A Denver acting studio gave up its spot near a dollar store and gas station this month to join the fashion boutiques, cafes and galleries lining South Pearl Street.

Lea Marlene Actors Studio & The Namastage moved from Virginia Village, northeast of South Colorado Boulevard and I-25, to 1601 S. Pearl St. The studio formerly known as Actsana is the latest addition to the up-and-coming Platt Park neighborhood.

“There’s a better community feel at this location,” studio owner and artistic director Lea Marlene said last week.

Marlene opened her acting studio in 2012 after she developed melanoma and decided to leave Los Angeles and return to Denver — her hometown.

She has been cancer free for the last six years.

Marlene incorporates yoga into acting classes and claims to have the only studio in Denver that offers the full two-year Meisner technique program where students learn a method of acting used by Gregory Peck, Diane Keaton and Sandra Bullock.

Learning that technique costs aspiring actors about $260 per month. Kids’ acting classes cost about $99 per month and private coaching runs about $90 per session, Marlene said.

The studio has about 20 to 30 students.

“I’ve been really lucky to have a really great student base,” she said. “They put in a lot of volunteer time to help with renovations at our new space.”

Business & data reporter Adrian D. Garcia can be reached via email at agarcia@denverite.com or twitter.com/adriandgarcia.

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