Edgemar Center For The Arts

took the golden box with acting coach Michelle Danner and i thought it was great. It really helped me get out of my comfort zone. I understand now being an actor i need to be able to connect with myself, and use my personal life in a character. It's not about being myself, or being a complete different person, it's about doing both. Combining myself and the character and making something amazing and believable. I cried during the acting intensive class. Not because it was sad. She was trying to get us connect with ourselves and learn how to relax our minds and focus. She gave me tools to create my very own “golden box,” full of triggers to utilize at a given moment so that I could be more emotionally connected as an actress.

After the class i wrote a list about the things i need to start doing to keep growing as an actor. This acting school is well worth the investment since I am now signed up for the improvisation acting class and will soon be signing up for auditioning for film and television so will keep you posted.

I have studied at many different acting schools in Los Angeles such as Howard Fine, Lesly Kahn, Margie Haber, and Ivana Chubbuck. But I found this to be one of the top Los Angeles schools, especially under the direction of acting coach, Michelle Danner. She has coached such notable actors as Gerard Butler, Chris Rock, Penelope Cruz, Michael Pena, Isla Fisher, Salma Hayek, James Franco, Marcia Cross, Christian Slater, Zooey Deschanel, Gabrielle Union, Sally Kellerman, etc. I just took The Golden Box Two Day Technique Breakdown class with acting coach Michelle Danner. My gosh, this class was thorough and intense! I learned tons about creating vivid, fleshed out, and interesting characters, and the workshop itself was emotional, with lectures and technique exercises. What else I learned…Why some acting choices are more powerful than others; How to deliver a raw unforgettable performance; The difference in the tools an actor uses for various mediums (film, television and stage); and my personal favorite, how to develop a personal story from scratch and discover material for a one woman/man show, screenplay, short or novel. Classic and wonderful information. Michelle Danner also used several clips from various films to illustrate some of the points she made. There are discussions and analyses of performances by Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Dean and many others. I loved this class! I also really enjoyed Improvisation with Derek Reid. He has trained at many renowned schools and brings all of his knowledge into the lesson which makes for a very well-rounded learning experience. His class is always fun and gives me the opportunity to push myself as a performer. Definitely one of the top acting schools in Los Angeles!

I just joined Michelle Danner's Acting Studio at The Edgemar Center for the

Arts and took the "Golden Box" intensive, which runs for two days. It gave

me a very good idea of what it means to be an actor. There I have formed a

clear idea for what I want to do with my life and how to accomplish it.

Michelle has trained with the best and has distilled and updated

traditional acting method to create something new and accessible. It's all

about discovering new tools and using the ones that work for you. I've

taken classes at other places, but the lack of freedom in some methods left

me feeling trapped, like I was missing out on a lot of great things that

didn't fit perfectly into the school's program. But at Edgemar I have the

freedom to be creative. Of course, being in such a beautiful location

helps, too! I think these classes would benefit any actor regardless of

skill levels. My favorite class so far is scene study with Michelle Danner

and I am looking forward to the next casting workshop with Natalie Hart!