​THE CLASS​
Melissa Skoff teaches a very special class that is tailored to each student. She has cast features and television pilots, series and mini-series, drama, comedy, sketch comedy, and improvisation.  Class members partake in work from all the above genres. She creates an extraordinarily creative, imaginative and positive place to experiment with one’s skills and ideas, and she goes to great lengths every week to cast each student in a scene that is specifically tailored to suit their individual talents.  Melissa coaches actors on how to apply the skills they have already mastered and utilize them successfully in auditions.

*To audit—you must call for a reservation.
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​THE ACTOR​

Melissa teaches actors how to get the job.  Freeing them from excess emotional baggage and emphasizing improvisation keeps each actor focused and concentrated on their scene work.  She also directs actors, instructing them how to come up with inventive, interesting choices that other actors probably wouldn’t think of.  Melissa’s teachings are rooted in her own years of acting training, along with her professional expertise as a top Casting Director and Acting Coach.  In the past, Melissa has held Executive positions at Warner Bros. Television and Fox Broadcasting, where she was the Senior Executive in Charge of  Talent and Casting for FBC's acclaimed Fox Night at the Movies.  Actors need to enjoy the casting process.  Being able to create an open and vulnerable persona is vital to the impression one leaves behind.  And much of that comes from feeling comfortable with oneself and with the work you are there to perform. Her direction is precise and to the point. She coaches her  actors on how to get right to the point of each scene and the heart of every character.

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THE TECHNIQUE

Her technique is extremely straightforward, honest, and uplifting.  Melissa holds a Bachelors Degree in Theatre, Film, and Television and studied acting for many years.  Having conducted thousands of auditions throughout her career, she not only understands what producers, directors, and studio and network executives are seeking, but she is able to relay that knowledge so that each actor can identify with the specific challenges of every scene, every time.  She specializes in allowing her students to work in what is a simulated audition setting each week. Melissa works actors in and out of their comfort zones, allowing them to stretch and grow.  Many of her students, both past and present, are working.