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There is no replacement for the experience of collaborative scene work in a classroom setting. That is the first thing I have to say about acting coaching. Anyone who thinks they are going to learn to act by working only on monologues is profoundly misguided. The challenge of learning to truly overcome self-consciousness by placing your attention on another person is formidable enough when you actually have someone to work off of. Flying solo is much more difficult, and the opportunities to learn in that situation are not as plentiful. It is also true that in a coaching situation, you have a one-person audience, and that one person is someone who is in your employ, so there is a way in which it is playing it very safe. I also find that people often have an inflated sense of what can be accomplished in coaching. No one would expect a violin teacher to make someone a violinist who is ready to perform in public after five one hour lessons, but such expectations among those who aspire to be actors are not unusual. For these reasons, I firmly believe that people of whatever level who want to develop their skill belong in a class, working on a scene with a partner.

All that said, there are some occasions on which private coaching is appropriate or required. All actors need a repertoire of monologues, and private coaching can be a good format to develop those. Students in my classes often hire me to coach them on their scene work, and sometimes a pair of students who can't fit the class into their schedule will choose to buy a block of sessions to work on a scene on an ongoing basis outside of classes. Prior to significant auditions, actors often ask for guidance on working with the material they have been given to work on for their audition. All of these are excellent occasions for private coaching.

For actors who have taken my classes, I offer a rate of $80/hour. For actors who have not studied with me, my rate is $120/hour,although for actors with substantial previous training and experience, this rate may be negotiable. Also, I provide a $10/hour discount on purchases of five sessions at a time.

One actor talks about his coaching experience and results: