Nancy Banks studied under Larry Moss for a decade, and her studio carries the Moss-refined blend of Adler, Meisner, and Hagen work into one of LA's quieter prestige rooms. Her private coaching clients, per her masterclass host bios, include Forest Whitaker, Emma Stone, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, and Jennifer Aniston, names we note as externally published claims rather than studio marketing.
The class structure is a ladder: two beginner and two intermediate classes plus an advanced class taught by staff instructors Daniel Travis, Lena Georgas, and Jenny Phagan (all long-tenured, MFA-holding working actors), topped by Banks' own invitation-only professional scene study. Admission at any level is by professional referral or audition with a resume, submitted through the site. Teen classes and Zoom sections exist alongside the in-person rooms.
Almost nothing else is public: no published address, schedule, or pricing, with coaching rates by email request. That opacity is the trade-off for a room that curates its membership. If you have the referral or the credits, this is one of the few LA studios whose ceiling reaches the top of the industry; if you are starting from zero, the published-price studios in this directory will serve you faster.
Techniques taught
- Adler: Stella Adler's imagination-first approach: given circumstances and script analysis over personal memory.
- Meisner: Listening, repetition, and truthful response under imaginary circumstances, in the lineage of Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse teaching.
- Hagen: Uta Hagen's substitution and object exercises, grounded in truthful behavior.
- Eclectic / multi-technique: Schools that draw on several lineages and fit the tools to the actor, not the reverse.
Class types
- scene-study
Enrollment and schedule
Entry by professional referral OR audition process; apply via website contact form with resume link. Schedule: Days/times not published; scheduling for private coaching depends on instructor availability.
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
- Nancy Banks, Founder / head teacher. Teaches invitation-only professional scene study; 10 years under Larry Moss
- Daniel Travis, Coaching staff. MFA Acting (Rutgers); 15 years with the studio; script analysis, scene study
- Lena Georgas, Coaching staff. BA Drama (Vassar); 20+ years acting; 15 years studying under Banks
- Jenny Phagan (Bishop), Coaching staff. MFA Acting (U. of Arkansas); 10+ years with studio; foundation training
Questions actors ask
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When was this information last verified?
Sources and verification
- Nancy Banks Studio, Home, accessed 2026-07-16
- About Nancy, accessed 2026-07-16
- Staff, accessed 2026-07-16
- Classes, accessed 2026-07-16
- Coaching, accessed 2026-07-16
- 16th Street Studio, Nancy Banks Masterclass (Jan 2025), 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
Nearby schools
CalArts School of Theater
The Disney-founded arts institute's theater school in Valencia: BFA and MFA Acting with mandatory live auditions for most US applicants, experimental ensemble culture, and published institute tuition.
University HillsCalifornia State University, Los Angeles, Department of Theatre and Dance
Cal State LA's Theatre and Dance department: a no-audition Theatre BA with performance and design tracks, six to eight productions a year at the State Playhouse, and CSU-resident tuition on the Eastside.
Los AngelesSharon Chatten Studio
Method scene study over Zoom and in LA with Sharon Chatten, Actors Studio lifetime member and former Strasberg Institute teacher whose coaching resume spans decades; contact by email, tuition unpublished.
Related by technique
La Crescenta-Montrose3-2-1- Acting Studios
On-camera school for ages 2 to adult in La Crescenta, founded 2007 by Mae Ross and now under new ownership, with tiered TV commercial and scene study classes, published package pricing, and a free trial class.
Sherman OaksThe Acting Center
Sherman Oaks school founded 2006 teaching its own proprietary technique in a strictly no-criticism classroom, with published 2026 session dates and pricing for scene study, intensives, and improv.
Culver CityThe Actors Circle
Culver City workshop founded 2003 by Marcie Smolin teaching film and TV craft with improv as half the curriculum, in a positive-feedback-only room serving ages 5 through adults at published per-class rates.