Eric Morris Actors Workshop - Los Angeles, California

Christian Crandall

Eric's work has transformed my life! Completely disregard Henry's review. Must be a competitor trying to harm Eric's reputation. I have been in Eric's class for 19 years. I'm a working and paid actor. Eric's system is so incredible and it works! If you're an actor wanting to know HOW to not act and learn how to push your buttons from a real and organic place, Eric is your guy. Like Jack Nicholson said in the forward to Eric's book 'No Acting Please', Eric has the stuff! Like learning a martial art, Eric's work requires commitment, dedication and awareness to ones self. And it's fun. I've had the best years of my life learning Eric's method and apply it in every audition and every job I book. After years of being nervous and tense in auditions, I'm so confident and secure in being able to do anything asked of me in that room, I am so relaxed I could take a nap in a room filled with producers on a 3rd call back. I can't say enough good things about Eric and Susana and this workshop.

Eric Isenhower

I’ve studied with Eric Morris for years. I spent time class hopping from one place to another before I discovered Eric’s first (and most famous) book “No Acting Please.” I read it, I audited the class, I signed up, I haven’t looked back.

Eric’s class is unconventional to be sure. He devotes an entire third of his approach to acting to tackling the “instrumental” issues an actor faces. Given that an actors instrument is themselves, that sometimes means getting personal to tackle issues that inhibit one’s ability to fulfill the obligations of material. Examples include difficulty being vulnerable, always needing to be liked, being afraid to make strong choices, reluctance to approach “negative emotions” like anger or depression, etc. For some people this is too much. I get it. I’ve grown immensely as an actor as a result of this work, but that’s because it spoke to issues I wanted to tackle and provided a framework of acting that suits me. I always recommend reading his books and auditing a class or two. If it’s not for you, that’s fine. Lots of great classes/ approaches to acting to choose from. But Eric is a great teacher, and if his class is a good fit, you’ll find his approach works.

I’ve been in the class for years, and there are plenty of working actors in the class. Some who became working actors while studying with Eric, others who were already working actors and who came to the class because they felt they had something to offer. Of course, there are plenty in the class who are new, or not booking as much as they’d like, but that’s true of every class in LA because that’s true of LA in general. There are far more novice/struggling actors than there are working ones. Just a fact of the business.

FWIW Eric is a graduate of Northwestern University’s acting program, and also studied at the Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg and Martin Landau. He’s been teaching his work for 50+ years. His approach to the craft is rooted in the Method. His approach to dealing with “instrumental” issues related to acting comes out of his own desire to tackle issues that stood in the way of his (and his fellow studio classmates) ability to use the Method to its full potential.

Anyway, like I said, read the book (No Acting Please) and audit a class. If you are interested, try it out. If it’s not your cup of tea, no worries. Wherever you choose to study, break a leg!

Henry Morrison

If I could give this studio 0 stars I would. Eric Morris's studio in my opinion doesn't teach anything of practical use or value in the field of being a "professional actor" in film, tv or theater. The studio encourages and applauds emotional masturbation, self indulgence, emotional, physical and psychological breakdowns as well as completely unprofessional and unnessary preparations to really "experience" the role. Eric and Susana's "methods" will get the actor either fired, forever labled an "out of control method actor", or will cripple the actor for a long time. Eric calls the preliminary excersises "getting ready to get ready to act." In my experience his preparations and rhetoric lead to "never being ready to be ready to act".
Money is another issue with this studio. The regular classes have a price of $300 dollars a month for once a week. Those classes are usually spent as 3-5 minute therapy sessions on stage under the guise of acting. Actual scenes and monologues are rarely worked on. Most of the students don't know how to "execute" Eric's system due to the overcomplication of it not to mention its uselessness all together. The playwrite/screenwriters's words are rarely used In their enitirety. Other obligations of material usually remain unaddressed other than "feelings".
The jamborees (very seductive retreats to Lake Arrowhead) are 4-5 days $1,600 with the major summer jamboree (7 days) being $3,500 and the intensive by invite only is $9,000 for one weekend per month a year! And only one or two scenes are worked on for an entire year! Most of the time they are not even completed by that time. (Full performance) Not to mention privates being $150 per session or $6,000 for six months.
This studio has produced very few working actors although they will make it seem like the Eric and Susana Morris's system is the best thing to ever happen to acting. There's an immensely strong cultish atmospeare which is very disturbing. The students idolize the personality of Eric and Susana and there is a massive group mind and elitism that is very off putting and creepy.
The amount of money, time, and dedication invested into "the craft" doesn't seem to amount to any substantial or beneficial results in regards to actually having a career in the industry. If anything in my opinion, it will lead the student further away from having a career.

Glyde Barbey

I went to this studio for two years having done all the classes they offer and I gotta say, I’m still trying to get my money back with a lawyer for classes they requested I prepay but then decided to kick me out of!

Not only are they con artists, but the husband and wife team are pseudo psychologists believing they both have license to enlighten the issues in your personal life based off of 5 to 10 Minutes of their personal judgements about who you are. A.K.A they pity you and will take your money to explain to you why and the name they title that is “instrumental blocks.”

No matter how much technique they advertise having, the husband and wife team Eric and Susana Morris really don’t have any interest in what is currently going on in the acting industry in LA and could care even less about anyone else unless they have popularity leverage over them. They do not encourage any other modalities of acting (No Stanislavsky, Stella Adler, Upright Citizens Brigade, etc..) and if you do, they call it, “giving up on your acting career.”

I do not believe there is a passion for education. I believe the purpose of this “Workshop” is to carry on Eric Morris’s legacy/Acting-doctrine more than help you into an actual acting career.

My intention with this comment is to offer my experience and opinion. This place is a cult and if you’re interested in that, then here it is!

James Janulis

Eric Morris is one of the best Acting teachers worldwide!
I studied with him for five years.
The overall experience awakened me exponentially!
My Acting work professionally transitioned an enormous distance!
Thank you Eric!

Dr.Volkan Can Canbolat

Sean Folster

Fong Kwok