Private On-Camera Acting, Theater, Auditioning and Voice-Over Classes
For info on private coaching to prepare for auditions In-Person OR Online via Zoom, Skype or FaceTime! EMAIL: [email protected]
OR CALL OUR OFFICE: 703-536-5786
Miss Rhoads stars in the new animation series, STAR SPANGLED ADVENTURES...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD6kYhKafZehZ2NqyXre3lcu9YUY90kyz
PHOTOS OF CHERYL FELICIA RHOADS STUDENTS
Click Here for 2015-2024 KIDS Students Click Here for 2015-2024 TEEN Students
With their proud teacher, 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 Performing Arts.
Former student Sloane Siegel who previously starred in the Amazon TV series Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street then starred in a series called Dwight in Shining Armor.
Sloane says, "I studied with Cheryl for six months, and with the foundation I was able to build with her has stood me well in Hollywood. She introduced me to my present manager, got me seen for my first three voice over roles, and helped me work in my very first film. You can’t ask much more than that from a great acting coach. I have the utmost respect for her and her acting program."
Cheryl with her student Matthew Espinosa when she coached him on his dialogue for his film, Be Somebody in that he starred in. Matthew gained a huge following for his vine videos. He also starred in series,The Text Committee.
Cheryl Rhoads student, David Henrie is a former star of Wizards of Waverly Place with co-star Selena Gomez,David's mother is talent agent Linda Henrie who says "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."
Actress Ashley Rose Orr says: "I highly recommend Cheryl 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 she helped me learn about the business and the techniques that helped build my confidence because she sent me in for auditions feeling very prepared. She always does her research on the role, film, director, and 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."
Josh Murray, Star of Christmas at the Greenbrier and the films, Killing Lincoln and The Reliant says: "Cheryl Felicia Rhoads has a diverse and approachable technique for acting but brings so much to students beyond just technique. With her varied background all over the industry she provides students a great perspective on all aspects of the business and what it means to be a working performer. Not least of which is the need for character and good work ethics. Going above and beyond the classroom, Cheryl also endeavors to help springboard students' careers with exposure and contacts to get started in the industry. I highly recommend this generous and experienced teacher to developing actors young and old."
Actor Tony Williams says, "Cheryl is one of the most positive people I have ever met which is so important in this industry. The best thing about her teaching style is that you leave with something tangible that will help you find work immediately as an actor. She knows exactly what actors need to make it to the next level due to her experience in the business. I’ve been able to find work and audition all over the country thanks to Cheryl including in LA. I have been taking classes for 6 months and it has made a world of a difference."
Actress and talk show host Kristine Cornils says,
"Every class with Cheryl teaches me new techniques to incorporate into my work for television, film and stage. Recently, she helped me to prepare for hosting a public service announcement for TV. She quickly helped me to identify my strengths, learn to make the most of them, and gave me new ways to improve. I was able to walk into the studio better prepared and confident." Click here to see Kristine's show.
Nikki Estridge says: There are two guarantees when you take Cheryl's class:
1- You will have fun 2- You will walk away a better actor.
With her diverse background and wide range of skill sets, Cheryl will equip you with various tools to incorporate into your routine as you develop your craft. She appropriately challenges you to think differently in order to separate yourself from other actors - all done in a safe learning environment. Above all, she has a kind heart and truly wants to see you succeed. Nikki has been seen on Law and Order: SVU and national commercials and will be seen in 2017 in Season 5 of the Netflix series House of Cards.
Darren Allford plays Cicero in AMC Turn. Darren says:
"I just want to say thank you to Miss Cheryl for allowing me to take her class. It really opened my eyes to the different way to morph your character with things like their dialects. I really enjoyed her improvisation classes as well. They taught me so much about how to not think too hard about my character and how to add my dialect into it. I also enjoyed learning how to relate my character to someone that I know, it really has helped me become a better actor and I appreciate it."
Jacob Sartorius: "I was an acting student of Cheryl Felicia Rhoads in 2015 and back then I enjoyed many of her classes including improv, monologue development, and character study." Jacob has developed into an all-around entertainer, musician, actor and social media force. And at age 14, he had two RIAA Gold Records under his belt and multiple headlining world-wide music tours featuring his original music. According to Jacob, “Ms. Rhoads’ students learn not only about the acting craft, but also about the entertainment industry, practical skills on how to prepare for and conduct an audition, and much more.”
Cheryl Felicia Rhoads (right) poses with
TV comedy legend Betty White (left) at an
American Comedy Awards Dinner in Los Angeles.
See Cheryl's full biography posted below.
If you need a one-one-one private class to prepare for an audition, Cheryl Felicia Rhoads offers private lessons. To find out when a private appointment might be available, email Cheryl Rhoads at [email protected].
Below is a video of Cheryl in her role as Mother Goose in The Mother Goose Video Treasury. Click on the arrow to play.
Hi, welcome to our website!
We offer individual lessons and small acting classes with usually not more than ten students each for kids, teens, and adults in order to encourage more time for individual attention, rehearsal, and performance. Classes are offered once each week in two different series on Thursday and Sunday. Our class rooms are located in Northern Virginia. Students also come from Washington 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 thru 2006, 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 7,000 children, teens, and adults in both California and Virginia. When Cheryl worked in Chicago, she was nominated for a local Emmy Award and then won The 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 in the DVD format.
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 monologues for all ages including adults without previous acting experience. Her students have been in films, won parts in school and community theater productions, and have filmed commercials and public service announcements.
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 which merged with The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG/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 Internet Movie Database if you CLICK HERE.
To Register, send an email to
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:
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 [email protected]. 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
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 included 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.
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.
