The Actors Circle is Culver City's neighborhood acting school in the best sense: founded in 2003 by Marcie Smolin, a former child actor, longtime stand-up, and screenwriting MA who has coached for nearly three decades, and run on a strict positive-feedback-only policy. The curriculum is film and TV-focused, scene study, cold reading, audition and interview technique, and character work, with improvisation making up roughly half of every class.
It is also one of the few rooms in this directory serving practically every age: kids 5 to 11 on Saturday mornings, teens Wednesday evenings, and adult classes across Monday through Wednesday, all with published per-class and block pricing (adults $60 a class or $225 for four weeks, kids and teens less). Ongoing enrollment means you start any time, and private coaching and self-tape sessions with editing run at published rates that undercut most of the Westside.
The studio's own alumni claims include Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Taylor Lautner. Its freshest site content is a few years old even though schedule and tuition pages stay current, so a confirming phone call before your first class is smart. For families wanting one studio for multiple ages at honest prices, this is a strong Westside answer.
Techniques taught
- Eclectic / multi-technique: Schools that draw on several lineages and fit the tools to the actor, not the reverse.
- Improv and sketch: Improvisation and sketch training: agreement, spontaneity, and ensemble play.
Class types
Enrollment and schedule
Ongoing enrollment, students can start at any time. Schedule: Adults: Mon 7-10pm, Tue 12-3pm & 7-10pm, Wed 12-3pm; Teens: Wed 6-8:30pm; Kids: Sat 11am-1pm; private sessions by arrangement. Duration: Ongoing weekly classes; pay per class or in 4/8/12-week blocks.
Audit, trial, or intro class
Single-class rate published ($60 adult) but no explicit trial/audit policy stated
Published pricing
| Program | Published price | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|
| Adult class (single) | $60 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Adult classes 4 weeks | $225 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Adult classes 8 weeks | $384 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Adult classes 12 weeks | $504 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Kids class (single, ages 5-11) | $45 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Kids 4/8/12 weeks | $162 / $288 / $378 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Teen class (single, ages 13-18) | $53 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Teen 4/8/12 weeks | $191 / $340 / $446 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Semi-private group | $60/hr per person | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Private coaching/audition taping | $40/half-hour; $75/hr incl. editing | 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
- Marcie Smolin, Director and Founder. Former child actor, series regular on two TV series, 19 years as stand-up comic, MA in screenwriting, 27+ years coaching
- Kevin McDermott, Co-founder (per homepage). Not listed on current Coaches page; current involvement unverified
Location
Questions actors ask
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When was this information last verified?
Sources and verification
- The Actors Circle - Acting Studio & Workshop in Culver City, accessed 2026-07-16
- Tuition & Schedule - The Actors Circle, accessed 2026-07-16
- Coaches - The Actors Circle, accessed 2026-07-16
- Curriculum - The Actors Circle, accessed 2026-07-16
- News & Updates - The Actors Circle, accessed 2026-07-16
- Contact - The Actors Circle, 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.
Nearby schools
Downtown Culver CityThe Actors' Gang
Tim Robbins' ensemble theatre in Culver City, offering adult workshops in its Commedia-rooted house Style, kids' Saturday classes and teen camps at the Ivy Substation, and free after-school programs across LA County.
Downtown Santa MonicaBaron Brown Studio
Meisner technique studio in downtown Santa Monica, established 1975 by Joanne Baron, teaching a traditional two-year sequence plus intensives, on-camera audition work, and master classes.
Santa MonicaKids On Stage, Inc.
Santa Monica youth musical-theatre institution since 1987, running no-audition production classes, camps, improv, and parent-and-me programs for ages roughly 3 to 18, with sessions ending in full shows.
Related by technique
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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.
NoHo Arts DistrictActors Workout Studio
NoHo Arts District institution of 30-plus years run by Emmy-winning coach Fran Montano, teaching Meisner-based ongoing classes with two in-house theaters and a genuinely free participating audit.