In the Classroom: Josh Cahn

Students in the Acting for TV & Film classes had the unique opportunity to practice their screen audition techniques and self-tape strategies with actor and comedian Josh Cahn. A LIHSA alumnus himself, Josh was thrilled to return to work with one of his favorite educators, Kimberly Larkin. “LIHSA started my professional life, so being able to come back was super rewarding for me,” says Cahn. “I enjoyed giving the actors what I was given.” Since graduating from LIHSA in 2009, Josh has appeared in numerous television series’ for HBO, NBC and Comedy Central (among others), as well as a plethora of commercials and theatrical projects.

“I really liked his energy and his passion,” says Tali Goldwasser, a Musical Theatre student. “He did a great job of encouraging us to make mistakes and take risks in our acting choices. He gave us suggestions to better our commercial copies. I learned that you want to be as natural as possible and that memorization is not the key; being in the moment is the key to a more authentic performance.”

“I liked his feedback; Josh told us that commercials are the closest thing to theatre acting we would get,” says Musical Theatre student Paula Barrera. He taught me about the joke of the commercial because I was unclear about it. He showed me how to speed up my lines and add a tag line.”

“A great bonus to coming to LIHSA is being exposed to industry professionals who are willing to share their knowledge, helping us and giving us a glimpse into the life of a professional performer,” says Goldwasser. “It also gives us great networking opportunities.”

“This group of students really has a firm grasp on what it means to be a commercial, TV, and film actor in ways that I don’t think were possible when I was in school,” adds Cahn. “I am so impressed.”