Shari Carlson Studio

I have been waiting to this review for a long time. Here it goes.
I was interested in her acting class, but as a requirement you have to take 4 weeks of singing first which I did. When I finished up the singing portion, I had to remind her it was time to transition to acting. She didn’t even remember anything about me, and I was her only new student consistently for 4 weeks! I hate when I have to remind someone I pay a service to, to forget what I was really there for. As you probably guessed, I decided after that to not continue with her studio.
Another reason I left is the fact that she cannot, for the life of her, remember my name. Now people, it’s a CHOICE not to remember people’s names. People make up some bullshit excuse that «Oh I’m so bad at names.» No, what you are is LAZY and INCONSIDERATE. The fact that I am basically a paying client, I expect you to remember my name, especially if you have seen me for a month straight! I let it go for the first 2 weeks, but after that is stretching it.
As a teacher, she’s okay (I can’t judge her teaching methods too much since I only had her for singing and for only 4 weeks.) So I’ll cut her some slack there and not elaborate.
I was really disappointed in her lack of catering to new students, in terms of making me feel comfortable. If you want someone to NOT be a client or a friend 1) Don’t remember their name 2) Don’t remember why they came to you in the first place. I did not feel welcome with her.

I have met a lot of acting teachers in my lifetime and you would be LUCKY to work with Shari here in SF. There are no words to describe how life changing her coaching is. She will get you on a path of success if you want to be a working acting/​writer/​singer/​artist/​director. My confidence has increased & I only wish I started with her sooner. about 10 years ago!

My callback and booking rates have increased. I’m sure this is due in part to Shari’s effective teaching. And I smile just thinking about what she’s taught.

I am preparing for a trip this weekend and wanted to check out an acting school while in San Francisco. I contacted several different studios and although the studio is not open those days they sent me an email and thanked me for inquiring. They are truly commitment to serve those who are interested in becoming better performers

I took a break from acting and singing. I’m back in class and I’ve got to tell you… Shari just gets better and better. I have no idea how she does it, but after this many years in the business she manages to keep things fresh. You always leave class learning something new. She’s AMAZING. If you haven’t worked with her yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???

It is so difficult to put into words what working with Shari has meant to me. She has no one way of working, as she meets each student right where they are, knowing how to help fill the unique gaps in one’s craft… not only empowering her students as artists, but also as people.

Shari is the most giving, selfless acting coach that I have come across in my 15 years of acting in the SF Bay Area. Her approach may not be for everyone, but she has a knowledge of the art and craft of acting that is almost unparalleled in the Bay Area community.

I began working with Shari in San Francisco in 2007, and currently work with her in Los Angeles. I was recommended to her by two separate people whom I had no idea even knew each other, which is amazing serendipity considering that Shari doesn’t advertise.
I began in her singing class, and it was her way of opening and finding me and my truth. It must have worked, because I ended up moving to LA and continuing my acting studies with her: the class was a combination of acting and singing. It still is, though there will be two someday soon. I know singing can terrify some people, but that’s the point: if you don’t confront your truth within, then you will not be able to bring that truth into your performance.
Shari is an intuitive, generous, enlightened being, and I am truly blessed to be able to work with her.

Once in a while you meet someone who is superbly gifted at, and perfectly suited to, their work. Shari Carlson is such a person. She’s a fantastic acting teacher and coach, with — and I mean this literally — a sixth sense about what the actor needs and how to access it in the moment, to bring truth and realism to the scene. She’s outstanding at communicating this, too. Very supportive and nurturing. I really can’t say enough good about Shari. She’s simply the best.

Shari taught me to get up in front of a crowd and sing, and she launched my songwriting career. Shari is uniquely gifted at identifying the issues which keep each individual student from giving his or her optimum performance, and she knows how to guide the student through the process of overcoming those issues. She’s not a voice coach in the traditional sense, but I have watched her work with students who could barely sing a note and develop them into successful performers. In addition to performance coaching for actors and singers, Shari also provides career coaching, covering the nuts and bolts of how to prepare for auditions, how to prepare for a performance or a film shoot, how to deal with agents and directors, how to make sure you have the right headshots, etc. Wherever you are in your career (or in your passion, if a career is not what you’re looking for), Shari makes sure you are well-​prepared to take the next step, so that you are always primed for success.
Whether you are an absolute beginner looking for help with the basics or a budding professional looking for a boost to help launch your career, you will always feel safe and supported at Shari’s studio.

I’m updating my review to report that if you are interested in learning how Shari coaches actors you now have a way of finding out. Or if you are curious to see what goes on in an acting class you can come to one of her monthly Master Acting Classes to observe. The next one is on Wed Mar 14^th 7−9pm at her studio near Union Square in SF. You can buy a ticket on
.
For the singers in her studio, we can do a spotlight in class where we do 1 – 2 songs as a performance, we can go to the studio’s monthly open mic (Miss Smith’s Adult Music Lesson and Open Mic– next one Feb 24^th on
), or take on doing a house concert. These are wonderful opportunities getting out there performing. I’ve learned a lot from them– how to prepare for them logistically (memorizing the lyrics in the body & emotions, wardrobe, make-​up, staging, accompaniment), physically (I took up swimming to increase my breath), and emotionally (how to take care of myself after the performance).
Up to now, the actors haven’t had any opportunities through the studio to perform for an audience other than our fellow classmates. Having participated in one of the Master Acting Classes, I can say that having the «paying public» attend heightened the experience and gave me the chance to practice getting comfortable in front of people I don’t know. She coaches us through the whole process of learning a monologue or scene from cold read to «finished» performance so we can learn the best ways to work with ourselves.
Shari continues to amaze me with how intuitively she coaches. She truly has transformed my life! I am now a member of AFTRA union and looking forward to a long career in acting and singing.

Before I found Shari Carlson, I was a talented singer without a career. Because of her guidance and support, I am now gigging constantly at venues all over the bay area and my voice has grown and changed from a pretty sound into a powerful force. Now I realize that building a sustainable career as a performer is possible and I am on my way to do that with her continued help.

This is a safe place to work out your creative blocks, performance anxieties and grow as a performer. Shari is like a guru to me.

Shari is a wonderful teacher. Very intuitive, compassionate, and personal, she created a space where experiencing and expressing your true and intimate emotions is not only welcome but encouraged and nurtured. She promotes a unified mind/​body/​emotions approach to acting that works.

I started Shari’s classes to revisit my interest in acting and cringed at the thought of having to go through 4 singing classes to transition into acting. Six months later I’m still in the singing class because I love it! Shari is a personal coach who wants to help you bring your instrument into it’s optimum condition while helping you to live as authentically as possible. So be ready for a very interesting and fulfilling journey that every person should undergo wether into singing and acting or not. She has really opened up a new door to my life and I’m so thankful to have come in contact with her whole community.

Shari Carlson is a seasoned pro with the professionalism that is expected of one who really knows her business!
She has an eye for talent and a great business sense and a wonderful mentor to those in the entertainment and fashion field.
I’ve been on both sides of the camera, as an actor, camerman, voice over talent and have worked with the best, and Shari is one of those people. I highly reccomend her.
Randy Licht
Borel Productions

I am a professional actress that found my way to the United States from South Africa. I came to San Francisco to find my feet in this new and foreign country and here I found Shari Carlson Studio. I am forever grateful and honor the process that was introduced to me to build my foundation as true artist and actress. I did visit a few different acting schools and studios in SF and LA and nothing compares to what I found with Shari. She is an incredible teacher, couch and mentor that I trust with my craft and person. My artist has grown and I’m booking work. I have become a working actress in America and I have to admit that without the guidance of Shari Carlson I’m not sure this would be the case, I might not even be an actress today.

I discovered Shari about a year ago, looking for acting classes. instead I found out I am a singer! Shari is a wizard of the Performing Arts, an intuitive seer who also has the background and saavy to help you navigate your career.
I have been an actor for over 40 yrs when I came to Shari, as well as taught acting for 15, and never have I been so present, so ready, and so happy doing my craft… within the year I was successfully playing the lead in a new musical!
The life of an artist can be so fulfilling, and Shari is an invaluable cohort to have on the journey.

I have been going to Shari’s singing classes for about six months now. I enrolled to get into her acting class and started with the singing class as required by Shari and haven’t left! I have found my voice and emotions in this class as well as a new confidence.
Shari is involved with every student on a one to one basis and the class atmosphere allows me to overcome my self conscienceness that has blocked so much of my creative energy.
Check her out if you are looking for a great acting or singing class. You will learn alot more along the way!

There is here no one program to follow or levels to ascend through, but rather a crucible for study of craft and discovery of self. Working confidentially in a welcoming and comfortable studio creates safety and success.
Since studying with Shari, my career has moved forward, my voice has expanded, my auditions and performances have improved, my grounding and confidence are gelling, my body is healing in unprecedented ways, and my work with text has accelerated and deepened. The self-​care guidance and instrument development practices I’ve received from Shari have been spot on. Shari guides you to the right tools and resources at the right time to help you get the most out of helping yourself.
Since studying with Shari, there has been a palpable shift in the function of my analytic mind. Perhaps a demotion from its point of view, the new role has definitely been in the best interests of the entirety of me. It’s no longer in the driver’s seat. It’s no longer the first wrench I haul out of the tool box. It doesn’t have to be satisfied for me to move forward, and it doesn’t get to pass out grades to the rest of me. It has other work to do. Living is a lot more fun.
Shari has helped me safely and successfully work with lifelong wounds, turning them into the very engines of my artistic and professional progression; portals of expression and authenticity, rather than fixed scars to work around or deny or escape. Works for me.