The Burt Reynolds Institute Monthly Newsletter

MARCH 2016

Dear Friends,

As we march on in 2016, wonderful things continue to happen at The Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theater. In addition to celebrating his 80th birthday, Mr. Reynolds recently received a lifetime achievement award from the Hollywood Film Festival. Master Class member Tina Pfeiffer accepted on his behalf, presenting it to him in class.

On March 11, Mr. Reynolds will be presenting the 2016 Burt Reynolds Scholarship at Lynn University as part of the Palm Beach International Film Festival's Student Showcase of Films, produced by the Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission. The award dates back to the early 1960s, and for the past 21 years, has been done in conjunction with the film festival. Many of the recipients have continued on in the Florida film industry--which promotes tourism and the area for years to come long after the film is wrapped. Click this link for more info: https://www.pbfilm.com/student-showcase.

Our ongoing slate of classes (teleprompter, screenwriting, improvisation, and a variety of acting classes) continue with much success as many students have been cast in a variety of projects. Be a the lookout for Taylor Blackwell in Grey's Anatomy later this month. Our new internship program with PBSC Motion Picture Department--coordinated by Micheal Seminerio and Frank Eberling--is now up and running, and a very special course will be presented on Friday, March 11th by writer and director Marc Zatorsky. He will be hosting a special version of Mr. Reynolds' Master Acting Class. Mr. Zatorsky is currently involved in pre-production of his latest series In Sanity, Florida and brings a unique perspective to performance with his humor and wit. Space is limited, so please RSVP now.

The Great Bandit Giveaway will be wrapping up this month, so please get your tickets now (watch this short video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q88jdnEGBoE). The website that will ensure the Institute getting the proper credit and the most funding is www.winbandit.com. Thank you!

Douglas Rill
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre

MASTER ACTING CLASS with Burt Reynolds
By invitation only. Students must complete a required number of Fundamentals of Acting classes and reach a certain level of expertise. For inquiries, please email Donna Carbone at info@burtreynoldsinstitute.org or call 561-743-9955.

FUNDAMENTALS of ACTING for ADULTS with Sherman Roberts
Sundays at 1PM Fundamentals of Acting continues to fill the Mirror Ballroom with actors at every level of expertise. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate performer, or experienced actor, Fundamentals will allow you to hone your craft in a welcoming and nurturing atmosphere. This is a scene study class in which students are given the opportunity to perform a ten minute scene on stage each week followed by redirect from the instructor, Sherman Roberts. Roberts, who is a member of SAG, AFTRA and AEA, has appeared in a variety of roles on stage, in film and on network television. He teaches student how to choose the right material, how to interpret dialogue so that the spoken word is true to what the author has written, character development and body language. The class meets every Sunday at 1PM. The cost is $25/week.

IMPROVISATION PLUS with Todd Vittum
Thursdays at 7:30PM Improvisation Plus, taught by master improvisational artist Todd Vittum, offers budding and experienced comedians an opportunity to hone their impromptu speaking and acting skills. Vittum has been teaching Improv for many years and is himself an experienced performer. He has designed innovative scenarios that make the imagination come alive. Under his excellent tutelage, laughter and learning go hand in hand. The class meets on Thursday evenings at 7:30PM in the Mirror Ballroom. Cost: $25/week.

SIDE-BY-SIDE (IMPROV) with Todd Vittum ON HIATUS
Saturdays from 10AM-noon Todd Vittum teaches the ever popular Side-By-Side on Saturday mornings from 10AM to noon. This class offers adults and children between the ages of 10 and 15 an opportunity to share the stage in a nurturing and fun environment. The class incorporates monologue delivery, scene study, and improvisation for a well-rounded experience. Cost: $20/week.

SCENE STUDY and CHARACTER ANALYSIS with Todd Vittum ON HIATUS
Mondays at 7PM (except for the first Monday of each month) Todd Vittum teaches an advanced class in scene study and character analysis, which includes intermediate and advanced acting techniques. The class will be offered three Monday evenings a month. Please note that there will NOT be a class on the first Monday of each month. There WILL BE classes on the second, third, and fourth Mondays of each month. The off week will give students an opportunity to perfect whatever scene or monologue they are working on for presentation in class. Students are required to bring their own scenes and should provide three copies—one for the student, one for the scene partner, and one for the instructor. Learning to choose material that is right for you is part of your training. If you have any questions, the instructor will be able to help you decide on the proper material. A 2-3 minute monologue is required for the first class. This class will allow actors to hone their acting skills while providing an opportunity to study scene structure and character development. Scene study is the foundation of all performance and is instrumental if actors are to develop an emotional connection to the character they are portraying. Scene study is also used to teach the vocabulary of acting and how to respond to a director’s instructions. Character analysis helps an actor to understand the role they are playing. To be successful, an actor must replace their personality with that of the character being portrayed. However, it is still necessary for an actor to allow their natural emotional response to a situation to show through at appropriate times. The ability to blend the real and the imagined creates a more stable and dynamic character. For the moment, the class will be held in in the Commission Chambers. Cost: $25/week.

CREATIVE WRITING for the AUTHOR in ALL of US with Donna Carbone
Tuesdays at 6:30PM Creative Writing for the Author in All of Us is a weekly offering for everyone with a story to tell. Whether you are writing a novel, short narrative, screenplay, stage play or poem, if words are your oxygen, this is the class for you. Under the instruction of author/journalist Donna Carbone, the class utilizes a supportive “think tank” structure. Each week writers present their work, which is read and shared with the class. Critiques are offered as a means of moving a story from conception to completion. The class meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:30PM in the Commission Chambers. Cost: $25/week. Limit: 10 students.

TELEPROMPTER for the ACTING PROFESSIONAL with Patty Serrano
Sundays from 1:30PM to 3:30PM Learn how to be the perfect pitch person/spokesperson using professional techniques and insiders secrets in this six-week interactive course. Become a pro at cold reads and in depth presentations. Becomes friends with the camera—put your body and face to work for you. Become proficient at walk and talk, partner pairing and turning boring into brilliant. Master on set etiquette and understand the importance of packing a survival bag. Look and feel like a pro! Class size limited. Cost: $150.

TELEPROMPTER ONE ON ONE with Patty Serrano
This two hour one-on-one class is individualized for your needs and designed with the busy professional in mind. Learn to speak in a clear, confident manner with or without the aid of a teleprompter. Even those who have already successfully faced an audience will gain greater confidence mastering the skills of highly trained keynote speakers. Be more than you ever thought you could be! Class size limited. Cost: $150 Call 561-743-9955 or email briftfinancedirector@comcast.net to RSVP.

Please note: prior registration and RSVP are required for all classes, seminars, and workshops--as some have limited enrollment. Class times/locations subject to change. For information and registration, please contact Donna Carbone at 561-743-9955 or email info@burtreynoldsinstitute.org to RSVP now.

Burt Reynolds Institute classes and seminars are held at Lake Park Town Hall (Mirror Ballroom), 535 Park Avenue, Lake Park, FL 33403. Please note, this is not the mailing address. The mailing address for the Burt Reynolds Institute is PO Box 264, Jupiter, FL 33458

MAILING ADDRESS--FYI

Please note that the mailing address for the Burt Reynolds Institute is: PO Box 264, Jupiter, FL 33458

MARC ZARTORSKY GUEST TEACHES THE MASTER CLASS ON FRIDAY, MARCH 11

The Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre is proud to announce that on Friday, March 11th at 7PM, writer and director Marc Zatorsky will be teaching Mr. Reynolds' Master Acting Class. Mr. Zatorsky is currently involved in pre-production of his latest series, In Sanity, Florida, and brings a unique perspective to performance with his humor and wit. Space is limited, so please RSVP now.

BURT WANTS YOU TO WIN THIS BANDIT!

Say the word “Bandit,” and one image instantly comes to mind—Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds behind the wheel of an eagle-clad, black-and-gold Pontiac Trans Am. No wonder Bandit Trans Ams are going for the gold … and lots of it.

A Bandit Trans Am once owned by Burt Reynolds sold at auction last year for a mind-numbing $480,000. Insane! Another Bandit Trans Am with Burt Reynold’s autograph on it sold this year for $181,900.

You can’t buy the grand-prize of the 2015 Bandit Dream Giveaway. You have to win it.

And what a grand-prize package it is: a low mile, fully restored 1979 Bandit that Burt Reynolds saddled up in, recalling the days of Smokey and the Bandit. Burt Reynolds autographed this Trans Am twice, and signed a Smokey and the Bandit style cowboy hat, a Smokey and the Bandit Blu-Ray DVD, and the Trans Am's log book. It all belongs to you when you enter and win: https://dreamgiveaway.com/dg/bandit?promo=banone

BURTREYNOLDSINSTITUTEAPPAREL.ORG

Check out our e-shop at www.burtreynoldsinstituteapparel.org and purchase awesome items for you and/or your loved ones! Great gifts for you, your family, and friends!

ORDER YOUR COPY OF BURT'S MEMOIR NOW!

This memoir tells his story through the people he’s encountered on his amazing journey. In his words, he plans to “call out the assholes,” try to make amends for “being the asshole myself on too many occasions,” and pay homage to the many heroes he has come to love and respect.

But Enough About Me is a must read for each and every Burt Reynolds fan.

If you have not yet ordered your copy of Burt Reynolds’ memoir, But Enough About Me, orders can be placed at www.amazon.com/But-Enough-About-Me-Memoir/dp/0399173544.

If you prefer the audio version, you can purchase that online, too: www.audiobooksnow.com/audiobook/but-enough-about-me/1148600

Mr. Reynolds recently welcomed Mitch Price into the Master Acting class. Mitch has been a very busy man. In just the last few months, he has appeared in a wide variety of productions and even made his directorial debut. Among the projects he has completed are: Hungryland, Love Letters (performed at the A.C.T. Studio Theatre in Stuart), The Retired, Rounding Third (performed at the A.C.T. Studio Theatre in Stuart and was Mitch’s directorial debut). The Beauty Queen of Leenane will be performed at the A.C.T. Studio Theatre in Stuart during the coming season. The play tells the darkly comic tale of plain, lonely, fourty-something Maureen Folan and her manipulative aging mother, Mag, whose interference in Maureen’s first and possibly final chance of a loving relationship sets in motion a chain of events that leads inexorably towards the play’s terrifying denouement. Visit https://www.actstudiotheatre.com for more info.

Managing Director and author Donna Carbone will be feted with a book signing at Another Broken Egg Cafe at Harbourside Place in Jupiter on April 14th at 3PM. When the rave reviews posted to Amazon for Donna's crime novel--Through Thick and Thin--reached Harbourside management's ears, they contacted her with the offer to introduce her to their clientele. Another Broken Egg Cafe joined in with an offer to provide free beignets and coffee for all who attend. Recognizing the difficulty new authors have in reaching the reading public, Donna asked to include two additional Palm Beach County writers in the event and Harbourside agreed. Joining her will be Frank Eberling and Takis Pepe. Frank has written three books: Demarest Kill, Ensuelo, and Sweet City Blues. Takis is a first time author and student in Donna's writing class. His book, The Crucible of Achilles, is a modern day adaptation of the Homer classic set in the world of cage fighting. The book signing promises to be a beignets, coffee, and conversation fun-filled event.

Star Child, starring Amy Hoerler, makes its world premiere at the Miami International Film Festival at O'Cinema Miami Beach on Sunday, March 6th at 4PM at the Miami International Film Festival. The film, written and directed by Tommy Demos, was shot entirely in Florida. Alan Myles Heyman, Todd Bruno, and Demitri Vardoulias round out the cast. Star Child plays with other shorts totaling 89 minutes as part of "Don't Drop These Shorts." Visit https://2016.miamifilmfestival.com/events for more info and tickets. For those who can't make the Miami International Film Festival screening, Star Child will also be showing at the Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa Bay, FL. Please visit https://www.gasparillafilm.com for more details and info.

James Ferrigno has landed a speaking role in Octavian Onuc's feature film, Henri. Ferrigno also performs with the Rekking Krew improv troupe every Monday night from 8PM-10PM at Harold's Coffee Lounge (509 Northwood Rd, West Palm Beach, FL) as part of "A Latte Laughs"--a once a week comedy showcase hosted by Jordan Garnett.

Lee Pinder and Ay Langdon recently shot a commercial for Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey and Fronrath, portraying the roles of husband and wife. The commercial will air locally within a few weeks.

Beverly Beckman Blanchette plays 'Nurse' in the world premiere of The Violet Hour: A Modern Medea, written by Shannon Ouellette and Skye Whitcomb. The show runs March 11 through 27, 2016, with performances at 8PM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and with performances at 2PM on Sundays. Tickets may be purchased at the Broward Center Box Office by calling 954-462-0222 or online at bit.ly/VioletHourOutre.

Avery Sommers plays the role of 'Bessie Smith' in The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith at the Arts Garage. For tickets, schedule, and more information, please call 561-571-8510 or visit the Arts Garage website at https://www.artsgarage.org.

Are you a current or former student? If so, we would love to hear from you! Simply write a one to two paragraph blurb and drop us an email at info@burtreynoldsinstitute.org before the 25 of each month (subject line: "In The Spotlight") and let us know what projects you are working on or have completed. PLEASE, NO EXTRA WORK!

SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE THE 25 OF EACH MONTH—no exceptions. We look forward to hearing about—and celebrating—your success!