This is where Aaron Speiser actually teaches now. The coach who spent two decades with Will Smith and three with Jennifer Lopez left day-to-day teaching at his former studio (now Speiser/Sturges) and co-founded The Screen Acting Studio on Melrose with Kay Aston, focused entirely on acting for the camera.
The weekly grid runs technique with Aston, beginning scene study with Ellyn Jameson and Sam Kryszek, advanced scene study, audition technique, and improv for screen acting, mostly weekday evenings with a Wednesday daytime option and Saturday improv. Speiser teaches two masterclasses a week, Monday and Thursday evenings, entered by application. His lineage is HB Studio under Uta Hagen, and the teaching carries that practical, truth-first stamp translated to the lens.
Every new student begins with a mandatory one-time private orientation session, published at $200 with Aston or $400 with Speiser, which doubles as placement; group class tuition beyond that is not published, so ask at orientation. If your goal is specifically Speiser's coaching rather than the studio brand he founded elsewhere, make sure you are standing at 7600 Melrose, Unit K, and not the La Cienega address.
Techniques taught
- On-camera technique: Camera-specific craft: frame awareness, stillness, commercial and film/TV set behavior.
- Improv and sketch: Improvisation and sketch training: agreement, spontaneity, and ensemble play.
Class types
Enrollment and schedule
An interview is required before enrolling. Mandatory paid one-time private orientation session with Speiser or Aston before placement; registration form requests headshot/reel and experience; Masterclass by application/referral. Schedule: Ongoing weekly classes: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu evenings 7-10:30pm (Audition Technique Tue 7-10pm), Wed daytime scene study 12-3pm, Improv Wed 7-10pm and Sat 12-3pm; studio open 10am-6pm daily. Duration: Ongoing enrollment (no fixed terms published); orientation is a one-time ~75-minute private session.
Audit, trial, or intro class
No audit policy published; paid orientation session serves as intake
Published pricing
| Program | Published price | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation Session with Kay Aston (one-time, required for new students) | $200 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Orientation Session with Aaron Speiser (one-time, required for new students) | $400 | 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
- Aaron Speiser, Co-founder / master teacher. Teaches Monday and Thursday Masterclasses; coach to Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Virginia Madsen, Gerard Butler
- Kay Aston, Co-founder / teacher. Teaches Technique (Tue) and Advanced Scene Study (Wed); conducts orientations
- Ellyn Jameson, Teacher. Beginning Scene Study, Wed 12-3pm
- Sam Kryszek, Teacher. Beginning Scene Study Thu; Audition Technique Tue
- Jeremy Culhane, Teacher. Improv for Screen Acting (with Rob Scerbo)
- Rob Scerbo, Teacher. Improv for Screen Acting (with Jeremy Culhane)
Location
Questions actors ask
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When was this information last verified?
Sources and verification
- The Screen Acting Studio - home, accessed 2026-07-16
- Upcoming Classes, accessed 2026-07-16
- Orientation Session, accessed 2026-07-16
- Get In Touch, accessed 2026-07-16
- About Aaron Speiser, accessed 2026-07-16
- Aaron Speiser - Wikipedia, accessed 2026-07-16
- The Screen Acting Studio on Medium, 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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