Master Class World Tour

The summer 2019 Europe Master Class sessions is just wrapping up. With students in London and Ireland I shared the Westlake Acting Studio curriculum: beginner and advanced acting classes, introduction to Meisner technique, and the practical skills training we include in our on-camera and auditions classes.

Read on for more about the world tour. Here at home we are now signing-up students for Westlake Acting Studio first-year classes and Masterclass in the fall. Reserve your place now!

Conducting an intro or masterclass overseas is different. And one important difference is the production environment. New York and Los Angeles are entertainment industry capitals, and overseas acting students were very interested to know all about how production happens here. I highlighted the differences between auditioning stateside and overseas.

I want to thank our overseas hosts — the acting school and Meisner programs that allowed me to bring my experience to new and intermediate acting students. Some stops on my July itinerary:

Dublin July 6th: Masterclass at Momentum Studio
London July 9th-11th: Masterclasses at The London Meisner School
London July 11th: Q&A at City Academy
Manchester July 13th-14th: The Actors Lab
Bristol July 15th: West Acting Workshops
London July 21st: City Academy

ROGUES of LA: The Studio-Based Web Series!

Rogues of LA is a web series created, shot, edited, scored, and of course, performed by students of both the Westlake Acting School and Cal Lutheran University where Markus is a professor in the theatre dept. Watch the previous eight episodes!

Our Mission is to Make You a Better Performer

Westlake Acting Studio was voted Readers Choice the first year it opened. We brought professional acting training to Ventura County because we wanted a less-intimidating setting than Los Angeles. Our studio is a safe place where you can explore your creative interests.

Whether you want to pursue a career in acting or simply express yourself more confidently, Westlake Acting Studio will give you the skills and confidence you need to succeed.

Westlake Acting Studio in 2008 was one of the few schools outside of the city to offer the Sanford Meisner program (developed at New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse) to hone your listening skills. Soon we added on-camera and beginner scenes training to jump-start your career in the industry. Then we created a Meisner Master Class to provide our students with a professionally-oriented, well-rounded acting program.

Our improv and stand-up performance classes are an adjunct to our acting training. Improvisation sharpens the instincts and builds self-trust. Stand-up comedy polishes presentation and increases one’s ability to tolerate risk in a performance setting. Each provides a different set of challenges but together they can help you overcome barriers and build your confidence.

Bringing Real-World Practice to Traditional Training

Our most hands-on effort is the studio-based web series, ‘Rogues of LA. Why a web series? Acting studios have a long history with associated stage companies. We’ve brought that online. With Rogues you feel the camaraderie of working with a theater company while gaining important behind-the-camera and crew experience. Not only is Rogues of LA an opportunity to step into a working film production; it may also be your ticket into Screen Actors Guild membership.

Westlake Acting Studio also hosts the very popular “Conversations with…” speaker series. Past guests include Melissa Gilbert, Alan Ruck, Stacy Keach and more. We’re now in our fifth year.