Professional Acting Training for the Screen - IN STUDIO and ONLINE
Acting and Cold Brews offers ongoing training for the screen, designed for adults and mature teens 16+ seeking a grounded, repeatable approach to on-camera work. Training is available in person at the Leighton Atelier Scottsdale Clubhouse and through our online membership, giving actors nationwide access to the same curriculum and insights taught in studio.
Our classes prioritize process over performance and development over shortcuts. The goal isn’t to manufacture results, it’s to build durable craft that supports sustained creative growth and real career momentum.
Our TRAINING APPROACH
LIVE SET - SCENE STUDY
Monday Nights
This is our ongoing, core class.
Students work on scenes over multiple weeks, allowing time to explore text, behavior, and truthful performance on camera. This extended approach encourages depth rather than immediacy and mirrors the demands of professional film and television work.
What’s unique? A live, multi-camera set, every week!
Each class runs like a live working set, captured in real time with full cinema coverage: wide master, intimate closeup, and live switching between angles, including behind-the-scenes moments as actors mic up and prepare to work.
You’re not just filming scenes, you’re working within the rhythm of production.
Revisit your past work anytime
Review filmed director feedback
Track your progress over time
Smaller lessons are pulled from class and posted on the Lesson Board in the Online Lounge, giving ongoing access to the most prominent moments of inspiration each week.
VISCERAL REACTION
Thursday Nights
Where Scene Study gives you structure, Visceral Reaction gives you freedom.
This two-hour, on-camera class is focused entirely on instinct, impulse, and the unknown. Actors arrive with no preparation. Each student receives a cold read and is allowed to read it out loud once with their scene partner before filming. The goal is not polish, it’s visceral reaction.
The first hour is spent filming. The second hour is spent watching the work back together. Dustin offers direct critique, giving actors immediate insight into how instinctive behavior translates on camera.
This class is designed to:
Strip away overthinking and rehearsed choices.
Strengthen impulse-driven behavior.
Build comfort inside uncertainty.
Reconnect actors to authentic, unplanned reaction.
Visceral Reaction is not about refining scenes—it’s about what happens when control drops and something real takes over.
HOW THE WORK CONNECTS
Scene Study builds structure, discipline, and repeatable process.
Visceral Reaction sharpens instinct and emotional availability.
Together, they create a more complete actor—one who can prepare deeply and respond truthfully in the moment.
Both classes feed into the Online Lounge, where actors continue developing through shared footage, ongoing insight, and a connected creative community beyond the studio.
WHO IS THIS TRAINING FOR
Acting and Cold Brews is designed for:
Actors beginning their on-camera training with intention.
Artists returning to the craft after time away.
Working performers refining their screen process.
Actors seeking ongoing feedback and access to filmed class work.
Online members looking for structured, long-term insight.
While in-person classes are held in Scottsdale, Arizona, online training is available to actors across North America.
WHY CHOOSE ACTING & COLD BREWS?
Ongoing, filmmaker-led training rather than one-off workshops.
Every student actively works in class and is filmed in a full cinema setup.
Integrated training that builds both structured craft (Scene Study) and instinct-driven authenticity (Visceral Reaction).
Access to filmed class work and monthly group sessions in the Online Lounge.
Optional progression into a private film ensemble for committed members.
Location
Scottsdale, Arizona and ONLINE
When
Monday Nights 6:30pm
How to Join