Testimonials

"I was a student of Sharon Chatten for many years through my 20's and have continued to seek advice from her all these years later.

Sharon was the first person I trusted when it came to performance. Before meeting her, I never took anyone's opinion of my acting or anyone else's acting seriously. I studied at the American Stanislavski School of Acting before studying with Sharon. There, I learned a lot about the history of acting and different forms of acting, but sort of did my own thing when I was on stage. It wasn't until I studied with Sharon that I understood what was missing in my performance, what was missing when it came to telling a story.

I know this might sound a bit dramatic, but I hung on her every word when she would speak in class. For the first time in my life, I went home from class feeling like I had to do the things she was teaching justice. I still feel the same so many years later.

I can say without hesitation that I am the actor I am because of what Sharon Chatten taught me and how she inspired me. No doubt in my mind. I know she still continues to inspire my peers. I have thanked her over and over but it can never be enough."

Vincent D'Onofrio, Actor/Director/Writer/Producer

"Ever since I met Sharon, I never thought it was possible to love acting more, and I already loved acting so much. The beauty of working with Sharon is that she never tries to change your instrument. She becomes an extension of it. She enhances what is already uniquely yours, your instincts, your confidence, your storytelling and somehow makes the work feel clearer and more accessible. She has taught me how to see a text in ways I never thought possible. Before Sharon, I was the kind of actor who sometimes worked harder instead of smarter. She completely changed that. She taught me how to work with more clarity, specificity and trust in myself. I feel more confident and more powerful in my work because of her.

Sharon has truly changed the way I approach acting and my craft, and most importantly, she has changed the way I believe in myself as an Actor. She is a giant in this business, and I feel incredibly lucky and honored to learn from her. I only hope every actor gets the privilege of working with her at least once. I am endlessly grateful for her."

Camila Perez, Actor

"Sharon is a master of acting and an incredible mentor. Her expertise and passion is inspiring and unlike other acting coaches I've had, she always delivers honest and constructive feedback. Her patience and understanding helps me feel comfortable in being a vulnerable artist which has significantly improved my acting ability and enhanced my performance. Since working with Sharon my audition feedback has transformed, I can always rely on her to be familiar with the material, guide me through the scenes and create multidimensional characters. I know I can even call Sharon from set and she will be there to compose and ground me so I can deliver my best performance regardless of my nerves. I don't know where I would be in my career without Sharon's guidance, and for that I'm endlessly grateful." Wallis Day, Actor

"As artists, we constantly strive to "be good" or "get better". I found Sharon at a time in my career when, despite the fact I was working steadily, I was creatively starved. She immediately honed in on me, my quirks, and what I needed to do to improve...that I didn't need to be good, or better...I simply needed to be truthful. In order to reach this state of truth, Sharon encourages me (and all of her students) to reach into the deepest nooks and crannies of my soul...to "live in the question mark," as she says, of every microsecond as an infant would when first discovering her own hand.

Sharon is not just a brilliant acting coach, but an acute diagnostician. Whether she's ripping me a new one and calling me out, or praising me, I love her just the same, because at the end of the day, she is right. I've been at this for many years and had many coaches/teachers/mentors including a BFA from USC, and no teacher has given me the confidence that Sharon has. This is simply because she has taught me what it REALLY takes to do the work, and as long as you do, there's nothing you have to worry about...that everything else will fall into place.

Oftentimes, I will sit in class and marvel at her wisdom and accuracy as I frantically transpose her words into my notebook and it almost feels unfair that not all actors are experiencing her. It's almost as if there's a magic cloud over our heads raining down little golden nuggets and all we have to do is open our hands and collect them. Having said that, I talk about Sharon incessantly to my colleagues and friends in hope that they can have the same experience for themselves. Simply put, Sharon is a gift."

Brandon Barash, Actor