The Actors Academy Podcast
Craft-focused discussions for actors who want to deepen their technique
Overview
The Actors Academy Podcast explores acting technique, scene study, and the artistic side of the profession. It dives into various methodologies and how actors can apply them in auditions and on set.
Episodes blend instructional content with interviews featuring acting coaches and industry professionals. The format often includes practical exercises and breakdowns of specific acting concepts.
How It Works
Best suited for actors at any level who are serious about improving their craft and understanding different approaches to the work. Students of acting will find the technique discussions especially valuable.
Free on all podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
Who Uses It
A strong choice for actors who want a podcast that prioritizes the art of acting over business topics. The technique-driven episodes serve as a useful supplement to formal training. The podcast fills an important gap in the acting podcast landscape, where business and career-focused shows outnumber craft-focused content by a significant margin. The Actors Academy Podcast treats acting technique with the seriousness and specificity it deserves, discussing methodologies like Meisner, Stanislavski, Chekhov, and viewpoints with enough depth to supplement formal training. For actors who cannot afford regular coaching or who live in markets with limited training options, this podcast provides accessible craft education that helps them continue developing their skills between classes.
Pricing & Plans
The Actors Academy Podcast is completely free on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. There is no subscription fee, premium tier, or paywall for any episodes. The show may occasionally reference or recommend paid acting classes, workshops, or educational resources, but the podcast content itself is entirely free. This accessibility is particularly valuable given the high cost of formal acting education, private coaching, and workshop programs, making technique-focused content available to actors who might otherwise lack access to ongoing craft development resources.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
The podcast's greatest strength is its dedication to exploring acting technique with genuine intellectual rigor and practical application. Episodes that break down specific methodologies — explaining the differences between Strasberg's emotional memory work, Meisner's repetition exercises, and Adler's emphasis on imagination — provide clarity that helps actors make informed choices about their training path. The show's interviews with acting coaches bring diverse pedagogical perspectives, exposing listeners to approaches they might not encounter in their local training environment. Practical exercises and scene study breakdowns give listeners tools they can apply immediately in their own work, making the podcast a genuine extension of their training rather than just entertainment. The cumulative effect of regular listening is a broader, more nuanced understanding of acting craft that enriches your work regardless of which specific technique you practice.
What Could Be Better
The podcast's focus on technique means it provides minimal coverage of the business side of acting — audition strategy, agent relationships, marketing, and financial planning are largely absent from the content. The quality and depth of technique discussion can vary across episodes depending on the expertise of the guest, and some episodes may feel elementary for actors with extensive formal training. The podcast's production values are modest, and the audio quality can be inconsistent compared to professionally produced shows. Without a clear URL or web presence beyond podcast platforms, the show lacks the supplementary resources — show notes, transcript, recommended reading — that would enhance the educational value of its technique-focused content.
Our Recommendation
Actors who are serious about craft development and want to supplement their formal training with ongoing technique-focused content should add The Actors Academy Podcast to their regular rotation. The show is particularly valuable for actors in the early stages of their training who are still exploring different methodologies and want to understand the landscape of approaches available to them. Pair this podcast with business-focused shows like Audrey Helps Actors or Acting for a Living to ensure balanced development of both craft and career skills. Experienced actors may find some episodes introductory, but the diversity of guest perspectives occasionally surfaces insights that challenge even seasoned practitioners.
Pro Tips
Listen actively by pausing episodes to try the exercises and techniques discussed, as the practical content rewards engaged participation rather than passive consumption. Keep a journal of the methodologies and approaches that resonate with you, noting specific techniques you want to explore further in your training — this creates a personalized curriculum based on what genuinely speaks to your artistic instincts. When the podcast discusses a technique or methodology you are unfamiliar with, follow up by reading the foundational texts and seeking out workshops or classes that teach that approach. Use the podcast's technique discussions as preparation for scene study by applying the concepts discussed to your current material before class or auditions. Share episodes with scene partners and classmates to create a common vocabulary and shared understanding of technique that enhances your collaborative work.