Lesly Kahn & Company

Lesly Kahn and Company treats acting as a craft rather than an art, and comedy as the proving ground: the house logic is that if you can do comedy you can do anything, so training starts there. Kahn holds a BFA from NYU and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama, previously ran the BFA acting program at Marymount Manhattan College, and has taught in Hollywood since the early 1990s.

The signature offering is the Comedy Intensive, four classes across two weeks covering multi-cam, single-cam, and film scene work plus audition technique and marketing, published at $695 with Kahn or $595 with senior faculty. Experienced actors must first do an Intro Work Session, a three-to-five-hour group class published at $95 where you act, get feedback, and see the teaching before committing; true beginners can start directly in Acting Essentials, eight classes over six weeks at $895. Ongoing classes run in four-week cycles at a $355 base rate, gated behind Essentials or the Intensive plus a technique clinic.

The facility, branded the Kahnstitute, sits on North La Brea in Hollywood, with roughly 25 instructors and coaches, Zoom sections timed for East Coast students, and a self-tape service at $60 for the first 25 minutes. Adults only. Note that ongoing-cycle pricing rises $25 after the 20th of each month, so enrollment timing matters.

Techniques taught

• Comedy technique: Craft-first comedy training: joke structure, sitcom rhythm, and comedic character work.
• Eclectic / multi-technique: Schools that draw on several lineages and fit the tools to the actor, not the reverse.

Class types

cold-reading

Enrollment and schedule

No audition, but gated progression: experienced actors must do an Intro Work Session or private coaching before the Comedy Intensive; Ongoings require Essentials or Comedy Intensive plus a Technique Clinic; beginners can start Essentials directly. Schedule: Rolling enrollment: Comedy Intensives scheduled monthly (Aug 2026 dates posted), Acting Essentials cohorts (Sept-Oct 2026 posted), Ongoing classes Mon-Fri in 4-week cycles, 12:15pm-7pm start times. Duration: Comedy Intensive: 4 classes / 2 weeks; Acting Essentials: 8 classes / 6 weeks (~4 hrs each); Ongoing: 4-week cycles; Group Intro Work Session: 3-5 hours.

Audit, trial, or intro class

Yes. No free audit; paid Group Intro Work Session ($95, 3-5 hrs, in-person or Zoom) lets prospective students act, get feedback, and observe before enrolling; private Intro Work Sessions also offered

Published pricing

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

Instructors

• Lesly Kahn, Founder, head teacher. Yale School of Drama MFA; teaches flagship Comedy Intensive and Ongoings
• Tyler Poelle, Faculty. Listed on About page; studio has 25+ instructors/coaches
• Angelique Cabral, Faculty. Listed on About page
• Tiffany Elle, Faculty. Teaches faculty-led Comedy Intensive sections
• Sally Pressman, Faculty. Listed on About page
• Jolie Jenkins, Faculty. Listed on About page

Location

Questions actors ask

Sources and verification

• Lesly Kahn & Company homepage, accessed 2026-07-16
• About, Lesly Kahn, accessed 2026-07-16
• Contact, accessed 2026-07-16
• The Comedy Intensive with Lesly, accessed 2026-07-16
• The Comedy Intensive with Grant or Tiffany, accessed 2026-07-16
• Acting Essentials, accessed 2026-07-16
• Ongoing Classes (Zoom or In-Person), accessed 2026-07-16
• Group Intro Work Session, accessed 2026-07-16
• Businesswire press release, Jan 2024 (company-issued), 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.

Guides for choosing a school

• Acting for beginners: how to start
• How to choose an acting school in LA
• Types of acting classes, explained
• What acting classes cost in LA

Career resources for LA actors

Practical next-step guides from the LA Actor Guide.

• Actor headshots: the complete LA guide
• How auditions and casting work in LA
• How to find and sign with a talent agent

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