Bruhanski Acting Studio
164 E. 11th Avenue V5T 2C2 Vancouver, BC, Canada

Last Friday's Film Night was a homage to the late great Ruth Gordon. We showed the 1968 Polanski horror great Rosemary’s Baby, which earned Ms. Gordon a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, and followed it with director Hal Ashby’s 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude. Head on down this Friday for more cinematic masterpieces as part of our ongoing seminar in Cinematic Literacy. 6:45 and 9:30pm Fridays. Limited seating. No reservations. Admission on a first come, first served basis. bruhanski.com/acting-classes/#film

This past Friday, we launched Film Night at the Studio with screenings of Raging Bull (1980) and One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest (1975). Raging Bull is a cinematic masterpiece with Robert De Niro delivering one of the greatest screen performances of all time, playing Jake Lamotta. The film can be considered a boxing film and a bio-pic, yet manages to both embrace and transcend both genres by the power of its artistry and performance, earning De Niro a well deserved Best Actor ...award. It was a work of total melding of actor and role. The film is legendary for DeNiro’s preparation for the part, training as a boxer to the point where he was considered to be among the top twenty middleweights at that time, and then famously putting on sixty pounds to portray the aging and dissolute LaMotta twenty years later. The film also introduced Cathy Moriarty as Lamotta’s teenaged wife, brutalized by him and eventually being able to leave him. Raging Bull was also the breakthrough film for Joe Pesci as Joey, Jake’s brother and trainer. Pesci was spot on perfect. Cuckoo’s Nest shows a young Jack Nicholson at his best as Randall P. McMurphy, the hard drinking, fighting, partying anti-hero of the screen adaptation of Ken Kessey’s novel. McMurphy has conned his way into a mental hospital to avoid doing time in a prison work camp, and finds himself in a deadly battle of wills with the icy, passive aggressive Nurse Ratched, brilliantly played by Louise Fletcher. Both Nicholson and Fletcher brought home Best Actor Oscars that year. The film also won Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and a Best Director Award for Milos Forman. It was the second time in Oscar history that a film one all five top awards.The ensemble cast of mental institution inmates/patients included newcomers Christopher Lloyd and Danny Devito. Forman insisted that actors be very specific about the nature of their characters mental illness and the research and dedication of the entire ensemble was extraordinary as were the results that showed up on screen. It was a great launch of Film Night Fridays at the Studio. Check it out if you’re interested in seeing some of the greatest performances ever put on screen. Screenings Fridays at 6:45 PM and 10:00 PM. Limited seating. First come first served. No reservations. No prior notice of what films will be shown. Be surprised. Be amazed. Be inspired. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvZ3cFO9f3I

http://bruhanski.com/and-the-oscar-goes-to/

New weekly Seminar beginning Friday, February 22! Film Night: The Great Screen Performances is an ongoing seminar in Cinematic Literacy. Showcasing cinematic masterpieces, this seminar gives actors an opportunity to view and learn about some of the greatest screen performances ever put on film. A brief talk will precede each showing, discussing the film, director, and actors. Fridays, 6:45 & 9:30pm. Current Studio Members: $5; Former Studio Members: $6; General Public: $7. See http://bruhanski.com/acting-classes/ for full description.

Today marks what would have been the 124th birthday of actor, teacher, and director Richard Boleslavsky. Boleslavsky trained at the Moscow Art Theatre Company, and, after immigrating to America, is best known for founding the American Laboratory Theatre in New York in 1923. It was here he introduced Stanislavski’s naturalistic approaches to the American actor; his most noted work includes his teaching of what he called affective memory, the basis of what would be termed T...he Method. Students of Boleslavsky included Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler and Harold Clurman, founders the legendary Group Theatre Company and all destined to emerge as the most iconic acting teachers of their time. Boleslavsky wrote a classic little book that is packed with hugely significant ideas for the actor, called ''Acting: The First Six Lessons''. It’s not an easy read, but definitely worth hunting down and poring through. Boleslavky’s work is still relevant to today’s actor and is foundational to contemporary acting approaches. He should indeed be read, honored and remembered. So, fellow thespians, let’s take a moment to bow our heads, honor a part of our artistic heritage, lift a glass and blow out some candles in remembrance of Richard Boleslavsky.

New blog post, the first of a series of Audition tips. What do you think? Did Sir John Gielgud have a point? http://bruhanski.com/auditions-how-what-we-think-can-deter/

Showcase 2012: November 19th 8:00 pm. The Studio is pleased to present a showcase featuring the work of the following actors: Ryan Bell... Leslie Brownlee Dejan Loyola Larry MacDonald Albert Sturm See more

Things are happening! 10 ft screen installed in the Studio, Projector on its way, and looking forward to launching a Studio Film Club where some of the greatest performances ever rendered on screen will be shown. More to come!

Thanks to those students who recently submitted Student Comments for the website! http://bruhanski.com/students-comments/