Process, Preparation, Professionalism
Do your best work, now.
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Our acting classes are intimate and affordable: we believe investing time with each of our students is crucial to their development.
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Our faculty is highly qualified: your instructors are working actors with MFA degrees who know the standard required for the profession and have extensive collegiate-level teaching experience
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Our coursework is designed as a progression: we believe in solid foundational skills and build upon these class by class, until command of your craft, confidence and creativity artistry are achieved.
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Our Acting Foundations class is open to anyone interested in acting, and our Studio series classes are open to experienced actors by audition
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Our studio is a vibrant community: completing our 4 class acting sequence over a year makes you a member of our Audition Club. Four times a year, we offer free workshops for monologue and audition work to our students.
Teaching Artists
Andrew Tsao, Founder and Artistic Director
Over a thirty year professional career, Andrew has directed numerous prime time television shows, regional and international theatre productions. He served as an associate professor of drama where he taught in the prestigious MFA acting and directing programs.
Andrew was also head of the undergraduate drama program, led study abroad programs and was voted by students as one of UW's Favorite Professors.
His unique experience as a director and professor give him a singular insight into the inner workings of the actor's process.
Hailey Henderson, Lead Instructor
Hailey is a Seattle-based performer, director and educator with a distinguished career in the theater. She holds an MFA in Acting from the University of Washington, where she also served as adjunct professor and guest lecturer.
Hailey's acclaimed one-woman show Blackout won the "Best Drama" award at the United Solo Festival at Theatre Row in New York City in 2023.
She is also a proud member of the Actors Equity Association. As a working actor for over 15 years, Henderson brings high expectations, a brisk energy and technique-focused teaching to her students.
Alana Cheshire, Instructor
Originally from Atlanta, GA, Alana received a BS in Vocal Performance/Theatre from the top-ranked Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music.
After working professionally in theatre and film across the Southeast and Midwest for several years, she moved to Seattle to earn her MFA in Acting from the University of Washington’s Professional Acting Training Program in 2019.
Since then, Alana has continued to work as a live performer, has acted on screen for clients including Microsoft and Meta, and has narrated several audiobooks (under multiple names.) As a teaching artist, she believes in the power of helping students find their personal process to unlock their own honest, unique, and genuine artistry.
Iveliz Martel, Instructor
Iveliz Martel is an actor, teaching artist, and journalist from Chile. She holds an MFA in Acting from the University of Washington School of Drama and an MS in Science Journalism from Texas A&M University.
Her local theatre credits include work with Seattle Children's Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare, Swim Pony, Global Works, Yun Theatre, Strawberry Jam, Walk Don’t Run Art Marathon, and eSe Teatro. She also created and performed her original clown solo show, Tutti Frutti.
Iveliz has taught at various schools in Seattle, and she has led acting workshops and classes offered by theater companies such as Yun Theatre, Latino Theatre Projects, and Broadway Bound. She is also a vocal coach at the Jack Straw Cultural Center.
Inquiries
The Studio Seattle location:
The Phinney Center
6532 Phinney Ave N.
Seattle, WA 98103
206-717-3115
The Studio Seattle is fiscally sponsored by Shunpike.
Shunpike is the 501 (c) (3) nonprofit agency that provides independent arts groups in Washington state with the services, resources, and opportunities they need to forge their own paths to sustainable success.
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