A Review of Aaron Speiser Acting Studio

I’ve been taking classes at Aaron Speiser’s studio.  More for self exploration and a breather from the stress of office life than for pursuit of an acting career, but my experience has been fruitful to say the least.

I am enrolled under the pseudom of working for an ad agency for the fear that leaking my real identity as an agent would render me as an outsider. (and would consequently lead to “doing favors” to my “new friends” and signing them out of pity).

Every Wednesday, I enter into the safe haven that is Aaron’s studio at 6:30pm.  The group of 15-20 starts with improv and loosening up then we delve into whatever the lesson of the week is.   The class plan is a calculated science with an accompanying book (Uta Thurman’s to be exact) and binder full of valuable information.

We work on fourth wall and the moment before and all of the nitty gritty that brings a scene to life.  We learn to embody emotional reactions and play off true feelings instead of acting out an adjective. And each class builds upon the last, adding a new tool or insight to your acting repertoire.  The classes are not for the faint of heart, but rather for the actor who knows that being an actor is not booking a national commercial, its having a cultivated ability to bring imaginary circumstances to life in a truthful manner.

While I have dropped in to watch a scene study with Aaron, I have never had the pleasure of enduring his biting critiques.  Nonetheless, I feel indebted to him for developing such a stable foundation for the actors and actresses who are lucky enough to drive too far down La Cienega Blvd.   Susan Rumor and Anthony teach the technique class, and while very much opposites, they share a common passion for teaching that keeps the actors engaged right up until the clock strikes 10.

I recommend the technique, and subsequent scene study, classes to any actor who is looking not to just ‘book the job’ but to do the job well.   That, my friends, is what acting careers are made of – and that’s what Aaron Speisers studio has to offer.