Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop

Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop, usually shortened to AMAW, started in Los Angeles in 1998 and has grown into a network with branches from New York to Sydney. The LA flagship teaches Meindl's own approach, which is explicitly not the Method: no sense memory, no substitutions, no repetition drills. The pitch is instinct, presence, and getting out of your own way, with borrowings from neuroscience, philosophy, and meditation.

Everyone starts with the six-week Foundations Course, which meets twice a week, one working class plus one lecture and observation session. From there students move into month-to-month ongoing classes across three phase levels, with an advanced Mastery scene study class at the top. Online classes run globally, and LA cohorts start on a rolling calendar; the August 2026 Foundations course was published at $525, with the online equivalent at $300.

Two practical notes. First, AMAW LA no longer keeps a single fixed studio: classes meet at various Hollywood-area venues and the exact location is emailed after registration, so ignore old addresses you may find elsewhere. Second, the studio offers genuinely free class audits, booked through its site, which makes it one of the easier major LA schools to evaluate in person before paying.

Techniques taught

• Meindl approach: Anthony Meindl's non-Method approach: instinct, presence, and getting out of your own way.

Class types

• Scene study

Enrollment and schedule

No audition; Foundations Course completion is the prerequisite for On-Going/Mastery scene study (electives exempt). Schedule: Foundations cohorts start on a rolling calendar (e.g., Thursdays 6-10pm Aug 6 - Sep 10, 2026 in LA); ongoing classes run month-to-month; full calendar at anthonymeindl.com/events/. Duration: Foundations = 6 weeks, twice weekly (working class + lecture/observation); On-Going and Mastery classes are continuous month-to-month.

Audit, trial, or intro class

Yes. Free class audit/observation; book via anthonymeindl.com/audit/ form or assistant@anthonymeindl.com; process varies by location

Published pricing

Prices are the school's own published rates on the dates shown. We never estimate prices. Always confirm before enrolling.

Instructors

• Anthony Meindl, Founder / Artistic Director. Author, director; created the AMAW approach
• Sommer Austin, Instructor (LA)
• Tom Warner, Instructor (LA). Co-teaches Foundations courses
• Scarlett Sheppard, Instructor (LA). Co-teaches Foundations courses
• Frances Brennand Roper, Instructor (LA). Co-teaching Aug 2026 Foundations
• Geri Courtney-Austein, Instructor (LA). Co-teaching Aug 2026 Foundations
• Zuri Starks, Instructor (LA)
• Katelin Chesna, Instructor (LA)
• Andrew Simon, Instructor (LA)
• Liliana De Castro, Instructor (LA)

Questions actors ask

Sources and verification

• AMAW - Los Angeles Acting Classes, accessed 2026-07-16
• AMAW - Contact, accessed 2026-07-16
• AMAW - Audit a Class, accessed 2026-07-16
• AMAW - Upcoming Classes & Workshops, accessed 2026-07-16
• AMAW LA Foundations Course event page (Apr 2026), accessed 2026-07-16
• Anthony Meindl - Wikipedia, 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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