If you’re the kind of person who has always dreamed of seeing their name in lights, you’re in the right place. It’s time to follow your dreams and enroll in one of the best acting classes in NYC. And look, even if you can’t afford to quit your day job to attend one of New York's acting schools (would be nice though, right?) there are plenty of part-time acting classes with flexible schedules and affordable prices. There are quite a lot of different classes on offer, too.
So, if belting out the best Broadway songs of all time is your thing, or you just want to see whether being called a ‘character’ all your life means you have any actual talent, these workshops for beginners are the perfect place to start. And who knows? Maybe one day you’ll land your breakout role in one of the best Broadway shows on the Great White Way. Or how about a starring gig in the hottest new television show? Or maybe even Hollywood? All you need is a bit of ambition. and maybe an acting class or two. But you know that – that’s why you’re here! Smart. Very smart.
RECOMMENDED: Find more classes in NYC
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Oscar winner Anne Hathaway credits this theater company and school with teaching her how to act. While most of its offerings cater to pros, its 10-week Beginners Acting I: The Basics class is open to everyone—no experience necessary. Learn fundamental acting techniques that stress spontaneity and natural behavior via exercises, monologues and scene study. The Barrow Group also produces two mainstage shows per season plus monthly readings, so you can see how good the grads are. And who knows? You might be up there with them sometime soon.
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You’ve probably heard the name of this acting school already but suffice it to say, the New York Performing Arts Academy has a proven track record when it comes to getting people from school to stage and screen. Its alumni have landed roles on hit TV shows like Orange Is the New Black and Fresh Off the Boat, with many more making careers off the back of the tuition they received here. Unleash your potential in the academy’s four-week foundation course—it covers acting for screen and stage, movement and voice, with some of the best tutors in the business. Though some of the classes here require an audition, the beginner level is open to all.
AdvertisingEvery acting journey has to start somewhere, and The Barrow Group Acting School offers a top-quality beginning acting class to ensure that students start off on the right foot. In this class, students will learn the art of creating chemistry with fellow actors through ensemble-building games, and they will practice the art of preparing for the acting process by learning how to analyze scripts and participate in scene study exercises. This adult acting course is an ideal place to learn how to make your performances seem spontaneous and natural and the program is ideal for anyone looking to kickstart their acting career.
Renowned vocal coach Kristin Linklater built her career helping actors and amateurs find their natural voices. In fact, her technique is so well-regarded that Linklater and other experts trained in her teaching style run an entire vocal coaching program out of this Midtown Manhattan studio. The two-session Natural Voice Workshop is a natural place to start: You’ll learn to relax your body and harness your vocal vibrations to unleash the full potential of your voice ($180). Actors looking for a little more scene work might be interested in the Voice, Body, Shakespeare class, which uses vocal exercises to help you master iambic pentameter and bring the classics to life ($700 for six sessions).
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As its name suggests, Actors Connection helps link performers to agents, producers and casting directors. The focus on networking extends to its classes, too: You’ll find working professionals teaching workshops in their specialty, like voice-over or commercials. Beginners might want to start with the six-session Acting 101 course ($329) to really get a handle on their technique. Plus, once you’ve registered, you’ll be added to the studio’s database and receive alerts whenever a new audition or casting call comes up.
The Essentials of Film Acting 110 course, offered by The Acting School for Film and Television, is an introductory course perfect for anyone with dreams of starring in front of the camera. This course teaches students how to build a memorable screen presence and emote with vulnerability and authenticity. This course also gives students valuable advice on navigating the film and television industry, which is notoriously difficult for new actors. This training will help students be more confident when they go in for auditions and start landing their first entry-level roles. Since this is a professional studio setting, participants will have their progress overseen by experienced directors, talent managers and casting directors, who are always on the lookout for the next big star.
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If you are looking for an immersive acting class that is still beginner-friendly, consider enrolling in The New York Performing Arts Academy’s Acting for Stage, TV and Screen program. In this four-week class, you’ll work with industry insiders who will teach you the ropes of professional acting and all of the (literally) behind-the-scenes aspects of working in the industry. Students will learn how TV, stage and film acting differ and how casting directors and talent agents make final decisions concerning casting. Students will also learn how to manage and prepare for roles since so much of the hard work of acting takes place off-camera, with lessons covering scene analysis, script reading and character development. This course is an excellent way for new actors to break into the industry, get vital skills training and build networking connections.
Once you’ve completed an introductory acting course, it is time to keep your training going and enroll in a more advanced class. The Getting Specific course offered by the Barrow Group Acting School allows students to continue developing their acting talents and become more well-rounded actors. Over ten weeks, participants will play improv games, work on script analysis exercises and begin preparing monologues and scene work. This program encourages students to be more spontaneous and natural in their style and to create an effortless and relaxed persona (that is, of course, the result of careful practice and deliberate choices). If you want to learn to act like you aren’t acting, this is the course for you.
AdvertisingWhen people think of acting, they don’t often think of voice-over artists, even though the process of acting using only one’s voice is itself a real talent and a historically significant art form. In this four-week course, students will work alongside Barry Shapiro, a professional casting director, who will guide them through preparing for a career in professional commercial voice-over work. Students will get personalized feedback and access to a recording studio in which they’ll build their own VO demo reel. If the prospect of hearing your voice on a radio or TV ad sounds appealing, this course will help you make that dream into a reality.
Learning to deliver a joke can be a real challenge, and despite what the best stand-up comedians aim to have you believe, writing and delivering a routine is an immense amount of work. At the Drop-in Stand Up course offered by the Brooklyn Comedy Collective, you can get professional oversight as you learn how to do this work, including learning how to hone material, build a stage presence and respond at the moment to audience reactions. You’ll get live stage time and important feedback on your routine in this course, and because it is a drop-in class, you can come to practice whenever it fits your schedule, or you have new material you want to workshop.
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Amateurs who dream of making their debut on the silver screen ought to look into this specialized acting school. Writer, producer and actor Mark Stolzenberg not only founded the school, but also teaches many of its classes. Total beginners might want to start with the Essentials of Film Acting 110 class, which covers basics like finding your eye line, projecting emotions and working on your close-up ($275 for four sessions). The Business of Acting course, which teaches newbies how to market yourself, secure auditions and create a reel, also wouldn’t be a bad idea ($300 for four sessions).
While they are most commonly associated with the circus, clowning is a storied theatrical art form (some of the most memorable roles in Shakespeare were performed by clowns). The Barrow Group Acting School seeks to keep this comedic tradition alive in their Theatrical Clown Workshop, an immersive course that will teach students the fine art of clowning. Students will learn clown essentials, such as isolating actions, interrupting their own pattern, singularity of focus, and building a relationship with the audience and setting themselves down a path to perform some of the most physical and most well-loved roles in theater.
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Opened by late acting greats Herbert Berghof and Uta Hagen in 1945, HB's Greenwich Village building is always abuzz with actors, both experienced and aspiring. Though advanced classes with pros like Oscar-winner Mercedes Ruehl and Tony nominee Jessica Hecht are by audition only, all Level 1 offerings—Acting 1, Scene Study 1 and Acting with the Camera 1—are aimed at neophytes or those returning to performing after an absence. Students can sign up by trimester ($445–$645) but if you're on the fence, you can audit one session for $20.
Founded by acting teacher/TV writer-producer Kelly Kimball, this studio requires all students in its semester-long program of study ($980 for 12 weekly acting classes and three elective workshops) enroll in one of its signature offerings: an On-Camera Crash Course or a Ballistics class designed to strengthen preexisting technique through improvisation. If you aren't ready to commit to that much instruction, drop into any five Sunday classes with the Sunday Crash-Course Pass ($350). Newbies can audit a session for free, then talk one-on-one with a staff member about whether the studio is the right fit.
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Opened back in 1953 by Michael Howard, a performer and director who studied with acting legends Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg, this stalwart school offers a number of full-time conservatory programs (Scandal's Kerry Washington is a graduate). But the studio also hosts weekly scene study classes ($265–$345 per month) and specialized workshops in long-form improv, Shakespeare, voiceovers, comedic characters, acting for TV and film and more ($345 and up) led by working pros, including some big-name actors and casting directors. Note: For most offerings, an interview and an audition are required.
Interviews and auditions are required at this venerable studio, which was opened in 1969 by Terry Schreiber and counts Edward Norton among its conservatory graduates. Newbies can choose from beginner classes like Meisner Technique I ($695 for 12 sessions), On-Camera I ($425 for six sessions) and Beginning Technique ($550 for eight sessions). The studio also mounts full-fledged productions, too, in case you want to see its students and alumni in action.
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In addition to advanced training for pros, the Ted Bardy Studio offers a three-phase Beginner Meisner Acting Class ($340 per month for six months, $400 for month-to-month tuition) that immerses newcomers in the title technique, which focuses on listening, vulnerability and truthful reactions. Expect lots of exercises (classes start with the famous "Repetition Exercise") as students work their way up to the end of phase 1 with the introduction of "emotional preparation." Definitely not for dabblers!
This nonprofit cultural complex is well-known for presenting work by cutting-edge theater artists like puppet master Basil Twist, writer/director Richard Maxwell and solo star Nilaja Sun. But it also offers a wide variety of community arts classes to all ages, including acting. Its five-session Improv Comedy 101 class ($160) is perfect for amateurs who want to find out what it's like to get on stage. Students learn core skills like developing unique characters, working as a group and practicing a "yes, and" mentality .
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You may have no problem cracking up your cube mates, but can you make a room full of strangers laugh? Find out in the six-week training camp run by the pros at Laughing Buddha Comedy. It includes six classes and six open-mic slots that’ll help you develop a strong five-minute set to showcase at a local comedy club toward the end of the course.
In a city full of aspiring performers, it’s no surprise that New York offers plenty of classes to help actors hone their craft. Whether you’re looking to begin a career or improve your skills, there are dozens of programs tailored to a wide range of skills and career goals. Before you decide, it’s a good idea to consider your answers to a few important questions— are you hoping to learn more about one technique, or do you need a comprehensive background in all kinds of techniques to find the one that clicks with you? Do you want to take a single class, or are you ready to commit to a more extended program? Balancing these factors with more practical matters like scheduling and location will help you narrow your options and settle on one program to help you achieve your goals and take your New York City acting career to the next stage.
With the sheer number of available options, knowing your specific goals for attending an acting class is a good place to start narrowing things down. You could start by deciding what type of acting interests you. Whether you’re interested in film, television, or musical theater, dozens of options cater to these subsets. If you’re interested in training to be in front of a camera, courses at The New York Acting School for Film and Television might be your best bet. For musical theater training, check out the Musical Theater Masterclass or the Theater Intensive, both at Actors Connection New York. The New York Performing Arts Academy also offers a 12-week intensive that covers both stage and screen acting, which is an excellent option for those who want a more well-rounded education. If you’re a more established professional, you can check out classes focusing on audition techniques to boost your chances of booking that dream gig.
Before enrolling in a class, it’s a good idea to research the credentials of your potential instructor before committing to a class. Knowing more about the teacher’s background and experience can give you a better idea of whether their performance style meshes well with your own and ensures that they have enough expertise to guide you appropriately. Most acting schools will list their instructor’s biographies on their website or in the description of the courses they teach. For example, the instructors at Actors Connection New York boast credits in projects like Avengers: Infinity War, The Morning Show, and Jessica Jones. If you’re interested in pursuing voice-over work, some classes at Acting & Voice Studios are taught by Barry Shapiro. He has cast thousands of projects and knows what does and does not work well for this industry.
AdvertisingYou’ll also want to review course descriptions or the official websites of any school to see if the classes provide any networking opportunities. For instance, classes at Actors Connection New York are specifically designed to help aspiring performers connect with other professionals in the industry, like managers and casting directors. While checking out the course descriptions, you can also dig into some reviews of the classes from former students. These will help you better understand whether the class you hope to take provides ample opportunities to perform and receive feedback from your instructor and fellow students. You can also look at the websites for the schools you’re interested in to see whether they have helped other students become successful. For instance, The Barrow Group Acting School is where performers like Anne Hathaway and Tony Hale got their start.
Additionally, being mindful of your budget is crucial when considering taking an acting class. Most single-session acting classes in New York City cost between $100 and $200, while acting classes that require attending multiple sessions run anywhere from $750 to $5000. A single session might be best if you are new to acting or aren’t sure whether you want to pursue it more seriously. In contrast, a multi-session class could provide more value for your money if you’re already an aspiring performer and feel more secure in pursuing this career path. If you decide to enroll in a longer course, be sure you’re ready to commit and that it fits into your schedule; being overworked and stressed is not conducive to a productive learning experience.
Once you’ve booked the class, you can set yourself up for success by taking some additional steps to prepare yourself appropriately. If you’ve never taken an acting class, you may want to start by learning more about different acting methods, like Meisner or Stanislavski. Understanding these different approaches will help you learn which styles you gravitate towards and make subsequent acting classes feel less intimidating. You’ll also want to prepare emotionally for an acting class. Performing in and watching a long series of dramatic scenes can be draining, so be sure you have some idea of ways to help you unwind and relax after an intense performance.
Suppose you’re sent a scene or a monologue to memorize before your class begins. In that case, it’s essential that you take the time to analyze the scene and research the character to ensure your performance has dimension and is believable. If your scene comes from an existing play or movie, see if you can read or watch the performance in its entirety to better understand your character’s mindset in the particular scene. To help you in this process, you can look into memorization techniques if you tend to struggle to remember large chunks of dialogue.
On the day of the class, you may want to take the time to do some additional physical and vocal warmups. They will likely do some in the class, but you know yourself best, so if you think you’d benefit from some extra exercise, be sure to allow extra time to do so. You can also prepare yourself by making sure you bring the appropriate supplies, like a water bottle, pens, and a notebook so that you can keep track of all the suggestions made by your instructor. It’s also important to dress comfortably to allow for free movement without tight or restrictive clothing.
