Actors Workout Studio

The Actors Workout Studio has occupied the same NoHo Arts District space for more than three decades, which in Los Angeles counts as geological permanence. Owner and artistic director Fran Montano, an Emmy-winning coach who studied Meisner under Edward Kaye-Martin, teaches ongoing weekly classes that are primarily Meisner-based with tools drawn from Stanislavski, Strasberg, Hagen, and Adler.

The studio's specialty, by its own description, is troubleshooting: finding and working through an individual actor's blocks rather than pushing everyone through an identical sequence. Classes are small, rolling-enrollment, and meet once a week, covering technique, scene study, cold reading, on-camera work, and dramatic improv. Students range from beginners to working film and TV actors.

Two intimate theaters share the building, and studio productions have collected more than twenty theater awards; members can audition for shows, which keeps the training connected to actual performance. A free participating audit, arranged by phone, includes class exercises and possibly a cold reading. Tuition is not published, so ask when you book the audit. Zoom options exist alongside the in-person rooms.

Techniques taught

• Meisner: Listening, repetition, and truthful response under imaginary circumstances, in the lineage of Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse teaching.
• Stanislavski: The root system of modern actor training: objectives, actions, and given circumstances.
• Method (Strasberg): Lee Strasberg's Method: affective memory, relaxation, and sense work developed from Stanislavski's early system.
• Hagen: Uta Hagen's substitution and object exercises, grounded in truthful behavior.
• Adler: Stella Adler's imagination-first approach: given circumstances and script analysis over personal memory.
• Improv and sketch: Improvisation and sketch training: agreement, spontaneity, and ensemble play.

Class types

• Scene study
• Cold reading
• On-camera
• Improv
• Audition technique

Enrollment and schedule

Call to schedule an interview and free audit. Schedule: Classes are ongoing (join anytime) and meet once a week; specific days/times not published. Duration: Ongoing weekly classes, no fixed terms.

Audit, trial, or intro class

Yes. Free participating audit by appointment (includes class exercises, possible cold reading); call (818) 766-2171

Published pricing

This school does not publish tuition on its website. Contact the school directly for current rates. We never estimate or invent prices.

Instructors

• Fran Montano, Owner / Artistic Director / Head Coach. Emmy-winning coach; studied Meisner under Edward Kaye-Martin; long-running acting columnist for NoHo Arts District site

Location

Questions actors ask

Sources and verification

• Actors Workout Studio, home, accessed 2026-07-16
• Our Classes, accessed 2026-07-16
• About AWS, accessed 2026-07-16
• Shows, accessed 2026-07-16
• Contact, accessed 2026-07-16
• Yelp, Actors Workout Studio (Updated July 2026), accessed 2026-07-16

Researched 2026-07-16, last verified 2026-07-16. Facts above come only from these sources. Anything we could not confirm is simply not shown. Report incorrect information or claim this listing if you represent the school.

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