How to Choose an Acting Class: Types, Techniques and What to Look For

A good acting class can change the way you work for the rest of your career. A bad one can waste your money, knock your confidence and teach you habits you will spend years unlearning. With thousands of classes, studios and workshops out there, from neighbourhood drama groups to famous studios, choosing well matters.

This guide explains the main types of acting classes, the techniques they teach, what to look for in a teacher and how to get the most out of training once you have started.

Why take regular classes

Acting is a practical skill. Like playing an instrument, it improves with regular, focused practice and an experienced eye watching you. Regular classes give you:

• Consistent practice between auditions and jobs, so you stay sharp
• Feedback from a teacher who can see what you can’t
• A safe place to fail and try bold choices you might not risk in an audition
• A community of actors to rehearse with, learn from and support
• Range through exposure to material and characters you might not choose yourself

Weekly classes are particularly valuable. Momentum matters, and a steady rhythm of work builds skills faster than occasional intensives.

Types of acting classes

Beginner and foundation classes

Introduce the basics: listening, objectives, simple scene work, voice and movement. Look for one that gets you working on your feet from the first session.

Scene study

The core of most ongoing training. You work on scenes from plays and screenplays with a partner, perform them for the class and receive notes. Scene study teaches text analysis, character work and how to make choices. See our guide to scene study techniques.

On-camera and screen acting

Focuses on the specific demands of film and TV: scale, continuity, hitting marks, working with the lens and self-taping. Essential if you want screen work. Our article on acting for film covers the basics.

Audition technique

Practical classes on cold reading, preparing sides, self-tapes and the audition room. Often taught by casting directors or experienced working actors.

Improvisation

Builds spontaneity, listening and confidence. Useful for every actor, not just comedians.

Voice and speech

Breath, resonance, articulation, accents and dialects. Some classes focus on voiceover specifically. See our voice acting techniques.

Movement

Physical awareness, expressiveness and stage combat. Approaches include Laban, Lecoq, Viewpoints, Alexander Technique and physical theatre. Read more about movement for actors.

Classical and Shakespeare

Verse speaking, heightened text and period style. Hugely valuable even if you mainly want screen work, because it trains voice, clarity and the ability to handle complex language.

Kids and teen classes

Age-appropriate training that builds confidence and creativity. See our separate guide to youth acting classes.

Techniques you will meet

Many teachers base their classes on one technique or combine several:

• Stanislavski’s system: objectives, given circumstances and inner life. The foundation of most Western actor training.
• Meisner technique: truthful, moment-to-moment response, built on repetition exercises.
• Method acting: sense memory and personal experience, associated with Lee Strasberg. See our guide to method acting.
• Stella Adler technique: imagination, given circumstances and the size of the play rather than personal memory.
• Uta Hagen technique: substitution and specific object exercises.
• Michael Chekhov technique: imagination, atmosphere and psychological gesture.
• Practical Aesthetics: a script analysis method developed by David Mamet and William H. Macy.

No single technique is “right.” The best actors usually take tools from several. Our overview of essential acting techniques compares them in more detail.

How to choose the right class

Check the teacher, not just the studio

The teacher matters far more than the name on the door. Look for someone with real professional experience as an actor, director or casting director, and a track record of teaching. Ask former students what the classes were like.

Audit a class first

Most reputable studios let you watch a class before signing up. Pay attention to:

• How much time students spend actually working versus listening
• Whether feedback is specific and constructive
• The atmosphere: supportive and focused, or competitive and anxious
• How the teacher treats students who struggle

Avoid red flags

• Promises of fame, agents or guaranteed work
• Pressure to sign up for expensive packages on the spot
• Teachers who humiliate students or push emotional boundaries without care
• Classes so large that you rarely get on your feet
• “Showcases” with industry guests that cost a lot but rarely lead to work

Match the class to your goals

If you want screen work, prioritise on-camera classes. If you want theatre, look for scene study and voice. If you are a beginner, start with foundation work before specialising.

Consider practicalities

Location, schedule, class size and cost all matter. A class you can afford to attend every week is better than an expensive one you can only manage occasionally. Many good teachers now also offer online classes, especially for audition technique and self-taping.

Well-known places to train

Some studios have international reputations and long histories, including HB Studio and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York, The Second City in Chicago and Toronto for improv and sketch, and The Groundlings in Los Angeles (read our article on the history of the Groundlings). For full-time professional training, see our list of leading acting schools.

But you don’t need a famous name to get excellent training. Many of the best teachers work in small studios, community programmes and local theatres. Ask working actors in your area who they trained with.

Getting the most out of class

• Prepare. Learn your lines and do your text work before class, so the session is spent acting.
• Take risks. Class is the place to try bold choices and fail.
• Watch others work. You learn as much from watching notes given to others as from your own.
• Rehearse outside class with scene partners.
• Apply notes. Write them down and actually use them next time.
• Be a good partner. Your growth depends on the people you work with, and theirs on you.

Final thoughts

The right class should challenge you, support you and leave you a better actor every month. Do your research, audit before you commit, choose a teacher you trust and then show up consistently. Training is the one part of an acting career that is fully in your hands.