Studio Review: Tsaw: Tasha Smith Actors Workshop
Address: 6472 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA Tuesdays
6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA Wednesdays
Website: www.tsaw.com
Teacher: Tasha Smith and various TSAW instructors
Price: $180/month
Class Schedule: Mondays and Thursdays (Advanced Level) 7pm-10pm
Tuesdays and Wednesday (Beginner/Intermediate) 7pm-10pm
I have to be honest and admit that prior to my attending TSAW I had heard only negative things about the class. However, I happen to absolutely adore Tasha Smith’s honesty and presence on film, so I decided to give the class a try. It was a great experience. I am so used to classical, rigorous training from the acting conservatory I attend everyday. Therefore, attending TSAW was a most refreshing experience. The instructors, 2 students of Tasha Smith, were real. They would not let a scene progress if it were boring and unaffecting. They stopped actors dead in their tracks the minute they began to lie on stage. I love that. Everyday I see instructors allow actors to continue when it is painfully obvious that the scene is headed nowhere. TSAW teaches primarily from the Ivana Chubbuck technique. According to her website, Chubbuck has worked with Halle Berry, Terrance Howard, Jim Carrey, Charlize Theron, Beyonce Knowles, and Jessica Biel among many others. The class consisted of approximately 25 people, but that seems to vary from month to month. However, instructors say students can work/perform onstage during every class depending on their preparation and work outside of class. Tasha Smith only teaches the master class, but she also teaches at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio. I don’t know why you wouldn’t just go straight to the source, but to each his own. I give this studio a B, only because I have little to compare it to thus far.
Pros
- They assign you GOOD scenes to work with and you don’t get another scene until you have mastered and exhausted that material.
- The class is great for all ages.
- They usually have a showcase at the end of every semester. Smith invites some of Hollywood’s biggest players such as Tyler Perry, Tyra Banks, and Benny Medina. One of students is currently on Image Award winning show, House of Payne.
- Students can move from beginner’s level to advanced level at their own pace.
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Thank you so much for posting your experiences online…very courageous! Okay, I’m going to audit the class tonight. Thanks again. Oh and by the way, I have Chubbuck’s book. My plan was to take her class, then I saw this.
Hello Ms. Smith, I am an aspiring actress, im in the 9th grade and ive had a passion for acting every since I saw my first movie. I was wondering what i could be doing in the mean time to speed up my process to stardom other than participating in school plays and enrolling in drama classes in school, because thats where i am now. I plan to continue my acting studies in college at the Lee Strasberg institute of theater and film. I was wondering what would you recommend I do to make myself known. ( i live in Detroit, but attend school at Marian High School in Bloomfield MI)
Thankyou for your time, Destini Perkins
Hello Destini,
Its great that you are thinking about your future now. Many young actors don’t do this and it does take them more time when they realize it as they get older. I am not Tasha Smith. I am actress who has had the opportunity to audit her class and that’s why the review is there. Please feel free to search my blog site as I have given information on how to get an agent, etc. YOu could start this in your town and begin booking jobs that are local, so you have a great resume when you relocate. Undestand that stardom does not happen over night, so it will take time. But you just have to dedicate yourself to the craft and learn the business of it as well. Good luck with your endeavors!
I wanted to get more info on this workshops as I plan to relocate to LA soon. Would you mind emailing me at krsnow24@comcast.net so I can have a 1 on 1 discussion. Thanks!
K.S.