Creative Combustion is the studio name of Joshua Finkel, a Broadway and Hollywood actor-director with an MFA who also teaches on faculty at California Lutheran University. The practice, based in Studio City since the mid-2000s, is built on private coaching and small master classes rather than an ongoing class ladder, which makes it a different tool than most rooms in this directory.
Coaching spans film and TV auditions, theater and classical text, musical theatre, cold reading, dialects, public speaking, one-person shows, and college audition and prescreen preparation, one of the deeper college-prep offerings here. Published rates run from $27 for a twenty-minute online session to $78.50 an hour on Zoom and $85 to $88 an hour in studio, with discounted packs, on-set coaching across Southern California, and master classes capped at twelve covering musical-theatre auditioning, Shakespeare's blueprint, comedy elements, Suzuki technique, and cabaret.
All ages are welcome, children to seniors, and a free intro class is offered through the site. Rates this granular and this low are rare from a Broadway-credentialed coach; the trade-off is that momentum depends on your own booking cadence rather than a weekly room. For audition emergencies and college-bound teens, keep this number handy.
Techniques taught
- Eclectic / multi-technique: Schools that draw on several lineages and fit the tools to the actor, not the reverse.
- On-camera technique: Camera-specific craft: frame awareness, stillness, commercial and film/TV set behavior.
- Comedy technique: Craft-first comedy training: joke structure, sitcom rhythm, and comedic character work.
Class types
- Audition technique
- Cold reading
- Musical theater
- Shakespeare and classical
- Comedy
- Voice and speech
- Movement
- Film and TV acting
- Theater training
- On-camera
- Voiceover
Enrollment and schedule
No audition is required. Open enrollment / book directly online; PayPal accepted. Schedule: Primarily by-appointment private coaching plus scheduled master classes; calendar on actorcoach.co is dynamic (no static dates verifiable). Duration: Sessions sold in 20-min to 3-hr blocks; master classes run 3-4 hours.
Audit, trial, or intro class
Yes. 'Free Class' offered via actorcoach.co menu (details behind signup)
Published pricing
| Program | Published price | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|
| Online coaching (Zoom/Skype/phone), 20 min / 40 min / 1 hr / 2 hr / 3 hr | $27.00 / $53.00 / $78.50 / $149.00 / $214.00 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Private in-studio coaching, 1 hr / 1.5 hr / 2 hr (two rates listed per tier) | $85.00-$88.00 / $125.00-$131.00 / $165.00-$173.00 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| In-studio 3-session discount packages, 3x1hr / 3x1.5hr / 3x2hr | $225 (save $25) / $340 (save $35) / $450 (save $45) | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Private on-set coaching, Southern California (two rates listed) | $125-$131 per hour | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| In-person master class (Southern California) | $750 minimum per 3-4 hour class | source 路 2026-07-16 |
Prices are the school's own published rates on the dates shown. We never estimate prices. Always confirm before enrolling.
Instructors
- Joshua Finkel, Founder / sole coach. MFA; Broadway and Hollywood actor-director; also on faculty at California Lutheran University
Questions actors ask
Where is Creative Combustion Acting Studio located?
What acting technique does Creative Combustion Acting Studio teach?
Is Creative Combustion Acting Studio suitable for beginners?
Does Creative Combustion Acting Studio offer on-camera training?
Can I audit or try a class at Creative Combustion Acting Studio?
How much do classes at Creative Combustion Acting Studio cost?
Does Creative Combustion Acting Studio offer online classes?
Does Creative Combustion Acting Studio teach children or teenagers?
Is admission to Creative Combustion Acting Studio by audition?
Who teaches at Creative Combustion Acting Studio?
When was this information last verified?
Sources and verification
- Joshua Finkel, Coaching (official, current), accessed 2026-07-16
- Joshua Finkel, Master Classes (official, current), accessed 2026-07-16
- Creative Combustion Acting Studio (legacy site), accessed 2026-07-16
- BBB profile, Creative Combustion Acting Studio, 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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