South Bay Acting Studio

The best acting classes I’ve ever taken. Everyone makes you feel so comfortable. Not one of those judgy (is that even a word?) places where you feel like the new kid at school who can’t sit with us. You can definitely sit with us. All levels and super fun. We usually start with improv and then work on a scene where you’re given individual feedback. It almost feels like a private coaching because classes are pretty intimate. I highly recommend. I drive down from west Hollywood and it’s worth every minute down la cienega and the 405 at 7pm. That’s saying something. :)

My daughter Stacy has been going to Chris’s acting classes since July. She loves the class. Chris really gets to kids mind thinking about the scripts they are learning. He makes them imagine the stories in there heads so they can really act out there parts. By video taping the kids and replaying them back the kids can really see how other people are seeing them on screen. Such a great teaching tool. Chris has the patience of a saint is really great with the kids. I love to see the excitement on my daughters face when she comes out of his classes.

My daughter Kayla is in the teen acting class at South Bay Acting Studio on Saturday mornings. She absolutely loves this class and of course her teacher Chris! She really enjoys the scripts and assignments she gets via email every Wednesday to review and study to prepare for the class on Saturday. She has been laughing, crying and has been taken out of her comfort zone every Saturday, which is of course what every young aspiring actor should learn. Kayla did not have any prior acting experience and Chris has made her feel comfortable, welcomed and always appreciates her valuable participation in class. Kayla gains confidence and self esteem in herself and in her acting abilities by spending quality time with Chris and her classmates at South Bay Acting Studio. We could not ask for a better way to get started in this business! Chris provides excellent feedback to Kayla and also has a lot of knowledge on how to get started with work permits, head shots, agents and auditions. We are so happy that we chose South Bay Acting Studio to help Kayla pursue her dreams and goals in acting.

I attend the adult acting class on Wednesday nights and its an absolute blast! We start with some improv games, then work scenes. Robert allows you to bring in your own material, if you have an audition or something specific you would like to work on, or he will provide you with a scene. The scenes he provides are usually currently casting film or tv sides. This is really nice for 2 reasons, one you don’t have to search for material every week (like most classes), and two its practice with good quality material that is being used in the industry.
Every actor in the class works every week. AND you don’t have to sit and watch everyone in class do their scene! You can leave once your done working, instead of hours after you’ve already done your scene. We either do mock auditions, or scenes where we are paired up with a partner. This is really nice because everyone gets one on one time like in a private coaching. Robert is great to work with and has helped me book several roles I have coaching with him in class on! I highly recommend this class.

I took my 11 year old daughter to South Bay Acting Studio, she enjoyed it very much. She brought home scene selections from different movies and rehearsed them when she got home. She was soo excited to be involved in something that she loved. Her confidence grew stronger from working with Chris. He is so personable and actually cares about the students he coaches. He also spends a lot of time with the parents providing practical advice for these kids. My daughter recently found an agent because of him and is actively going out on auditions and castings. He is very insightful from his management background as to which agents, casting directors etc. will be responsive. He has also privately coached my daughter specifically for an audition and it has resulted in callbacks or her booking a job. He has been a great coach and just an overall great person for a parent who is green and doesn’t quite know their way around the business. I highly recommend him and his workshops for any young aspiring actors. Thanks Chris for your efforts and for caring… Chelsea just adores you and your class.

My eight year old daughter is an aspiring actress and challenged me to find a REAL acting studio where she can learn to be an actress on TV! I brought her to Chris at South Bay Acting Studio and that’s exactly what we found.
The acting studio is as they claim on the Raleigh Studios lot in Manhattan Beach. You get a visitor’s pass and enter through the guard gate, driving past rolling staircases and miscellaneous lighting equipment, trendy, young people in Ray Ban sunglasses and busy men zipping by on golf carts. The Red Baron Studios are on the 4^th floor of the north building. When you meet Chris he is just what you’d hope for in a mentor your kids can relate to: young, fun, laid-​back and approachable but with a recognizable expertise in the industry.
Chris will be the first one to tell you and your kids that the industry is tough and non-​apologetic to the strains put on young actors. But in the same breath he provides the honest constructive criticism and encouragement your child needs to keep working at it. My daughter adored her time there, brought home real excerpts from movie scripts to practice, with homework assignments ranging from breaking down a scene, to analyzing a character, to developing emotional realism and connectivity by drawing from your past experiences.
The other great benefit of this studio is Chris keeps the workshops very small, 6 – 7 kids per two hour session so you know your child is getting some one-​on-​one instruction from him every time. I’m not sure of the exact age range of the kids but I’d wager Grace was on the young end and the oldest was probably 13 or 14.
The only specific caution I’d offer on this studio is these classes are quite focused and move quickly, and are probably for students who already have a decent grasp of the basics, have probably acted before in school plays, etc. Although Chris is willing to work with a child from the beginning (he said as much to me during our first interview), your money and his expertise are probably better spent on a child who has a basic understanding of what they’re doing before starting a weekly workshop designed to groom the child for auditions.
All in all, I’d highly recommend for the young actor who is getting ready for auditions or casting calls in the future.