AIA Actor’s Studio is a career development studio guiding actors successfully 19 years. Benefits of membership include individual guidance from your very own career consultant, classes instructed by top industry professionals, and joining a community of actors with a respected reputation in Hollywood.

The Michael Chekhov Studio offers courses that explore Chekhov's acting technique.  As this technique is deeply rooted in the physical, a substantial portion of classes are devoted to exercises that strengthen the actor's imagination and concentration.  This is followed by scene work. Lecture and Q&A round out each class.  In essence, Michael Chekhov codified human behavior.  His technique is a liberation from the limitations of memory, gets actors “out of their heads,” and provides a solid foundation on which to build any characterization.  It is through the imagination that the keys to characters and the worlds they inhabit are discovered. It is through the body that these discoveries can be given tangible reality and lead the actor to what Chekhov himself was so widely acclaimed for: TRANSFORMATION. It is this Transformation that is the ultimate goal of the actor.  This course offers a fresh, dependable, artistic means of expression that will further any actor’s journey towards that goal.

On-Going, On-Camera Classes: Scene Study, Monologues, Commercials, Audition Coaching

*Private coaching with Dawnnie Mercado is still available!
*On Camera Scene study is still our specialty.
*Theatre Creators Kids will retain its name under the new umbrella company of Dawnnie Mercado, Inc. This is our acting company for kids and teens. Visit the Class Schedule, Private Coaching, and Pricing Pages for more info.

Founder and Acting Instructor for Dawnnie Mercado, Inc. Dawnnie is a professional actor with over 15 years of teaching experience and Regional Theatre experience as an actor. She was a longtime Guest Teaching - Artist at the Lincoln Center Institute in New York and director for The Southern California Youth Theatre. Dawnnie created a drama camp for Rustic Canyon Recreation Center in Pacific Palisades which she directed for six successful summers. Theatre Creators Kids acting company has made it's home in NOHO since 2005. Ms. Mercado has a BA in Drama from UCSB and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from New York University. She is a member of both Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association, with recent credits including Law and Order: Criminal Intent; Third Watch; E.R; Judging Amy; and Strong Medicine.

Youth Acting Ages 5 - 17
We teach acting to help kids explore and express their own ideas and experiences. We are committed to a learning space where there is no right or wrong and using their sense of humor, listening to their instincts, and challenging themselves are priorities. Acting teaches kids to go after goals, say what they think, and listen to others. Consequently, our kids have more fun and more confidence in front of the camera and in life. Their school grades improve; their self-esteem raises; and they experience a lot more joy. All of which serve as building blocks for their futures as adults. Our kids become better people and better actors! Building Better Kids and Better Actors!

We offer Industry Showcases during the Pilot and Episodic seasons. Industry attendees include, Casting Directors, Agents, (JLA, Bobby Ball, Coast to Coast and Buchwald.) Managers, (TJ Stein, Lola Love) and Development Executives. As a result of these showcases, our students have signed with agents and managers and been seen on TV shows: Malcolm in the Middle, Eve, iCarly and commercials: Pepsi, Legoland and Lowe’s, just to name a few. Our training has helped many kids go on to programs such as the Orange County High School for the Performing Arts, Huntington High School and to various college performing arts programs across the US.

The Brass Tacks of Acting Ages 18 +
For seasoned as well as beginning adult actors. Learn the essential acting techniques that an actor needs to create authentic and compelling cold readings, auditions and performances. These tools are intuitive, simple, and will efficiently connect you to your best work. You will learn thorough script analysis tools that reveal every clue in the script needed to book the job as well as techniques that will make your performances more personal and honest.

LA Weekly called Total Improv for Kids, "An Improv-Able Success." Total Improv for Kids is a one-of-a- kind school that uses the art of theatrical improvisation to offer kids a fun and exciting means of tapping into and expanding their imaginations. We are the only school of improvisation that does not focus specifically on a career in the entertainment business, but on life skills the students can draw from no matter what their field of endeavor. The classes are not only a lot of fun, they are terrific for socialization and interaction in a non-competitive environment. New classes are opening soon, so be sure to sign up for Total Improv for Kids.

The Young Actor's Studio offers a full conservatory day or a choice of classes for young actors in three separate age groups ranging from 4-21. Comedy Improv, Acting for the Camera, Acting Technique, scene study, and productions, including new original commissioned plays at The NoHo Actors' Studio in North Hollywood.

The Young Actor develops a solid technique that he or she can take into any medium, be it stage, screen, TV or film. We encourage and praise the student for who they are and teach them to use their own behavior, personality and charm in the role, and, in doing this, they create a unique version of that role that has never been seen before.

The Faculty includes, Megan Adell, Tory Christopher, Michelle Snyder, guests Artists and the Artistic Director, Jeff Alan-Lee, a former child actor himself, 15-year veteran child acting teacher and former six-year Strasberg faculty member. Jeff's students include Scarlett Johansson and Shia Labeouf