wonderful way of tailoring corrections, putting them into terms that students can easily understand. I would give Ava’s classes 5 stars all the way.
Unfortunately, I just heard that Ava is no longer teaching at Studio ACT, choosing instead to focus her energies on her private studio. I think this is a major loss for Studio ACT. Ava was hand-​picked to teach the Garcia-​Marchesi vocal method, which was the basis for her 10-​week Voice Building class. There are only a handful of teachers nationally who are qualified to teach the Garcia-​Marchesi method and exercises.
I am concerned because the 10-​week Voice Building class has been collapsed into a 5-​week «intensive» course, which does not make sense to me. I took the 10-​week course over and over again, and it was the best workout I’ve ever had, week-​in and week-​out.
So although I had a five-​star experience at Studio ACT, I am not sure what is going on there now that Ava is gone, and since Bruce Williams is no longer in charge. The class schedule has changed substantially, and there is really nothing that I want to take right now. Overall it seems that musical-​theatre is being de-​emphasized there, just as it has been on the ACT mainstage.
More than likely, I will spend my very-​limited training dollars to study privately with Ava at her studio as opposed to enrolling again at Studio ACT.
I will be curious to hear what kind of feedback is given for the 5-​week Voice Building class.

I can’t speak highly enough about my experience in Acting I with Andy Alabran. I’d never acted before and was a bit nervous about trying it for the first time. Andy was a fantastic teacher, equal parts encouraging, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He went out of his way to make the experience enjoyable for everyone, even giving up his Sunday afternoon to help a fellow student with her monologue.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention how great my classmates were. Everyone was supportive and excited and had pretty amazing senses of humor.
If you’re thinking about taking an acting class or just looking for a great activity to get out of your usual comfort zone, I would fully recommend taking ACT I. Bar none, the best class I’ve taken in a long time.

I moved to the US in 2006 and one of the first things I looked for was a place where I can take acting classes. I acted professionally onstage back in Manila and I wanted to continue to learn to hone my craft. Studio ACT was the perfect place because it offered so many good classes in different levels and with very accomplished instructors. I have taken 5 classes since 2007 and have been very satisfied with all of them.
My fave teachers are Ms. Francie Devlin & Ms. Naomi Sanchez because they really worked your butts off and really made you grow as a person and as an actor. They challenged you to be the best and made you squeeze a little more juice to make you achieve your goals faster.
Studio ACT is awesome and I would take more classes in the future.
Btw, some classes are a bit pricey but for a 10-​week 3-​hour session each, it certainly worth it.

Great well-​known and established place for learning acting and other theater arts. Excellent location (and great window shopping on the way!), quite affordable compared to other options. I’m currently taking Studio ACT I and have been learning loads and having a lot of fun! Glad that for this course there’s no previous acting experience required, which makes it a really organic and fun experience each week.

Acting classes are so much fun!!! If you are tired of drinking, clubbing, going out and you want to do something, take acting classes. It is more fun then language lessons, cooking classes and book clubs! It really is so much fun.

I took the ACT I, II and III Studio A.C.T. classes one right after another and found the overall experience very worthwhile to learn more about myself as well as gain a greater appreciation for the acting craft.
I came in with no previous acting training except for an improv class a few years ago, but that was quite different. My original plan was to take just one class to get a taste of what the heck acting was about. I wasn’t very good in the first class, but for some reason I decided to sign up for ACT II. The first class started off with theatre games and improv exercises and ended with one scene work. By ACT III, it is about scene study and we ended up working on three scenes from various plays during the 10-​week session.
It can be challenging to find a time and place to rehearse with your scene partner during the week, but through phone calls and meeting after or before class has worked out for me. I was very lucky in that my scene partners have been pretty responsive and motivated, but I did have one partner who had to work so much that I ended up having to work on monologues.
The class sizes are about 10 students per class. The student makeup in Studio ACT classes range from people who want to pursue acting professionally to those with some previous training but who are still exploring what role acting will take in their lives (probably the majority of the class) – and finally you have people like me who don’t have a theater background, no plans to audition, and are just curious to learning something new.
All the instructors I’ve had were good. Each had his own teaching styles and areas of emphasis, but they were all very talented and dedicated to helping the students. You can instantly tell that they are pros.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the location is conveniently located around public transportation and Union Square which was a huge plus for me.
When you first sign up for Studio A.C.T. classes you meet with the program director for a quick interview – but it’s nothing to fret over at all.
The only thing is that I just wished they offered more Saturday classes.

I love going to ACT for classes. It’s almost like a little family that’s formed itself around their love and curiosity for acting.
No class will ever be the same, even if you do take it with the same teacher, and that’s because so much of it has to do with what the students put into it. If you have a group of people that are really dedicated and are willing to put in the time and the effort and are really there to learn, it can be amazing, and so much fun.
Most classes do ask you to put in at least 1hr worth of work out side of class per week. Certain classes require much more. The Meisner class required at least 2hr rehearsals per week outside of class. In some cases you will be working a whole lot more.
Studio ACT offers classes ranging from Acting 1 to Acting 3, Singing, Physical Acting, Text Work, dialects, Meisner, Alexander Technique, Shakespeare and it goes on and on. Not all classes are offered all the time and they are always introducing new ones.
It’s about $ 350 per class, sometimes more, sometimes less. But that also includes use of the ACT Library which is very extensive. The Studio ID you receive on the first day of class can also be used as a student Id for discounts on books at certain stores and for discounts for theater tickets at ACT Theater and other theater houses.
My favorite classes have included ACT III with Andrew Hurteau and Meisner Technique with Francine Landes. Both these classes can be very intense and will require more than just 1hr per week.
Another thing to consider: ACT does not provide you to use their space for rehearsals. They are very serious about that, so don’t get caught.

If you want to take acting classes just for fun or because you want to pursue acting, but don’t want to enroll in a Masters Program, I’d recommend Studio A.C.T.– I’ve taken 4 classes there (Acting 1 – 3, and Improv 1) and I have enjoyed all of them and learned something in all.
As with any class, what teacher you get goes a long way and I’ve had amazing teachers and good teachers, but never a bad teacher.
The only thing annoying about A.C.T. is that they keep all bios or C.V.‘s of their teachers away from the public. So you can’t look up a teacher on a website and see their background before enrolling. And each teacher has a slightly different style, as there is no main curriculum, so one teacher teaching the same exact class as another teacher may do it totally differently. This can be good. Or annoying. But overall you get good feedback and great direction from your teachers. You will learn here!
For the acting classes you are expected to rehearse with your scene partner about 1 hour a week outside of class.
The classes really aren’t that expensive either — it boils down to about $ 10 an hour for 10 weeks of once a week 3-​hr classes.
One time I enrolled in a class and after the first session I knew the teacher was going to annoy the shit out of me so I dropped it. They have a pretty good refund policy — if you drop *after* the first class session but before the second class session, you can get the prorated amount of your classes refunded minus a $ 40 «fee».

A great option for those who are too impatient to go through the M.F.A. program offered by A.C.T. I took so many classes and spent so much time in the lounge, I feel like I practically did do the full program. All my teachers were excellent, and Bruce Williams the Studio’s director is a class act!
The location near Union Square scores extra points for ease of transportation and stellar views, I might add.