LIGHTS, CAMERA...ACTING!

Students ask actor Brian A. Wilson (Ocean's Eight, Creed, Limitless, Law Abiding Citizen) about his experiences on the local film and theater scene during a class at The Philadelphia Acting Studio. Below, a table holds scripts that the actors could choose from during a session.

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For the past three years, a few nights a week, actors have gathered at the Media Bureau building in Northern Liberties to practice. The group met again on Feb. 6 at the third-floor studio operated by Bernard Glincosky — a place better known as The Philadelphia Acting Studio (TPAS).  “In New York, people consider themselves actors who have jobs on the side, but here in Philly, people consider themselves workers who act on the side,” Glincosky was told by one of his former acting mentors.

Too often, getting actors to buckle down and work on practicing their craft can be tricky, he said, for whatever reason — be it busy schedules or the lack of importance that actors may put on practice.  But with TPAS, Glincosky is trying to break away from those flaws.  “This is like a gym for actors,” he explained. “You’re going to come here and work on your craft."

Similar studios have been operating in the arts and entertainment meccas of New York and Los Angeles for decades, and Glincosky knows all about them.  He explained that he did the Hollywood thing, once even uprooting his whole existence to head to the West Coast in search of stardom. During that time, Glincosky studied at a number of the top-rated acting studios in Los Angeles.  After four years in Los Angeles, he moved back to Philly in 2002 and landed his first lead role in a feature film. More roles followed, but he realized the need for a legitimate place for himself and others to practice.  To bring his plan to fruition, Glincosky reached out to a noted acting coach, George DiCenzo (Back to the Future), who was teaching in New York at the time with the Beverly Hills Playhouse.  At first, DiCenzo wasn’t interested.  “February ninth of 2009 was my last trip to New York to try to get George down here,” Glincosky explained.

Glincosky had studied with DiCenzo in the past, and he knew what a teacher like DiCenzo could bring to his Philly studio.  His last-ditch effort worked. TPAS was off and running.  Sadly, DiCenzo died less than a year after starting at TPAS, but his effect on it is undeniable.  DiCenzo’s reputation in the acting world drew actor Kenneth McGregor to that first class. McGregor’s credits include the first X-Men movie and the 1988 Tom Cruise film Cocktail, among others.

Glincosky and McGregor eventually decided to collaborate, McGregor began teaching and helped stage the studio's first production in the Philly Fringe Festival.

Since then, TPAS has grown to encompass many of the best and brightest teachers  in the area who provide instruction on a range of topics that encompass film acting, improv, film, and TV auditioning, and a master acting class.  The class that met last Monday was the film-acting class taught by local film and theatre actor Brian A. Wilson.  Wilson, who is finishing a run in Charlotte’s Web at the Arden Theatre and had a recurring role on the Showtime Channel’s series The Wire, is a teacher with a wealth of knowledge to share.  “Part of it is that I am a working actor,” Wilson explained. “I can give them the benefit of my knowledge.”  Wilson’s class took on more of a workshop feel as the students used the time between scenes to ask questions about everything from Wilson’s acting approach to auditioning and memorizing lines.  Wilson seemed to enjoy answering the questions. His calm, jovial demeanor seemed to meld well with what Glincosky has created at TPAS.“I tell people to study at different places, and with the vision that Bernard has here, they can really come here for a one-stop-shop,” Wilson said.

“I like to leave the ego out of it,” Glincosky added.

Thanks to the swift growth of TPAS, buzz about the studio has been growing as well. In fact, last week’s class was something of a live audition, with a director sitting to size up candidates for an upcoming show.  The following day, a local television network was scheduled to visit the space to see how TPAS could help provide footage. Throughout the day, the phone kept ringing as callers inquired about classes.

As for the future of TPAS, Glincosky is dreaming big for the long-term while trying to keep that momentum building day by day.   He’s quite willing to be patient about things.  “Basically I just want to build it one piece at a time,” he said with a grin.