Young Actors Space earned the definite article: founded in 1979 by Diane Hill Hardin and Nora Eckstein, it trained a generation of young Hollywood before most competitors existed, and Gary Spatz of The Playground taught here for fifteen years first. Patrick Day has owned and directed the school since 2008, with co-founder Eckstein still on faculty.
The format blends half improvisation with half scene study, seasoned with sense-memory and imagination work, across tight age bands: Tykes 5 to 7, Children 8 to 11, Young Teens 12 to 14, Teens 15 to 17, Young Adults 18 to 20, and Adults 21 plus. Fall 2026 in-person sessions (teens Saturdays, adults Fridays, ten weeks at a published $600) were enrolling at verification, with six-week online on-camera classes at $300 and summer conservatories including a ten-day production program that mounts an original play.
In-person classes meet in a North Hollywood theater; the old Sherman Oaks address in most directories is history. Audits can be requested by form or phone, deposits are published, and sibling and multi-class discounts run 10 to 20 percent. A bonded, insured, decades-deep institution that still fills its classes on merit.
Techniques taught
- Meisner: Listening, repetition, and truthful response under imaginary circumstances, in the lineage of Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse teaching.
- Stanislavski: The root system of modern actor training: objectives, actions, and given circumstances.
- Adler: Stella Adler's imagination-first approach: given circumstances and script analysis over personal memory.
- Improv and sketch: Improvisation and sketch training: agreement, spontaneity, and ensemble play.
- On-camera technique: Camera-specific craft: frame awareness, stillness, commercial and film/TV set behavior.
- Eclectic / multi-technique: Schools that draw on several lineages and fit the tools to the actor, not the reverse.
Class types
Enrollment and schedule
No audition stated; enrollment via $100 deposit ($200 summer); audit request form offered. Schedule: Weekly age-banded classes; Fall 2026 in-person: Teens Saturdays, Adults Fridays (10 weeks); online on-camera summer classes Mondays (6 weeks). Duration: Regular sessions ~8-10 weeks; summer workshops 1-4 weeks.
Audit, trial, or intro class
Yes. Audit requests via online form or phone (818) 785-7979; policy details not published
Published pricing
| Program | Published price | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|
| In-person Acting: Teens (12-17), Fall 2026, 10 weeks | $600 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| In-person Acting: Adults (18+), Fall 2026, 10 weeks | $600 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| On-Camera Online Acting (Youth 8-11 / Teens 12-17), 6 weeks | $300 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Private coaching, online | $150 | 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
- Patrick Day, Owner / Artistic Director. since 2008
- Nora Eckstein, Co-founder / Faculty
- Elise Tullius, Faculty
- Jule Nelson-Duac, Faculty
- Maura Corsini, Faculty
- David Sasik, Faculty
- Scott Alan Moffitt, Faculty
Questions actors ask
Where is Young Actors Space located?
What acting technique does Young Actors Space teach?
Does Young Actors Space offer on-camera training?
Can I audit or try a class at Young Actors Space?
How much do classes at Young Actors Space cost?
Does Young Actors Space offer online classes?
Does Young Actors Space teach children or teenagers?
Is admission to Young Actors Space by audition?
Who teaches at Young Actors Space?
When was this information last verified?
Sources and verification
- Young Actors Space, home, accessed 2026-07-16
- CLASS, Young Actors Space, accessed 2026-07-16
- REGISTER, Young Actors Space, accessed 2026-07-16
- AUDIT, Young Actors Space, accessed 2026-07-16
- CONTACT, Young Actors Space, 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
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Studio CityAlan Feinstein Acting Studio
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North HollywoodThe BGB Studio
North Hollywood on-camera and audition studio founded in 2012 by casting director Risa Bramon Garcia and coach Steve Braun, with application-based entry, a free intro session, and flat $295 monthly ongoing classes.
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.
Hollywood9th Level Acting Studios
Small Hollywood on-camera studio run by working actor Alex Boling, built deliberately for new and nervous actors, with Thursday classes, a free audit, and published $200 monthly tuition.
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.