An Acting School in Los Angeles for Our Time

Mr. Burrus is the greatest living exponent of the techniques of Stella Adler. Mr. Burrus spent many years studying and teaching alongside Ms. Adler in New York City. He has extensive theatre directing credits including The Three Sisters and You Can't Take It With You at the Circle in the Square, The Brick and the Rose at New York University and The White Whore and The Bit Player for the Cubiculo Theatre. Los Angeles theatre credits: Award-winning Guest of the Nation at the Court Theatre, Seed of Darkness at the Tamarind Theatre, Opus One at the Los Feliz Playhouse. Film coaching credits include John Mellencamp's Falling From Grace. Mr. Burrus has also directed his own feature film, Getting Personal (European Release) aka The Mysterious Death of Kelly Lawman (HBO, Cinemax). His acting seminars are done internationally and nationally: Sydney, Australia; Lausanne, Switzerland; Grand Valley, MI; and Portland, OR. Mr. Burrus teaches full time in Manhattan during the fall season and the remainder of the year he teaches at The Ron Burrus Studio in Los Angeles. He heads the advanced Business of Acting seminars that introduces the NY trained actor to the LA industry of film and television.

Jane Fleiss Brogger is an award-winning actress who trained with both Stella Adler (5 years) and Uta Hagen (2 years). She is also a long time member of the Actors Studio. She has extensive theatrical experience including playing leading roles on Broadway alongside Glenda Jackson, Judd Hirsch, Laurie Metcalfe, Brian Cox and being directed by such luminaries as Stephen Daldry, Daniel Sullivan, Howard Davies and David Mamet. She received a Joseph Jefferson nomination for her theatre work in An Inspector Calls, and LA Dramalogue awards for Molly Sweeney, Ghost in the Machine and Springtime for Henry. She also has extensive screen experience guest starring in numerous TV shows including ER, Judging Amy, Without A Trace, The Guardian and Crossing Jordan; her feature film work includes playing a leading role in the film Kent State and a supporting lead for Franco Zefferelli in Endless Love. She has been a professional acting teacher for the last fifteen years, most recently having founded 'The Workshop', a scene study/rehearsal technique class for professional actors in Los Angeles. Having graduated from NYU with a BFA, she returned there to teach first year acting students Improvisation and Scene Study at the Stella Adler Conservatory/NYU, and has taught advanced classes in Chekhov, as well as Scene Study and Master Play Analysis. Having studied with Cicely Berry and John Barton (Royal Shakespeare Company) and Sir Peter Hall (Mark Taper Forum) she subsequently taught workshops in acting Shakespeare. Other professional affiliations include the Marjorie Ballantine Acting Conservatory in NYC (Improvisation/Scene Study) and the American Stage Festival in New Hampshire (Scene Study for interning actors). She has privately coached numerous professional actors for television, film and theatre, taking her traditional training and translating it into a relevant approach for the rigors of today's working actor. Jane has the rare combination of a successful acting career (over two decades professional experience), coupled with an encyclopedic knowledge of theatre history combined with textual scholarship. She has introduced a whole new generation of actors to the context of the world of the play, and the role of the actor's imagination and experience in illuminating that world. Her curriculum, combining her knowledge of Adler, Meisner, Hagen and Spolin, has inspired many of her students who range from Broadway dancers, models and professional actors to reach the next level creatively. The exploration of the actor's craft is a life-enriching experience, which she looks forward to continuing.

In his New York debut, Mr. Greene received critical acclaim as MacDuff in MACBETH with Rip Torn and Geraldine Page. He was a resident member of the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center, appearing there in MARY STUART, TWELFTH NIGHT, NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH, PLAY STRINDBERG, and THE CRUCIBLE. His other Broadway credits include THE SURVIVOR at the Morosco, ROMEO AND JULIET at Circle in the Square, and the international tour of BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, directed by Gene Saks. He appeared in RICHARD III with Kevin Kline at The New York Shakespeare Festival and toured with Janet Gaynor in ON GOLDEN POND and Cybill Shepherd in LUNCH HOUR. In the world premiere of the Off-Broadway hit, FAMILY BUSINESS, he originated the role of Bobby Stein, reprising this part for the American Playhouse Series on PBS. His extensive regional credits include TIMON OF ATHENS with James Earl Jones at the Yale Repertory Theatre, TAMING OF THE SHREW with Glenn Close at the Washington, D.C. Shakespeare Festival, DEATH OF A SALESMAN with Pat Hingle at Buffalo's Studio Arena, and CYRANO DE BERGERAC with Frank Langella at Williamstown. On the West Coast, most recently, Mr. Greene was seen as The Headmaster in The Ahmanson's production of THE HISTORY BOYS. He performed in THE PRICE at International City Theatre, DANCE OF DEATH at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, and in KING LEAR, MERCHANT OF VENICE and TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA at the Old Globe in San Diego. Recent television appearances include guest-starring and recurring roles on MAD MEN, THE MENTALIST, COLD CASE, NCIS, and BOSTON LEGAL. In addition to running the Actors Conservatory for the US Performing Arts Camp on the campus of UCLA, Mr. Greene coaches privately, and also teaches an advanced class for the professional actor at The Actors' Lab Ensemble in NoHo.

NIKE DOUKAS combines her professional life as an actress with a commitment to teaching. Recent teaching credits include scene study and Shakespeare Basics at the Anteaus Company, and Speaking Shakespeare at A Noise Within. With her teaching partner Richard Greene, she teaches a summer intensive acting conservatory at UCLA, Berkeley and Florida State University. As an actress she is a regular at South Coast Repertory theatre, where she she has appeared in five world premieres, and an array of classical roles. Other regional theatre credits include The Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre Company, The Old Globe, The Pasadena Playhouse, The Mark Taper Forum, A Contemporary Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the American Conservatory Theatre, Shakespeare Festival LA, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and the Berkeley Shakespeare Festival. TV and film credits include SHARK, NUMBERS, WITHOUT A TRACE, CRIMINAL MINDS, BOSTON LEGAL, MALCOM IN THE MIDDLE, CAROLINE IN THE CITY, recurring roles on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and ALMOST PERFECT, and the feature SEVEN GIRLFRIENDS. She has an MFA from the American Conservatory Theatre.

Brad William Henke is quickly making a name for himself as one of the busiest actors in Hollywood. Henke recently starred in "Choke" for Fox Searchlight opposite Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston and on television, he can currently be seen recurring on "Lost" as Bram. In addition, Henke recently starred as Owan Rowan on the ABC drama "October Road." Henke has co-starred in such acclaimed films as Me and You and Everyone We Know and North Country. He also appeared in Oliver Stone's World Trade Center for Paramount Pictures. The drama reunited him with his Sherrybaby co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal. Sherrybaby first premiered in competition at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. He also appeared opposite Adrien Brody in Focus Features' Hollywoodland and the Warner Brothers romantic comedy, Must Love Dogs as Diane Lane's gay best friend. Other television credits include a starring role on the Showtime original series "Going to California" and a memorable recurring role on the Showtime drama "Dexter." While shooting "Going to California," Henke had the opportunity to work with notable film directors Gary Fleder, Griffin Dunne, Peter Howitt and D.J. Caruso. Caruso was the first to put a camera in Henke's hands to mentor his directing aspirations, allowing him to shoot on the B camera while not acting in a scene. This experience led Henke to explore aspects of filmmaking such as writing, directing, and teaching through his own acting studio.