LA ACTING SCHOOLS

Valley Village (San Fernando Valley) · Eclectic / multi-technique, On-camera technique

Richard Lawson Studios

Valley Village school and 'empowerment academy' founded 2005 by actor Richard Lawson, a 30-year Beverly Hills Playhouse teacher, pairing Katselas-lineage scene study with career administration, fully hybrid for remote students.

NeighborhoodValley Village (San Fernando Valley)
TechniquesEclectic / multi-technique, On-camera technique
Founded2005

Richard Lawson taught at the Beverly Hills Playhouse for roughly thirty years under Milton Katselas before founding his own studio in 2005, and the DNA shows: moment-to-moment spontaneous work paired with unapologetic attention to the business, framed by his two prisms of passion, application, and strategy, and politics, personality, and craft. Lawson's own five-decade career runs from Poltergeist to Wag the Dog.

The studio, now housed at the M.A.D. Acting Studio building on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Valley Village (many directories still show its former North Hollywood address), runs ongoing scene study, on-camera and audition classes including self-tape work, filmmaking, and business administration coursework, with a fully hybrid model that lets remote and traveling students attend everything virtually. Thursday evening scene study anchors the week.

Admission is by interview with senior management, not audition, with a headshot, resume, and questionnaire; students purchase Lawson's book The Artist's Roadmap, and payments are non-refundable with a leave-of-absence option for booked work. Tuition is not published. The studio has deep roots in LA's Black acting community and a mentorship culture its alumni describe as familial; free Saturday Zoom webinars appear periodically for a first look.

Techniques taught

Class types

Enrollment and schedule

Interview (not audition) with senior management; bring headshot/resume and complete New Student Questionnaire beforehand. Schedule: Scene Study: ongoing weekly, Thursdays 6-10 PM PT (in-person + virtual). Per site: day classes generally 9 AM-1 PM, night classes 7-11 PM. Duration: Ongoing enrollment; no fixed terms published.

Audit, trial, or intro class

Site/search listings mention free weekly Saturday Zoom webinars and past free open classes (last confirmed free open class Nov 13, 2023); current availability unconfirmed

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

  • Richard Lawson, Founder / master teacher. Katselas protégé; taught at Beverly Hills Playhouse ~30 years; 46+ years in the industry

Location

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Questions actors ask

Where is Richard Lawson Studios located?
4741 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Valley Village, CA 91607 (Valley Village (San Fernando Valley)).
What acting technique does Richard Lawson Studios teach?
Eclectic / multi-technique, On-camera technique.
Does Richard Lawson Studios offer on-camera training?
Yes, on-camera work is part of its published class list.
How much do classes at Richard Lawson Studios cost?
The school does not publish tuition. Contact it directly for current rates.
Does Richard Lawson Studios offer online classes?
Yes, alongside in-person training.
Does Richard Lawson Studios teach children or teenagers?
Students must be 18 or older per official FAQ
Is admission to Richard Lawson Studios by audition?
No audition is required; an interview is required. Interview (not audition) with senior management; bring headshot/resume and complete New Student Questionnaire beforehand.
Who teaches at Richard Lawson Studios?
Richard Lawson.
When was this information last verified?
2026-07-16, from the sources listed on this page. Spotted something out of date? Use the correction link on this page.

Sources and verification

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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