Saint Valentine is the patron saint of love, young people, engaged and married couples. His day is February 14 and you can find the ideal gift for your special valentine on the Cheryl Felecia Rhoads Online Shopping Mall with more than 1,000 brand name stores. You don't have to fight traffic, bad weather, or crowds, just register from your PC with your email address and choose a password and you can shop anytime you want to.
With their proud teacher and Jefferson Award-winning actress Cheryl Felicia Rhoads joining her students in the center, from left to right Virginia Tucker, Ty Sheedlo, Emily Adler, and B.J. Odom show off their Cappie Awards following the annual awards gala at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Perorming Arts on Sunday, June 12. Six of Cheryl's students were nominated in different categories for 2011 Cappie Awards. Four CFR students won top honors in their category. Congratulations to Emily Adler of W.T. Woodson High School for winning Comic Actress in a musical. (Little Women)--B.J. Odom of Annandale, Va. for winning Comic Actor in a play.(The Mousetrap)-- Ty Sheedlo of Dominion High School for winning Lead Actor in a play. (Harvey)--and to Virginia Tucker of St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School for winning Lead Actress in a play (Our Town). Also big congratulations to Grace Gardner of Chantilly High School who was nominated for Featured Actress for her role in Stage Door--and to Virginia Coffield of St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School who was nominated for Supporting Actress in a play (Our Town).
See Student Testimonials Below
Call 703-536-5786 or email Chrlrhoads@aol.com
Kids Class students Riley Middleton (left) and Kylie Harrell (right) join their acting teacher Cheryl Rhoads on the top floor of the Ballston Common shopping mall near the entrance to The Comedy Spot on the night of their May 9 graduation performance.
We offer small acting classes with usually not more than ten students each for kids, tweens and teens, and adults in order to encourage more time for individual attention, rehearsal, and peformance. Classes are offered once each week in two different series on Wednesday and Saturday. Our class room is in a beautiful new apartment complex club house in Falls Church, Virginia. Students also come from DC, southern Maryland, and other more distant towns in the national capital region.
Our teacher is Cheryl Felicia Rhoads who is pictured at left below in her Mother Goose costume in the 1990s. Cheryl earned her B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa. After college, Cheryl's further formal training included studies with Josephine Forsberg at The Players Workshop of The Second City and with co-founder and Artistic Director Jeff Perry at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. Cheryl was also a member of The Second City National Touring Company. She worked for 20 years in Hollywood as a professional actress, comedy coach, assistant voice casting agent, voice-over artist, director, and producer of comedy shows. In the 1990s, Cheryl's comedy classes for kids and teens were rated as "Best in L.A." by the alternative news weekly New Times Los Angeles.
Cheryl is also an individual acting coach who offers private lessons for actors who need help to prepare for auditions. She also teaches beginners and advanced actors practical advice about monologues, scene study, and improvisation with an emphasis on how to practice good diction and non-verbal communication skills that can often make an audition more effective and memorable.
Since 1995, Cheryl has taught acting to about 3,200 children, teens, and adults in both California and Virginia. When Cheryl worked in Chicago, she was nominated for a local Emmy Award and won a Joseph Jefferson Award for best actress in a revue. She also won a Drama Logue Theater Award for her performance in a revue in Los Angeles.
Cheryl was known to thousands of children in the 1990s for her starring role as Mother Goose in The Mother Goose Video Treasury.
The musical nursery rhyme shows with puppets and live actors were very popular and favorably reviewed by Parents Magazine and are still sold today.
Cheryl is shown holding her big story book in the cover photo at left with her helper Bertram the Gander, whose voice was created by veteran voice actor Will Ryan. Four half-hour shows were produced in 1987 by J-2 Communications on the VHS format. In 2001, the four original shows were consolidated and re-issued in two volumes on the DVD format and can sometimes be found for sale used on Amazon or eBay but copies are rare so the best bet now is special DVD sales web sites such as the links below.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE NEW DVD FOR VOLUME ONE.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE NEW DVD FOR VOLUME TWO.
Cheryl also appeared on several network TV programs including as a series regular in the NBC show Against the Grain in 1993. She was also both a regular actor and a writer for The Motown Revue Starring Smokey Robinson in 1985. After re-locating from LA to Virginia In 2007, she started her own small acting school in the city of Falls Church for students from northern Virginia. But students also come from as far away as Baltimore, Frederick, Annapolis, Richmond, Haymarket, and Leesburg. Her school features small classes, private lessons, and audition-preparation coaching for advanced students who need as much individual time and attention as possible. Cheryl designs her classes and monolgues for all ages including adults without previous acting experience. Her students have been extras in films, won parts in school and community theater productions, and have filmed commercials and public service announcements.
Our new air-conditioned classroom offers ample free parking in front of a deluxe apartment complex club house that is located in a safe residential neighborhood near to the East Falls Church Orange Line Metro Stop and to major highways. Cheryl Rhoads is a proud member of the acting profession. See links below left to learn more about The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), The Screen Actors Guild (SAG), The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), The Writers' Guild of America (WGA), The Producers Guild of America (PGA), the Directors Guild of America (DGA) , and other fine organizations that support America's entertainment industry.
Thank you for visiting our site. You can see Cheryl's own acting demo below as a clip on You Tube or you may CLICK HERE to see her demo in a higher quality video but Quicktime 7 is needed to see it for best results.
Some of Cheryl's major film and TV credits can be found on her page on the Inernet Movie Database if you CLICK HERE.
To Register, send an email to
or call Cheryl at 703-536-5786
See Testimonials From Students, Parents,
and Talent Agents Below
Many CFR students were cast with speaking roles and as extras in the movie Life Fine Tuned filmed in Virginia in summer 2010. Cheryl Rhoads was Casting Director for the movie and also has an acting role as "Aunt Maggie." See movie trailer below:
"We met Cheryl when we first came to LA. David took her classes and she gave him a great foundation....and look where he is now! I always know I can find great talent from her kids."-- Linda Henrie of Go Talent Management in L.A.
Linda is shown above at left with her son David Henrie. David plays the role of Justin Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place on The Disney Channel. David first took acting lessons from Cheryl Felicia Rhoads in 1999 when he was just ten years old. Linda's other actor son is Lorenzo James Henrie. CLICK HERE to see an interview with David.
"I highly recommend Cheryl Rhoads as an acting coach. When I arrived in Los Angeles from NYC, I had many questions about the business and coaching. Meeting Cheryl was a blessing."
"Not only did she help me book numerous roles, but Cheryl helped me learn about the business and the techniques that helped build my confidence because she sent me in feeling very prepared. She always does her research on the role, film, director, producer....so that by the time I went to see her for my coaching lesson, she knew more about the project than I did! Thank you so much Cheryl for all of your help." -- Ashley Rose Orr
CLICK HERE for Ashley Rose Orr credits
Cheryl Rhoads ....is deeply concerned about the success of her students. Ms. Rhoads is a rare jewel who blesses the life of each student she encounters with hope and encouragement while implementing her special touch of professional preparedness. The confidence I gained as a student of Cheryl Rhoads aided me in securing an appearance on HBO's "The Wire"...a local commercial, and several other roles. I would strongly recommend Cheryl Rhoads as a premier acting coach to any aspiring or existing actor who is looking to work with one of "the best" in the business.
- Sheldon E. Lawrence Actor and Poet from Maryland. Hear Sheldon's voice at www.onesecretvoice.com
Here's what Christina says about her studies with Cheryl Felicia Rhoads:
"I love to work with Ms. Cheryl. She has taught me so many great acting techniques that have really helped me so much with my auditions. She’s always there for me when I need help with an accent or a script in a foreign language. She always encourages me to follow my dreams and to work hard. She is an amazing acting coach and person!"
- Christina Nicole Carrera,
Student News Notes
Kayla Cheney, at right, can now be seen in the movie 500 Days of Summer as an 8-year old version of the title character, Summer Finn. The film was a selection at the Sundance Film Festival in January and at several other film festivals in 2009. The film opened in limited release in the USA and Canada in July and will open in the UK in September. Kayla Cheney has been a student of Cheryl Felicia Rhoads for two years and appeared in a short film writtten and directed by Cheryl called After Once Upon a Time. CLICK HERE to see the film trailer for 500 Days of Summer. To see more of Kayla's acting credits, click on the IMDB button above left.
"Ms. Cheryl has been my acting teacher for two years. She is a nice, fun teacher. She just helped me get my first real acting job and my first real paycheck doing a Nike magazine ad and commercial with pro basketball player Carmello Anthony of the Denver Nuggets which will air in the Fall. I was so excited! I would tell anyone to go to her acting school because she is a good teacher, a good actor, and she even teaches my Mom how to help me."
Cameron A. Young, September 2009, Age 11
"Cheryl helped me to turn words from a script into a character
that seemed real to me. From that we were able to do monologues and dialogues.This gave me confidence to audition with a monologue or by reading sides. The class was a lot of fun and I learned from the other actors my age as well." ---Virginia Tucker
(Virginia was a principal cast member in the movie Life Fine Tuned filmed in summer 2010 and she won a 2011 Cappie Award for her role as Emily Gibbs in her high school's production of Our Town.)
"I started studying privately with Cheryl about a year ago in order to prepare for my college auditions. Since then, I have been accepted to my number one choice, Cincinnati Conservatory, and received scholarships from that school and two others as well. If I had never started lessons with Cheryl, none of that ever would have happened. In just a year with Cheryl as my acting coach, not only have I been accepted to one of the top conservatories for drama in the nation, but I have also grown immensely as an actor. I strongly recommend Cheryl to anybody, young or old, who has a passion for acting. I can assure that you will be surprised and delighted when you realize just how much potential you have, and that you have stumbled upon the best drama coach in the Washington, DC area that can unlock it."
--John Odom, June 2, 2010
"I can always count on Cheryl Rhoads to provide me with experienced and talented young actors. Cheryl has a great eye for talent."
---- Myrna Lieberman, President
Myrna Lieberman Management,
3001 Hollyridge Drive, Hollywood, CA 90068
Phone 323-463-8092
Clients: Actors, Actresses, Children/Teenagers (up to 21). For more information, send an email to: Myrna.Lieberman@talentmanagers.org
Member of Talent Managers Association
June 6, 2009: Chief Meets Mother Goose Chief Justice John Roberts got the ideal seat-mate when he took kids John and Josephine to the D.C. premiere of “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” at the Air and Space Museum on Thursday night.
Sitting next to the chief justice’s family, after all, was the perfect baby sitter: Mother Goose.
Actress Cheryl Felicia Rhoads, (pictured at right below in her Mother Goose costume from the video series) and who now teaches acting classes in the D.C. area, played the eponymous storyteller in 1987’s “The Mother Goose Video Treasury.” Rhoads told ITK that Roberts chatted with her but didn't talk politics -- like, um, Justice David Souter's possible replacement on the Supreme Court -- and she didn't ask Roberts for a judicial opinion on liability issues surrounding Jack and Jill's tumble down the hill.
Also at the premiere were Vice President Joe Biden’s grandchildren, according to Rhoads. Actors Ben Stiller and Robin Williams — who returns in the film for a second term as President Teddy Roosevelt — appeared at a Washington press conference the following morning to promote the movie, which opens nationwide Friday.
Feature story in September 2008 on the Cheryl Felicia Rhoads Acting School. To read story, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
Cheryl Felicia Rhoads interviews Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, and Robin Williams on the red carpet on May 14, 2009 for Movie Guide Magazine Online at the Washington, DC prmiere of "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian."
To see Cheryl interview the stars of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, please click here.
Thank you for visiting my site. I have worked in several different jobs in the entertainment industry including as an actor. You can see some of my film and TV credits on my page at the Internet Movie Database if you CLICK HERE.
You are probably reading this because you would like to develop your acting skills and would like to find a teacher and coach in the Washington, DC capital region. I might be who you are looking for because I have helped hundreds of students set goals, learn about diction, and both invent and rehearse "bits of business" that often make characters come alive and add to the authenticity of a stand-out audition. Together, we will discuss and rehearse sample scripts and monologues and talk about what directors are looking for when they call you.
Don't be surprised if we might range beyond mere acting mechanics and technique to more spiritual questions such as what are we grateful for today, or how can our craft inspire the best in others? What material is worthy of our time and effort and what projects are not consistent with our personal values? How do we cultivate the wisdom, maturity, and courage to say yes to the former and no to the latter? Cheryl appears at left as Mother Goose with Will Ryan as Bertram the Goose in the 1987 Mother Goose Video Treasury. The series was recommended by Parent's Magazine.
On request, I have sometimes advised students about the ethics of the profession and we have talked about what is suitable material and how choices in roles might affect a career. An actor is a total person, not just someone who memorizes and recites lines.
In the classic or "old" Hollywood, many of the best actors were also widely respected as kind and generous human beings apart from their theatrical success. Instead of being obsessed with their own celebrity status, they made time to be role models and to give back something to their profession, community, nation, and to improving international respect and understanding.
Maybe someone once told you that you are not "the right type" for a particular role. Whether they were right or wrong at the time, the important thing is that over many years you will certainly be the right person for other roles that match your particular talents.
There are many community theater and professional production companies and commercial agencies that are searching all the time for a particular look, a unique accent, a mature age, or a nationality or ethnic type that would be a good fit for your background.
I believe in being honest with acting students but I also believe in encouraging people. If you are willing to be on time, do your homework, and approach assignments with a positive mental attitude, I know that together we can improve your skills and multiply your opportunities from what they have been in the past.
Please always try to remember that "show business" really is a business. No matter how you look or how much native talent you might have, you still have to work hard to develop your skills to the point where you can compete for the key parts you would like to win regardless if the project is a commercial, community stage play, or motion picture.
Hard work does not mean you cannot have fun. But it does mean that like any other profession, you will advance not just with luck but also with patience and perserverance. Maybe you started acting to find a creative outlet for self expression and that is fine. But you will find success commensurate with your work as much as your native ability.
So are you ready to roll up your sleeves and work? If so, please send me an email at chrlrhoads@aol.com. I have helped hundreds of children and adults over the last fifteen years. I have worked as an actress, a director and producer, a coach and teacher, and for a voice-over talent agency, and as a free-lance casting director in Hollywood. I re-located to the national capital region and northern Virginia in 2006 to take advantage of a new environment for me to work in and new talent.
"Happy Trails to You"....In this photo above, Cheryl Rhoads meets Dale Evans and her film star husband Roy Rogers (1911-1998), the legendary "King of the Cowboys," at a breakfast in Hollywood in 1993. For other pictures of Cheryl Rhoads and Hollywood actors of the past and present, see Cheryl's photo album below left, or CLICK HERE.
New acting opportunities along the Eastern Seaboard are growing and Washington, DC and suburbs are a big part of that story. I know from experience that not all talent gravitates to Hollywood for many reasons.
Maybe you raised a family and want to return to acting ambitions you had in high school or college. Maybe you are very new to the idea of acting. Whatever your situation, I have likely come across a student in a similar situation before so with that experience I am sure I can help you. Please email me at the address below, leave me your phone number and the best time to call back, and let's talk about it. I can explain our goals, what times are available at what price per lesson, and what additional opportunities we can look for together to showcase your talents in front of an audience be it large or small.
No teacher can always guarantee producers will hire you for the parts you want. But with your cooperation and sincerely applied hard work, we can do a lot to expand your potential. Whether you wind up working with me or with another acting teacher, congratulations on your efforts so far and good luck in setting new goals and making the most of new opportunities.
Cheryl Felicia Rhoads
Phone: 703-536-5786
TV pioneer Steve Allen (1921-2000), shown at right seated at his piano, invited Cheryl Rhoads and her partner Doug Wood to his home for lunch on Aug. 12, 1985 and Cheryl and Steve later became friends while serving together on the advisory board of The Parents' Television Council.
Cheryl Felicia Rhoads got her start in Hollywood as an acting coach on the network TV series Star Search with host Ed McMahon in 1986. Cheryl was the coach for winner of the Star Search $100,000 prize, Cyndi James Gossett, below.
In more recent years, Cheryl's students have booked acting roles on CSI: Cold Case, Without a Trace, The Practice, The Amanda Bynes Show, and Malcom in the Middle.
Cheryl recently was the associate producer for a new independent film, The Game. As an actress she scored a comedy "knock out punch" in the 2004 sit com Rodney. She guest starred on the Annie Potts series for the Lifetime Channel called Any Day Now.
She also made appearances on Saved by the Bell and Married with Children. Cheryl was a series regular along with actor Ben Affleck on Against the Grain on NBC. Her very popular and endearing performances as Mother Goose in the Mother Goose Video/DVD Treasury won for Cheryl a legion of fans who grew up with her tapes. Cheryl is a member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and other entertainment unions.
Cheryl has written inside commentaries for network TV series. She produced and directed the acclaimed comedy revue at The Groundlings Theatre in LA with the title Accompanied by Adults featuring complimentary performances by both adults and children. The unusual format was praised by The Los Angeles Times.
Ed McMahon (1923-2009), shown at right, was host of Star Search when Cheryl Rhoads worked as an acting coach for the show starting in 1986.
As a segment producer for ABC-TV's America's Funniest People,Cheryl searched for and supervised the selection of new comedic talent from all over the U.S. She was on the staff of two other acting schools before forming her own school in 2008. While she was located in Los Angeles, The New Times Los Angeles Magazine praised Cheryl's comedy classes for kids and teens as the "BEST in Los Angeles."
Shortly after Cheryl moved to LA from Chicago in 1985, TV host Merv Griffin (1925-2007), pictured at left, invited Cheryl and her comedy partner in The Fine Line comedy duo, Doug Wood, to make their network TV debut on The Merv Griffin Show.
To the delight of Cheryl and Doug, Merv Griffin invited them back a week later to perform again and this second time film-legend Orson Welles (1915-1985) was also a guest on the show and Welles watched them perform their skits. Welles is pictured at left as he looked in 1985 and he is also pictured above at right as he looked when he made "Citizen Kane" in 1941. At the end of Cheryl and Doug's performance, Orson Welles can be seen on tape paying them a great compliment when he stood up to applaud and turned in their direction and said "fantastic." This was a thrill for two young actors brand new to Hollywood. Every actor always appreciates praise from a role model, teacher, or peer and Cheryl Rhoads always tries hard to encourage her students and find something to praise in their work. Advice, as long as it is constructive, is a lways a useful tool in building the self esteem and confidence of students when the praise is sincere. Too many teachers in some disciplines unfortunately tear down the work of new students and are overly critical perhaps in the mistaken belief that they need to impress students with their own talent or credentials . But Cheryl always gratefully recalls the kindness that Merv Griffin, Orson Welles, Steve Allen, and McLean Stevenson showed to her and her partner when they first arived In LA. Cheryl believes in building up her students both as actors and as people.
One TV star who saw the comedy team perform and took an early interest in helping Cheryl Rhoads and Doug Wood to find their first professional representation through his contacts at the William Morris Agency was McLean Stevenson (1927-1996). McLean is shown at right in his role at Lt. Col.Henry Blake on Larry Gelbart's popular CBS series M*A*S*H. McLean's sister, actress Ann Whitney, recommended that he try to help the young actors and he bacame a mentor and friend. McLean was nominated for an Emmy Award for writing one of the M*A*S*H episodes but he left the show during the 1974-1975 season. Mentors are very important to young actors as they are to young people in any profession. Cheryl felt blessed to be able to meet many mentors who helped her when she started in LA including McLean, Daws Butler, Steve Allen, and many others.
The great animated film voice actor June Foray, pictured at right, was another kind mentor to Cheryl duing her years in LA. June created the voices of many famous cartoon characters. CLICK HERE to see a clip featuring June's most famous TV cartoon character from ABC-TV in the 1960s, Rocky The Flying Squirrel.
Also in 1985, Cheryl Rhoads and her partner were signed both as actors and as comedy show writers for the NBC summer replacement show, The Motown Revue, which was hosted by Smokey Robinson, pictured at left.
In the fall season of 1993, Cheryl Felicia Rhoads, pictured at right, played the part of "Winona Bruhns" as a series regular in the esemble cast of a NBC-TV show about life in a football-crazy Texas town called "Against the Grain" Other cast members pictured below included from left to right at top: Donna Bullock, Denise Richards, Ben Affleck, John Terry, Stephen Tobolowsky, Robyn Lively, Vanessa Lee Evigan, Michael Cudlitz, Janine Jackson, and Wayne Knight.
DVDs of The Mother Goose Video Treasury starring Cheryl Rhoads are scarce but some DVDs and some VHS tapes are listed at Amazon.com and Ebay. Keep checking Amazon and other online stores for videos to get this wonderful four-volume two hours of quality video for children that was praised by Parent's Magazine.
CLICK HERE to check out Cheryl Rhoads videos on Amazon.com.
Be sure to also check www.Amazon.co.uk in England for availability of Volumes 1-4 in the series.
Over a career, good actors learn how to benefit from the experience gained from a variety of roles large and small, because even a small part that is memorable can cause an actor to get noticed by an agent, producer, or casting director who can open doors for future work. So no matter how small the part, an actor is always auditioning for the next job. During her years in LA, Cheryl starred in the Mother Goose video series, and played a recurring cast member and series regular, but also appeared on several network TV episodes in a wide variety of smaller parts and played in scenes with actors such as the ones below including (left to right) Annie Potts on Any Day Now, Sela Ward in Sisters, Tracey Ullman in The Tracey Ullman Show, Ed O'Neill in Married With Children, Arsenio Hall in The Motown Revue, and Julie Kavner on The Tracey Ullman Show. Click on Cheryl's acting demo on You Tube above to see her in some of these scenes.
CHERYL'S FUN TRIVIA QUIZ FOR ACTING STUDENTS AND ACTORS:
1. Can you guess the top money-making films of all time? CLICK HERE for Answers.
2. Can you guess the longest running plays on Broadway of all time? CLICK HERE for the list.
3. Can you guess the longest running plays Off Broadway? CLICK HERE for the list.
