Whether or not it's a good idea for you to take acting classes comes down to a few factors: what can you get out of acting classes, and what is your budget? Here’s what will be covered in the article to help you decide if studying acting is right for you:
Acting Classes Can Develop Your Acting Skills
The most obvious benefit to taking acting classes would be developing your skills. You may be a naturally talented actor, but keep in mind that acting classes cover a range of different skills.
What classes do actors take?
- Scene Study
- Improv
- On-Camera Technique
- Accents and Dialects
- Movement for Actors
- Stage Combat
- Meisner Technique
- Shakespeare
- Voice for Actors
- Alexander Technique
- Plus many more
Acting Classes Give You Experience
You need to practice any skill in order to sharpen it. So the more you practice acting, the better you'll be at interpreting texts, memorizing lines, and being a confident performer.
Experience is also important for your acting resume. If you don't have many credits to include, classes can help take up some of that white space and demonstrate to casting that you're serious about being an actor.
Studying Acting Creates Networking Opportunities
Some actors take classes with prominent casting directors or agents, just to get on their radar. And it can work. Don't underestimate the importance of making connections with your classmates, as well. These are people you can work with to create your own projects and personal relationships.
- Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve met while studying at Julliard. The two remained good friends until Reeve's death in 2004.
- Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, creators and stars of Hulu's Pen15 met while studying experimental theater at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
- The Office star Rainn Wilson met his wife Holiday Reinhorn in an acting class at the University of Washington in the 80s. They are still married.
How Much Does it Cost to Get Acting Lessons?
It depends on each market. The cost of living is quite different between say, New York City and Council Bluffs, IA. Below, we've compiled example pricing and details of some of the most *well-known acting classes in the country.
If you’re considering a college degree in acting, the average cost is $33,351.
The most prestigious of all acting degrees, a year of tuition alone at Julliard is $52,250.
6-week conservatory
Cost: $2700
2-4 hours, multiple times a week for 8 weeks
Cost: $750 and up, depending on the level
An annual membership to Masterclass costs $180
Monologue Class
4 hours a week for 8 weeks
Cost: $395
The Second City - Chicago, Toronto, Hollywood
Improv 1
3 hours a week for 8 weeks
Cost: $345
*Please note, Headshot Closet is not affiliated with nor receiving compensation from any of these acting schools. Additionally, these are only examples of pricing. Prices are subject to change, and you should refer to each school to confirm prices.
What Should I Expect in My First Acting Class?
Get ready for so much zip zap zop. Seriously, you cannot study acting without coming across the joy that is zip zap zop.
What is Zip Zap Zop?
The ubiquitous theater game starts with players gathering in a circle. A player, probably the teacher, will start the game off by making eye contact with someone in the circle and pressing their palms together to point at the other player while they say, "zip." That person must then repeat those steps with someone else in the circle, only they must say the word, "zap." The subsequent player will repeat those steps but using the word, "zop." Repeat ad finitum. If anyone breaks the pattern in any way, they're out. The circle becomes smaller and smaller until one person remains, the champion of zip zap zop!
It sounds easy, but playing at a rapid pace, never knowing when your turn will come, it's actually quite challenging. There are a million fun variations people have come up with for zip zap zop as well, such as Golden Girls style, etc.
Dang, the nostalgia. Anyone wanna have a zip zap zop meetup??
Anyway, the point of the game, like so many other theater games, is to communicate with and react to the other people around you. And to do so quickly. An important skill to sharpen as an actor!
Beyond acting games that your teacher will likely use as an icebreaker and to warm the class up, you will probably work on relaxation and body awareness exercises. You may work in pairs or groups on mirroring exercises. And you will probably try experimenting with many different interpretations of monologues and scenes, even if they’re completely ridiculous choices. It all gets your acting muscles working and prepares you to be fast on your feet in auditions.
And ultimately, you will probably perform monologues and scenes in front of the class. Your teacher will give feedback and direct you. And it’s likely your teacher will ask your classmates to share their feedback as well. So be prepared to receive feedback with an open mind, and to give kind and constructive feedback to your classmates as well.
How Do You Prepare for Acting Classes?
Bring a water bottle, a writing utensil, and something to take notes on. You could just take notes on your phone, but bringing something to physically write with will come in handy if you need to mark up a script with notes on blocking, interpretation, line changes, etc.
Also, make sure to wear comfortable clothes that you can perform any kind of movement in.
Do Most Famous Actors Go to Acting School?
Well, Euphoria star Angus Cloud got cast in a hit TV show without trying. And the guy who did that viral TikTok where he was skateboarding and drinking cranberry juice has a small recurring role on Reservation Dogs now. But that is incredibly, incredibly rare. INCREDIBLY RARE.
Many famous actors went to school for acting, or took acting classes or lessons. Here are just a few examples:
Gillian Anderson - DePaul UniversityWarren Beatty - Northwestern University
Jack Black - UCLA
Rachel Bloom - Tisch
Zach Braff - Northwestern University
Nicolas Cage - UCLA
Steve Carell - Second City
Jessica Chastain - Juilliard
Kristin Davis - Rutgers
Viola Davis - Juilliard
Tina Fey - Second City
Morgan Freeman - Pasadena Playhouse, Los Angeles City College
Lady Gaga - Juilliard, Tisch
Kelsey Grammer - Juilliard
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Anthony Hopkins - Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Mike Myers - Second City
Brad Pitt - Acting coach Roy London
Amy Poehler - Second City
Tim Robbins - UCLA
Sebastian Stan - Rutgers
Meryl Streep - Yale, Vassar
Robin Williams - Juilliard
It is worth bearing in mind that it is human nature to not necessarily share how hard we had to work to get where we are. Similar to how claims of “no makeup” aren’t necessarily 100% true (read our blog on makeup for headshots). So even if your favorite celebrity boasts of never taking a single acting class, maybe take that with a grain of salt.
How Can I Study Acting at Home?
There are more acting classes online now than ever before. You could take a masterclass from Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, or Helen Mirren. So many places, such as Second City, have online classes as well.
There are also endless books on the topic of acting. If you have a tight budget, hit up your local library for acting books. Every actor should make a point of reading plays and monologue books, as well.