Young Actors Classes
The Ruskin School of Acting, 2800 Airport Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90405
About
Young Actors Classes introduces children and teens to Meisner Technique, Spolin Exercises, and Scene Study, with options that include 1 on 1 Coaching and Media Training. The program also offers a Filmmaking Summer Camp as part of its activities.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Classes follow the school calendar and are run by semester, and students are welcome to enroll at any time.
• Price: Children's classes: 60 min classes $35 per class; 90 min classes $45 per class. Teens classes: 90 min classes $45 per class; 2 hour classes $55 per class.
In Young Actors Classes, Meisner Technique acting classes for children and teens support them as they start their careers and develop greater confidence in themselves. For children starting at 8 years old, classes combine Meisner Technique, Spolin Exercises, and Scene Study, and children’s classes are described as fun, engaging, and teaching real acting techniques that can be applied on set or in the school play. For teens up to 19 years old, training deepens the Meisner Technique with scene study from age-appropriate work, and teen classes often focus on individual goals such as preparing auditions or competing for various programs. Both online and in-person classes are available, enrollment is ongoing with tuition prorated, and semester pricing and scholarships are available. One on 1 coaching is available for roles, auditions, self tapes, or one on one training.
The Ruskin School of Acting was founded in 1986, and Amy Ruskin launched the Classes for Young Actors program in 2009 at the Ruskin School. The leadership team includes Amy Ruskin as Director, Young Actors Teacher, and Media Training instructor; Laurel J. Barham as Young Actors Teacher; and John Ruskin as founder of the school. Amy earned her degree in Theatre Arts & Comparative Literature from Brown University and trained in programs with Juilliard, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and Shakespeare & Company, and she supervised many network reality series on FOX, NBC, USA, and E!, directing on-camera talent and writing scripted children’s shows. Laurel J. Barham is a graduate of The Ruskin School of Acting Two Year Meisner program with more than 25 years in theatre as an acting coach, teacher, performer, and director, with performance credits in more than 30 musicals and plays. Laurel is an award-winning director of productions including “Starmites,” “Scarlet Pimpernel,” “Measure for Measure,” “Twelfth Night,” and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” has directed over seventy-five one acts, plays, musicals, and revues, and has produced and directed short films and a documentary. John Ruskin is one of the 21 teachers, since 1936, who were handpicked and trained by Sanford Meisner to teach the Meisner Technique.
Her students can be seen on Broadway, National Tours, Independent Films, and Commercials, and Laurel is a facilitator in the Youth Education Series program at the Disneyland Resort. The Ruskin School offers a Scene Study with Master Teachers Class, giving actors the opportunity to work with industry professionals, and the program’s power has created a strong artistic community that often continues to work together after graduating from the two-year program. The school offers transformative acting classes in Los Angeles and online.
Parent feedback about Young Actors Classes includes comments that a 13-year-old student feels part of a safe community where it is okay to put oneself out there and okay to fail, and that the combination of the Meisner Technique and the teachers has supported his growth, with his parent later completing the two-year program at Ruskin. Other parents describe the school as an inspiring experience through teen and high school years, praise Amy Ruskin as a teacher, and say the program has built a lasting community. One parent notes that both of their children started acting training with Amy Ruskin and her team and that their son later entered DePaul University on an acting scholarship after auditions for film and theater roles and attending the acting program at Santa Monica High School. Additional comments state that Amy and her staff work with what parents describe as high integrity and intentions, that the attention to the young actor is described as authentic and inspiring, and that graduates say the school will teach craft, push students, give confidence, and change lives.
Last updated June 24, 2026.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Classes follow the school calendar and are run by semester, and students are welcome to enroll at any time.
• Price: Children's classes: 60 min classes $35 per class; 90 min classes $45 per class. Teens classes: 90 min classes $45 per class; 2 hour classes $55 per class.
In Young Actors Classes, Meisner Technique acting classes for children and teens support them as they start their careers and develop greater confidence in themselves. For children starting at 8 years old, classes combine Meisner Technique, Spolin Exercises, and Scene Study, and children’s classes are described as fun, engaging, and teaching real acting techniques that can be applied on set or in the school play. For teens up to 19 years old, training deepens the Meisner Technique with scene study from age-appropriate work, and teen classes often focus on individual goals such as preparing auditions or competing for various programs. Both online and in-person classes are available, enrollment is ongoing with tuition prorated, and semester pricing and scholarships are available. One on 1 coaching is available for roles, auditions, self tapes, or one on one training.
The Ruskin School of Acting was founded in 1986, and Amy Ruskin launched the Classes for Young Actors program in 2009 at the Ruskin School. The leadership team includes Amy Ruskin as Director, Young Actors Teacher, and Media Training instructor; Laurel J. Barham as Young Actors Teacher; and John Ruskin as founder of the school. Amy earned her degree in Theatre Arts & Comparative Literature from Brown University and trained in programs with Juilliard, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and Shakespeare & Company, and she supervised many network reality series on FOX, NBC, USA, and E!, directing on-camera talent and writing scripted children’s shows. Laurel J. Barham is a graduate of The Ruskin School of Acting Two Year Meisner program with more than 25 years in theatre as an acting coach, teacher, performer, and director, with performance credits in more than 30 musicals and plays. Laurel is an award-winning director of productions including “Starmites,” “Scarlet Pimpernel,” “Measure for Measure,” “Twelfth Night,” and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” has directed over seventy-five one acts, plays, musicals, and revues, and has produced and directed short films and a documentary. John Ruskin is one of the 21 teachers, since 1936, who were handpicked and trained by Sanford Meisner to teach the Meisner Technique.
Her students can be seen on Broadway, National Tours, Independent Films, and Commercials, and Laurel is a facilitator in the Youth Education Series program at the Disneyland Resort. The Ruskin School offers a Scene Study with Master Teachers Class, giving actors the opportunity to work with industry professionals, and the program’s power has created a strong artistic community that often continues to work together after graduating from the two-year program. The school offers transformative acting classes in Los Angeles and online.
Parent feedback about Young Actors Classes includes comments that a 13-year-old student feels part of a safe community where it is okay to put oneself out there and okay to fail, and that the combination of the Meisner Technique and the teachers has supported his growth, with his parent later completing the two-year program at Ruskin. Other parents describe the school as an inspiring experience through teen and high school years, praise Amy Ruskin as a teacher, and say the program has built a lasting community. One parent notes that both of their children started acting training with Amy Ruskin and her team and that their son later entered DePaul University on an acting scholarship after auditions for film and theater roles and attending the acting program at Santa Monica High School. Additional comments state that Amy and her staff work with what parents describe as high integrity and intentions, that the attention to the young actor is described as authentic and inspiring, and that graduates say the school will teach craft, push students, give confidence, and change lives.
Last updated June 24, 2026.
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