- +1 (310)-392-0815
- [email protected]
- 10820 Washington blvd. Culver CIty, CA 90232

Learn how to create an Oscar winning performance
ADD US ON INSTAGRAM TO FIND THE LATEST-CASTING ALERTS -MICHELLEDANNERLA
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Sunday May 25th from 3pm to 5pm:
Week 14: The Callback – Audition Mastery & Scene Review
This week’s workshop is called The Callback—a final test of everything we’ve built so far. Actors will perform selected sides in a mock callback environment, applying techniques from previous weeks, including the Portrait Technique and Bold Choices.
You’ll be expected to make strong, memorable impressions with limited prep time, just like a real callback. Instructors will offer redirection between reads to evaluate your responsiveness, flexibility, and clarity under pressure.
Scene Assignment: Moonlighting
-
Men will read for David
-
Women will read for Maddie
(from a sharp, character-driven dialogue reminiscent of classic TV dynamics)
Bonus Scene:
-
Shaft – both men and women will read for Peoples, focusing on intensity, status, and charisma.
This is your chance to bring it all together—presence, technique, instinct—and step confidently into the spotlight.
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Tuesday May 20th from 7pm to 10pm:
Week 14: The Callback – Audition Mastery & Scene Review
This week’s workshop is called The Callback—a final test of everything we’ve built so far. Actors will perform selected sides in a mock callback environment, applying techniques from previous weeks, including the Portrait Technique and Bold Choices.
You’ll be expected to make strong, memorable impressions with limited prep time, just like a real callback. Instructors will offer redirection between reads to evaluate your responsiveness, flexibility, and clarity under pressure.
Scene Assignment: Moonlighting
-
Men will read for David
-
Women will read for Maddie
(from a sharp, character-driven dialogue reminiscent of classic TV dynamics)
Bonus Scene:
-
Shaft – both men and women will read for Peoples, focusing on intensity, status, and charisma.
This is your chance to bring it all together—presence, technique, instinct—and step confidently into the spotlight.
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Thursday May 22nd from 2pm to 5pm:
Week 14: The Callback – Audition Mastery & Scene Review
This week’s workshop is called The Callback—a final test of everything we’ve built so far. Actors will perform selected sides in a mock callback environment, applying techniques from previous weeks, including the Portrait Technique and Bold Choices.
You’ll be expected to make strong, memorable impressions with limited prep time, just like a real callback. Instructors will offer redirection between reads to evaluate your responsiveness, flexibility, and clarity under pressure.
Scene Assignment: Moonlighting
-
Men will read for David
-
Women will read for Maddie
(from a sharp, character-driven dialogue reminiscent of classic TV dynamics)
Bonus Scene:
-
Shaft – both men and women will read for Peoples, focusing on intensity, status, and charisma.
This is your chance to bring it all together—presence, technique, instinct—and step confidently into the spotlight.
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Tuesday May 13th from 7pm to 10pm:
The Secret Technique
“All filmmaking is intelligent compromise.” -Christopher Nolan
For actors who want to be indispensable—and directors who want to speak the language.
The Secret Technique is where acting meets direction—and both get better.
Actors, you’ll learn the most valuable (and most underrated) skill in the business: how to take direction and make it work instantly. Directors, you’ll learn how to shape performances not by controlling them, but by unlocking them. This workshop is about communication, flexibility, and performance in motion.
This class is almost more for directors than actors. Because it’s not just about playing the scene—it’s about transforming it. In real time.
Actors/Actresses Pick Any of the Listed Characters Below
-
Brad –
-
Cooper –
-
Baltar5 –
You’ll perform the scene once making the bold choice to do “nothing”. Then again. Then again—with new direction each time. Sometimes subtle. Sometimes radical. The real challenge? Stay grounded. Stay present. Adjust instantly.
Video Example:
Watch Russell Crowe talk about working with Ridley Scott on Gladiator.
- https://youtu.be/Sw0iyfbXRt8?si=nDpqCCl0SS0m5uFSShare your videos with friends, family, and the worldyoutu.be
Outcome: By the end of this week, actors will be quick-thinking collaborators who make even confusing notes work. Directors will learn how to communicate performance goals without micromanaging. And everyone will walk away with the most important skill in storytelling: adaptability.
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Thursday May 15th from 2pm to 5pm:
The Secret Technique
“All filmmaking is intelligent compromise.” -Christopher Nolan
For actors who want to be indispensable—and directors who want to speak the language.
The Secret Technique is where acting meets direction—and both get better.
Actors, you’ll learn the most valuable (and most underrated) skill in the business: how to take direction and make it work instantly. Directors, you’ll learn how to shape performances not by controlling them, but by unlocking them. This workshop is about communication, flexibility, and performance in motion.
This class is almost more for directors than actors. Because it’s not just about playing the scene—it’s about transforming it. In real time.
Actors/Actresses Pick Any of the Listed Characters Below
-
Brad –
-
Cooper –
-
Baltar5 –
You’ll perform the scene once making the bold choice to do “nothing”. Then again. Then again—with new direction each time. Sometimes subtle. Sometimes radical. The real challenge? Stay grounded. Stay present. Adjust instantly.
Video Example:
Watch Russell Crowe talk about working with Ridley Scott on Gladiator.
- https://youtu.be/Sw0iyfbXRt8?si=nDpqCCl0SS0m5uFSShare your videos with friends, family, and the worldyoutu.be
Outcome: By the end of this week, actors will be quick-thinking collaborators who make even confusing notes work. Directors will learn how to communicate performance goals without micromanaging. And everyone will walk away with the most important skill in storytelling: adaptability.
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Tuesday May 27th from 7pm to 10pm:
Week 15: Playing the Icon – Making Legendary Roles Your Own
This week, we tackle one of the greatest challenges in acting: how to play a character the world already knows. In Playing the Icon, actors will explore what it means to step into the shoes of a role made famous by someone else—without becoming an imitation.
We’ll study performances by Christian Bale (Batman), Christopher Reeve (Superman), and Hugh Jackman (Logan) to understand how these actors brought depth, originality, and personal truth to established characters.
Actors will choose from a selection of iconic roles:
-
Women may read for Wonder Woman or Doctor Who
-
Men may read for Logan, Superman, or Doctor Who
Check out these screen tests
https://youtu.be/mQKGHF7Wg_s?si=RrJQ5QAvoR18T5P6
https://youtu.be/_vqlHNAsfDM?si=1MTGwC7PDDkOXmgs
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Thursday May 29th from 2pm to 5pm:
Week 15: Playing the Icon – Making Legendary Roles Your Own
This week, we tackle one of the greatest challenges in acting: how to play a character the world already knows. In Playing the Icon, actors will explore what it means to step into the shoes of a role made famous by someone else—without becoming an imitation.
We’ll study performances by Christian Bale (Batman), Christopher Reeve (Superman), and Hugh Jackman (Logan) to understand how these actors brought depth, originality, and personal truth to established characters.
Actors will choose from a selection of iconic roles:
-
Women may read for Wonder Woman or Doctor Who
-
Men may read for Logan, Superman, or Doctor Who
Check out these screen tests
https://youtu.be/mQKGHF7Wg_s?si=RrJQ5QAvoR18T5P6
https://youtu.be/_vqlHNAsfDM?si=1MTGwC7PDDkOXmgs
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Tuesday JUNE 3rd from 7pm to 10pm:
Week 16: Choose to Know – Bold Choices with Limited Information
In this daring final workshop of the series, actors will be challenged to make bold, specific choices with very little context. In Choose to Know, you won’t be handed backstory or motivation—you’ll have to invent it, commit to it, and let it lead the scene.
Actors will work with a script of just three lines, playing the protagonist regardless of gender. The final line of the scene will be improvised, creating a live moment of discovery and emotional resolution.
This workshop pushes actors to trust their instincts, take risks, and lean into ambiguity. The goal isn’t to “get it right”—it’s to be compelling, clear, and alive in the unknown. It’s about choosing to know, even when you don’t.
This is the culmination of all the tools you’ve gained—now it’s time to throw out the map and see how far you can go.
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Thursday JUNE 5th from 2pm to 5pm:
Week 16: Choose to Know – Bold Choices with Limited Information
In this daring final workshop of the series, actors will be challenged to make bold, specific choices with very little context. In Choose to Know, you won’t be handed backstory or motivation—you’ll have to invent it, commit to it, and let it lead the scene.
Actors will work with a script of just three lines, playing the protagonist regardless of gender. The final line of the scene will be improvised, creating a live moment of discovery and emotional resolution.
This workshop pushes actors to trust their instincts, take risks, and lean into ambiguity. The goal isn’t to “get it right”—it’s to be compelling, clear, and alive in the unknown. It’s about choosing to know, even when you don’t.
This is the culmination of all the tools you’ve gained—now it’s time to throw out the map and see how far you can go.
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Tuesday JUNE 10th from 7pm to 10pm:
Week 16: Choose to Know – Bold Choices with Limited Information
In this daring final workshop of the series, actors will be challenged to make bold, specific choices with very little context. In Choose to Know, you won’t be handed backstory or motivation—you’ll have to invent it, commit to it, and let it lead the scene.
Actors will work with a script of just three lines, playing the protagonist regardless of gender. The final line of the scene will be improvised, creating a live moment of discovery and emotional resolution.
This workshop pushes actors to trust their instincts, take risks, and lean into ambiguity. The goal isn’t to “get it right”—it’s to be compelling, clear, and alive in the unknown. It’s about choosing to know, even when you don’t.
This is the culmination of all the tools you’ve gained—now it’s time to throw out the map and see how far you can go.
Sides for On Camera with Derek on Thursday JUNE 12th from 2pm to 5pm:
Week 16: Choose to Know – Bold Choices with Limited Information
In this daring final workshop of the series, actors will be challenged to make bold, specific choices with very little context. In Choose to Know, you won’t be handed backstory or motivation—you’ll have to invent it, commit to it, and let it lead the scene.
Actors will work with a script of just three lines, playing the protagonist regardless of gender. The final line of the scene will be improvised, creating a live moment of discovery and emotional resolution.
This workshop pushes actors to trust their instincts, take risks, and lean into ambiguity. The goal isn’t to “get it right”—it’s to be compelling, clear, and alive in the unknown. It’s about choosing to know, even when you don’t.
This is the culmination of all the tools you’ve gained—now it’s time to throw out the map and see how far you can go.
New in-person acting classes:
How to become an actor | How to get an agent?
BREAKING INTO HOLLYWOOD – THE BUSINESS OF ACTING – ONLINE INTER ACTIVE CLASSES – Start a Career as an Actor
Learn how to become an actor and how to get an agent.
Learn how you can submit for a film and TV part from anywhere in the country and the world to be
considered for projects that are casting in Hollywood and elsewhere.
Learn how you can submit for a film and TV part from anywhere in the country and the world to be considered for projects that are casting in Hollywood and elsewhere.
What training do I need to become an actor? How do I find roles to audition for? How do I book an audition? How do I book an acting job?
This intensive gives you the road map to learning how you can work in the industry as an actor and gives you the tools you need to break into Hollywood.
By the end of this class, you will understand how to market yourself and you will understand the agent process, and how to begin to audition.
This class is for actors who need an agent; who are trying to get to the next level; who are unsatisfied with the number of auditions they are getting; and who have an agent but need to book work. An Interactive Workshop That Answers Your Questions: How to get a headshot and showreel that stands out, how to get into SAG-AFTRA, how to create a resume that gets you called in, how to get work without an Agent, how casting works, how to develop an individualized strategy for your career!!
Call us at 310-392-0815 or reach out via Skype at live:.cid.9ef1fb7fafb0ffec to learn more!
GET THE ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
What training do I need to become an actor?
How do I find roles to audition for?
How do I book an audition?
How do I book an acting job?
How do I find a talent agent?
How do I create my own work as an actor?
March 9th, Sunday from 10:00am – 12pm for $100
Once you have paid, please email us which class you have chosen so we can add you to the class.
Classes are held in virtual classrooms hosted by zoom.
BEST ACTING WORKSHOPS IN LA | ACTING WORKSHOP
2 day intensive workshop with Hollywood Acting Coach & Award-winning Film Director Michelle Danner.
“THE GOLDEN BOX” Learn how to create an Oscar winning performance!
This Intensive is fantastic and not to be missed as people from all over the country are flying in to attend.
MICHELLE DANNER’S 2 DAY GOLDEN BOX ACTING TECHNIQUE WORKSHOP
Learn acting techniques & tools to get the most out of your film, television or theater performance.
*This workshop benefits Actors, Director, Writers and Producers of all levels
Hollywood Acting Coach & Award-winning Film DirectorMichelle Danner teaching her 1 day Masterclass Workshop in NYC.”THE GOLDEN BOX”Learn how to create an Osc…
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We will help you to develop your own “Golden Box” of techniques and tools that you can use when approaching a role or a scene, whether it be for film, television, or theater.
Discover the answers to 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?
The Michelle Danner Acting Studio’s philosophy is that artists can draw upon all different acting techniques and form an individual toolbox, their own Golden Box. The Acting School’s acting techniques are based on Meisner, Strasberg, Adler, Hagen, Chekhov & the Stanislavsky Technique.
Saturday March 1st 2:30pm-7:30pm and Sunday March 2nd 10:30am-3:30pm Tuition $250 dollars
Call us at 310-392-0815 or reach out via Skype at live:.cid.9ef1fb7fafb0ffec to learn more!
Contact us
IN-PERSON ACTING CLASSES
We offer acting classes in Los Angeles to help you hone your craft & jumpstart your career.
Our acting school teaches every acting technique: Meisner technique, Lee Strasberg’s method, Stella Adler, Stanislavski’s method, Uta Hagen, and the Chekhov technique.
ONLINE ACTING CLASSES
Best training in the world no matter where you live!
KIDS AND TEEN ACTING CLASSES
Learn to develop a solid acting technique and foundation. We focus on fun improvisational games, auditioning techniques, and working on scenes and monologues across comedy and drama.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Study Acting or Filmmaking in Hollywood.
F1 Student visa and M1 visa USA for applicants wishing to study the conservatory program
Short term acting classes
We offer customizable short-term Acting Programs that can be tailored to fit your budget and the length of your stay in Los Angeles.
Acting workshops
Join LA's Best Acting Workshop,
Golden box and Breaking into Hollywood the roadmap to working.
Film and television workshops for adults, children and teen
Our Mission
The Michelle Danner Acting School’s philosophy is that artists can draw upon all different acting techniques & form an individual “Golden toolbox” to use when approaching a role or a scene, whether it be for film, television, or theater. The acting school’s acting techniques are based on Meisner, Strasberg, Stella Adler, Uta Hagen & the Stanislavsky acting Technique.
Michelle Danner’s alumni include Penelope Cruz, Seth MacFarlane, Salma Hayek, Henry Cavill, Zooey Deschanel, Gerard Butler, Chris Rock, Chris Martin, Michael Peña, Michelle Rodriguez, Kate Del Castillo and many others.
The acting school offers classes for all levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
• Classes include:
• Acting for Film
• Scene Study
• Cold Reading
• Musical Theater
• Movement
• Voice and Speech
We are one of the elite acting schools in California, known for training successful actors.
A variety of acting classes are offered in Los Angeles to help students hone their craft and jumpstart their careers.
What makes us different
Our acting program differs from other acting schools in Los Angeles, since we teach every acting technique & method, including the Meisner technique, Lee Strasberg’s method, Stella Adler, Stanislavski’s method & Uta Hagen technique.
Online Acting Classes
Scene Study & Monologues |
Meisner acting technique |
Cold Read Auditioning |
Improvisation
- Develop a strong acting foundation.
- Learn to make powerful acting choices
Acting Techniques
• The Actor’s Golden Box (acting technique) | Meisner Acting Technique | Stella Adler Acting Technique | Uta Hagen Acting Technique | Stanislavski Acting Technique | Training & Workshops: | Audition Training Classes & Workshops (Film & Television) | Scene Study Classes & Script Analysis | Improvisation | Performance & Preparation: | Acting Demo Reels | Voice & Speech | General American Accent & Dialects | Industry & Career Guidance: | Breaking into Hollywood: The Business of Acting | Coaching Options: | Private Coaching (Audition Coaching, Dialogue Coaching, On-Set Coaching) | Online Coaching & Private Acting Classes
Contact us
Call us to find out about the best acting classes in Los Angeles and to learn more about our best acting teachers in Los Angeles, 310-392-0815 or email us at [email protected]
Unlock your full potential as an actor—enroll today and take the first step toward mastering your craft with world-class training and personalized coaching
Contact Info
- 10820 Washington blvd. Culver CIty, CA 90232
- 310-392-0815
- Mon-Fri 10am-6pm
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