Brian Drillinger 

An inventive, remarkable actor with a terrific sense of humor and comic timing, I performed with Brian first in the National Tour of Broadway Bound. An excellent teacher, Brian is imaginative and thorough and has a rare capacity to treat each student uniquely and with respect.

 

But, it is as a director that I wish to highlight. Brian directed me in my solo show Stopping By in Los Angeles in the spring of 2014. It has been one of the most exciting collaborations in my long professional life. His intuition, his excitement, his gentle yet intelligent prodding got me to invest in a remarkable transition and transformation. One particular moment was my revelation of a past sexual episode. With patience and insistence, Brian helped me confront my resistance to what I deemed a “younger woman’s moment.” It became a high point of the piece—a badge of honesty and bravery. I can hardly wait to work with Brian again.

Barbara Tarbuck – Professional Actress, Fulbright recipient, Outstanding Instructor Award UCLA.

 

 

 

 

 

When I first began to study acting and taking scene study courses at the Larry Moss Studio in Santa Monica, I also enrolled in an "On Camera" course being taught at the time by Brian Drillinger. Later, as I began to audition for roles, I also worked with Brian as my acting coach on a private, one to one basis. I cannot say enough about how much Brian has helped me develop my craft as an actor over the years. As a teacher, Brian was always sensitive to the student actor’s insecurities and self consciousness and his gentle approach as a teacher always enabled his students to feel more at ease and comfortable with themselves. Perhaps among the most valuable lessons Brian taught me had to do with Script Analysis and that challenging task of learning how to "get out of my head" as an actor. With regard to the former, Script Analysis, I cannot say enough about Brian's ability to impart his understanding of this absolutely critical subject to his students. To this day I rely heavily on the techniques I learned from Brian whenever I pick up a script and then, as I begin my work of bringing honesty and life to the printed words before me.

 

Luis de Amechazurra

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Evie Hammer. I am a former classically trained dancer turned actress who moved to Los Angeles from New York in 2006. As an actress in New York, I was an avid student of Austin Pendleton at HB Studio.

 

Seeking a class that would provide a similar working environment, I came to find Brian Drillinger at the Edgemar Center for the Arts where I enrolled in his on-camera cold reading series.

 

It was clear to me from Brian’s technical and coaching strengths in this class, as well as precise structure, which offered both tangible exercises and technical tools to implement from week one, that I had not only found a great class but a strong teacher.

 

I moved into Brian’s advanced scene study in which my primary enjoyment was Brian’s ability to guide the scene work without directing, only so doing when it clearly opened a door to more powerful individual choices. I was able to stretch my wings within the scene work, as well as challenge weaknesses –  in my case, vocal tension. 

 

I began private vocal work with Brian and in so doing discovered a profound chink in my technical armor, one that I believe my talent has been able to mask in the past. 

 

In all three of my opportunities in working with Brian there has been a seamless strength and generosity to his teaching. He has a clear wealth of knowledge and talent to share. But what has made me particularly pleased to work with him, and a distinction that I feel makes him an exceptional teacher, is that the lessons he offers you can walk away with, and not just experience in class. 

 

Sincerely,

Evie Hammer

Los Angeles, CA

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Franco Carlotto. I am a six-time World Champion in Fitness and the Founder of Fitness for Kids and the Carb Cycle Method. I've worked with Brian on an ongoing basis for several years.

He is one of my favorite teachers because he has the ability to guide any talent at any acting level and make it better right away. There are few teachers that have his experience coupled with his hands-on approach which combined, guarantee instant improvements and results. I can say this for myself as well as witnessed - which was just as interesting - how he helped countless other students on their way to fine-tuning their own individual craft.

I cannot recommend Brian too highly to any actor or artist whatever his/her needs are and am looking forward to keeping him in my arsenal of "secret weapons" for my own acting-career, wherever it may take me.

 

 

 

   

 

 

Being an actor in Los Angeles and a USC theater school grad, a lot of acting teachers have come in and out of my life.  Although I have taken away knowledge from every one of them, Brian Drillinger helped me grow tremendously as an actor and I would not hesitate for a moment to recommend him to fellow actors. I studied with Brian for over a year at Edgemar Center for the Arts, taking his scene study, voice and camera technique courses. With great patience he gently pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to make bolder choices in my work, which has paid off immensely.  His nurturing nature was matched by his brilliance in script analysis and ability to get to the heart of both the character and the actor instantaneously. I can’t count the number of times his suggestions made something suddenly click for me and as a result I was able to really ‘live’ onstage. In addition, Brian not only taught me indispensable ‘on-camera’ skills but also how to break down a scene and make character choices that would make me stand out from other actors. Taking his class made me much more confident going out on auditions while giving me the tools to become a great actor. Brian I am blessed to have studied with you!!

 

Sincerely,

Elle Cameron

 

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Jeremy Walton and I want to talk about my first feature film I

completed not too long ago. It all came together fairly quickly and pre-production wasn’t

very long. As an actor one issue I knew I had was my voice. Something I feel tends to be

neglected. I’ve lost my voice several times and with the shooting schedule coming up,

that couldn’t happen. I contacted Brian Drillinger immediately and expressed my

concerns. We decided to spend the little time we had working on my voice.

The first ten minutes I got comfortable very quickly. The exercises felt odd at

first, but became a relaxing experience. It was actually the most relaxing part of my day. I

still remember the moment I spoke from the belly. I said, “who was that?!” There was my

real voice. With a new sound and a new tool to add to my kit, there was a real excitement

in my work. We progressed quickly with our sessions and I could immediately tell a big

difference. I could project and the pain in my throat just disappeared. The great thing

about the exercises is it teaches you to recognize when you’re straining your throat. The

way it feels, the sound, everything is a sign. It’s a great way to explore and really see

where you can push yourself.

A month went by and it was time to shoot. I was nervous, but Brian was just a

phone call away. One of the most interesting things I noticed was within a month my

body adapted to this new way of breathing and speaking. It was happening without any

effort at all. I could focus on my acting and my voice was there when I needed it.

Secondly I never knew how much emotion was locked up in my throat. Once I cleared

the blockage it just poured out. I actually surprised myself with some of the scenes I did.

After a week of shooting my voice was great and felt as strong as the first day of

shooting. I can’t even imagine what would of happened if I didn’t take the time to train

with Brian. His method of teaching is simple and direct. It’s organic and trust me when I

say your body and voice will thank you. It will change the way you speak not only in

your acting, but also in your everyday life. It’s something I believe in and will continue to

work on. Brian was able to put me in a position to succeed in a matter of a month. Not

only because he’s good at what he does, but also because he cares. That’s something

money can’t buy!

 

Jeremy Walton

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had the great fortune of meeting Brian when I enrolled in a Cold Reading class at Edgemar Center for the Arts (formerly known as The Larry Moss Studio) in Santa Monica, CA.   I immediately responded to his thorough knowledge of cold reading situations and what is necessary to create a character in a very brief period of time prior to an audition.  I found Brian to be an engaging instructor, able to provide helpful notes and fair critiques, without unnecessary harshness or criticism that acting teachers so often use to intimidate actors. The world of acting can be difficult to navigate.  It can bestow moments of both great success and painful disappointments.  An acting class should be a safe haven where actors can go to better themselves and Brian absolutely provides this environment. 

 

I continued in this class for several months, occasionally enlisting Brian’s assistance when preparing for auditions.  After several sessions of the cold reading class, I took Brian’s voice class.  I ultimately studied with him privately and continued the vocal work on a weekly basis for the better part of one year.

 

Having spent a great deal of time working with Brian, I can attest to his expertise, his dedication and his compassion towards his students.  The knowledge he imparted and the confidence he granted me was invaluable.  It was a genuine pleasure to work with him.

 

Sincerely,

Diana Murphy

Santa Monica, CA

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Jason Dundas, and I have worked as an Australian tv host and

actor since 2003. I hosted MTV Australia's TRL, interview's with Beyonce, 50

cent and Ozzy Osborne just to name a few. I have traveled through 70

countries as host of Australia's highest rating travel show 'Getaway', starred

along Matthew McConaughy and Kate Hudson in the 2008 romantic

adventure Fools Gold, and have appeared in the acclaimed Australian

television drama Sea Patrol. Currently I am working as the co host of Vh1ʼs

Big Morning Buzz Live, from New york.

I first learnt about Brian when I attended his scene study class at the Edgemar

Centre for the arts. Personally I connected with Brian's way of teaching

immediately. During last pilot season Brian was my go to acting coach for all

of my biggest auditions, from Captain America, True Blood, Suits, Eat Sleep

Prey and Alphas.

Working privately with Brian is great because he creates a bullsh#t free zone,

his priority is you doing the best you can do and making you as comfortable

as possible in the process. It can be daunting working on emotionally

challenging scenes one on one but with Brian it's all smooth and easy. Being

a fantastic actor in his own right Brian understands scripts and scenes better

then anyone, and is more then willing to offer in put into breaking down sub

text in the scene.

Working with Brian in scene study class at Edgemar I learnt some amazing

vocal warm up techniques that I still use today. I can't say enough great

things about working with Brian, as an actor I know how important it is to find

an acting coach you know you can rely on for that last minute audition. Trust

me when I say this - look no further.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve known Brian as an acting instructor in Scene study, On camera cold reading and voice class at the Edgemar Center for the Arts, over the past year. Brian is a wonderful instructor on so many levels. As a student, I’m constantly inspired by his brilliance in script-analysis and understanding of the human conditions. Because of his experience in both acting and directing, Brian has a great ability to guide students to go further with their performances. I find Brian to be a diverse instructor. As we worked on different materials in scene study and On camera cold reading class, whether classical or contemporary, drama or comedy, play or movie, his direction always helped me get to a surprising performance.

 

On a personal level he is encouraging, supportive and straightforward with a great artistic vision. He truly cares about the craft of acting and more importantly, he cares about his students.

 

I have moved to United States from Iran, to pursue acting professionally and I can’t imagine a better instructor to help me find my way as a true artist.

Elmira Rahim

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Timothy Judd and I am working toward a Master of Fine Arts degree in

Creative Writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Before this, I worked as an Actor,

which is how I met Brian.

During a year of intensive scene study, we performed classical pieces such as Macbeth,

The Seagull and Taming of the Shrew, contemporary works like Home Front, Proof and

Almost, Maine and even the obscure Variations on the Death of Trotsky.

We focused on many other projects, even some popular film scenes, but one of the most

profound breakthroughs for me, happened during a scene from True West. This would

not have occurred, if it were not for Brian’s instruction. I’ll tell you why.

The key attributes to Brian’s coaching ability are:

1) Impeccable attention to detail. Brian watches the scene unfold with acute

precision.

2) Questions. Brian asks each participant about the scene, listens to the answers

and repeats this process until he has a significant understanding of the actors

approach (moment before, etc.). Once he has an understanding of your

process (your approach to the work), he can better critique it.

3) Specific, actionable notes. Brian gives notes tailor fit to each actor that are

clear and can be implemented right away.

4) Homework that build on the notes. Brian gives further exercises to work on in

between classes that enhance what was accomplished in class.

5) Honesty.

Brian’s class was rewarding because it revolutionized my approach to scene work. It

made me more truthful during performance and ultimately helped me attain artistic

growth and professional fulfillment.

I highly recommend Brian for Acting, Scene Study and /or Vocal Coaching.

 

 

 

 

 

I have had the pleasure of knowing Brian Drillinger for over seven years. Brian and I worked closely together during my work on “Crossing Over,” a film in which I co-starred opposite Harrison Ford. We have worked together as teacher and student in classroom settings, private coaching, and one-on-one vocal technique training.

I began my work with Brian in his Audition Technique class at Larry Moss Studio. Brian was able to simplify and break down auditioning techniques in a way that revolutionized my approach to auditioning and filled me with great confidence. The task of auditioning no longer seemed as daunting. From then on, I was hooked on working with him.

As a private coach, I found the one-on-one time I had with Brian to be priceless. The emotional, physical, and vocal work we did together enhanced my sensitivities as an actor, my approach towards telling stories, and creating three-dimensional characters. Our voice technique training also opened me up both vocally and emotionally in ways that I never could have imagined. Through our work, I found that many of my emotions had been caught up in vocal tension and once we were able to release the tension, I was able to reach new levels of emotion in my work.

I highly recommend Brian as a teacher and coach in all areas of study in the field of acting. He is the kindest, most trustworthy, and most intuitive teacher that any acting student could ask for. I feel lucky to have worked with him and truly cherish everything he has taught me.

Melody Zara