Gene Bua * Acting For Life Theatre

We here at Gene Bua Acting For Life are very proud of our many students and alumni who are working in professional theatre, television and feature films.
We want to let you know
who they are
and what they are achieving.

Our wonderful CHANDRA GERSON nailed the female lead in indie "Trail of Tears' shooting now in LA!

Writer RILEY WESTON's feature The Nannie express" is now shooting- starring Vanessa Marcel ("Las Vegas") and Dean Stockwell... and Hallmark has just hired Riley to write another one- Congrats!!

One of our favorite students, SYLVETTE ORTIZ, has become the spokesperson for a Global Public Service announcement for Water Conservation, and has an Emmy winning production team behind her!

Gene coached the very talented THOMMIE RETTER for Broadway musical 'BILLY ELLIOT' and he nailed it! Thommie opens Nov. 14th at the Imperial Theater as Mr. Braithwaite- Congrats!!

Adorable MARIO LOPEZ now staring on CHORUS LINE on Broadway and named BACHELOR OF THE YEAR in People's Magazine!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TRACEY BREGMAN on her EMMY NOMINATION for Best Supporting Actress on Y & R!!! She already has an Emmy so lets hope it will have a twin to keep it company. Also, our project WHEN I DREAM is ready for show and Tracey will be taking it to New York within the month!

Brilliant director/producer/actor PENNY L. MOORE has yet another incredible hit at her charming Actor's Group Theatre in No Ho. It's a 'metaphysical farce' called Fortinbra's, staring our own DARRELL BRYAN who also composed the haunting music for the show. By the way, Penny was awarded one of the '100 most interesting people in LA! So proud!

ERIC PIERPONT wonderful and so natural as troubled bull riding cowboy on CSI Crime scene Investigation.

DEAR FRIEND AND STUDENT, STAR, FRED TRAVELINA PLAYS JIMMY CARETER IN A NEW ZUCKER FEATURE CALLED 'AMERICAN CAROL' with Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voight & James Woods.

AMY DAVIDSON is staring in Lifetime (LMN) mini-series 'THE CAPTURE OF THE GREEN RIVER KILLER" Sweet caring and talented Amy got so involved with her part that she is now a volunteer with CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, which Gene and I sponsored with our musicals "Pepper Street" and "Second Wind"!

Our dear friends at our favorite acting company, Theatre Banshee, won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Season in a Small to Mid-Sized Theatre! They are up for a couple of other awards for for Loyal Women too. Look for their next awesome production- Of Mice and Men, opening soon. Every actor should witness this amazing group of artists!

LINDA DEMETRICK won the lead in "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" staring Tyron Powell Jr. and Joan Steiger, slated to be produced at the Malibu Stage Theater opening May 2nd. Coincidently, Linda did a magnificent job last year, doing a scene from that play with Alan Feinstein in Friday's Master class.

Our wonderful RACHEL KEMPEL landed the female lead in Michael Feifer and Caia Coley's new LION"S GATE feature: "The Boston Strangler, the Untold Story." Also winning parts in the film are LINDA DeMETRICK, CLAUDIA DiMARTINO and LUANN PONCI! Keep um coming!!!!

LENA BARAN'S intense feature "TRADE" has just been released, starting Kevin Klein.

Upcoming star-to-be RYAN CHRISTIANSEN just played a INS guy on Guiding Light, and also is filming feature "Proud American' Produced and directed by Fred Ashton, to be released on IMAX! Check out his reel online at http://lacasting.com/ryanchristiansen

Writer, director, producer CHASE MATTHEWS has won The Everglades International Film Festival for his amazing documentary "From Silence To Sound". Chase is also one of the staring voices in the score of The Bua's and Tracey Bregman's new project "When I Dream"

Amazing actress/director PENNY MOORE has a pivotal role in Ron Howard's new feature "Frost/Nixon" as well as her beloved dachshund, Peyton. The film stars Kevin Bacon, and Frank Langella as Nixon.

CONGRATS TO CLAUDIA DE MARTINO in our DREW BARRYMORE'S new feature "He's Not into You" filming now for Flower Pictures and New Line Cinema.

Pretty waif TARA SCHAYNE received terrific news from her agent during Wed. Morning class: The new musical she's about to star in, "Stand Through The Eyes Of A Child"- making it's way to the Kodak theatre in Early Fall- will be turned into a feature- staring- Tara!!! Hurray go get um Tara!!!

CHASE MATHEWS will lend his remarkable singing talents to both "CHESS" at the Ford Amphitheatre in Sept, and our project "When I Dream" singing one of the leads in the original score, by us, The Bua's!

Amazing ZOE CASSAVETES has huge success with her first feature "Broken English" staring Parker Posey and Zoe's Goddess Mom, Gena Rolands. We are so proud of writer, director, Zoe!

Young Dynamo ENRIQUE ALMEIDA will enjoy the premiere of his Indie feature "Splinter" on August 17th. For more see www.splinterthemovie.com

Ditto for intense young actor ROB FABIANI and his film visit www.blurpointfilms.com

Talented new-comer ASHLEY CAMPBELL stars as a speed freak in Omer Fast's film "Sandman" based on a true story. The project is commissioned by the Vienna Museum of Modern Art and will be shown next month at the Basel Art Fair.

7 BUA Actors land Lion's Gate Feature!
"THE CHICAGO MASSACRE- THE RICHARD SPECK STORY" Won AUDIENCE FAVORITE and BEST PRODUCER, Michael Phiefer, at THE BEVERLY HILLS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL run by NINO SIMON. Congratulations to our fabulous 7 students in the feature, to Nino, and to Michael and his partner wife, CAIA COLEY. Gene and I were at the grand opening and the film is absolutely excellent, and our students were brilliant! And Keep your eye on Michael Pheifer, he's a topnotch writer, director, producer.
Now joining JOE TONG in the Lion's Gate feature "RICHARD SPECK" are other Wed. Morning Gene Bua students , KELSEY McCANN, ELIZA SWORDS and JEANINE DEL CARLO- all in awesomely emotional and challenging roles. We are thrilled. Caia Coley just emailed me saying "I can't tell you how pleased I am to be able to cast so many parts in this feature out of Acting For Life. I know the actors in Gene and your classes are committed and amazing- and working diligently on their craft." Caia's company is at www.castingHomePage.com. Add on RYAN CHRISTIANSON, MICHAEL BRENNAN, and NINO SIMON- as Richard Speck's rotten step-dad!!! Add on to the cast beautiful former star of NY City Ballet CAMEO MARTINE as the feisty reporter. Wow- Congrats to all!

Sweetheart ANTHONY KEDIS and his RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS were awesome on the Grammys- congrats for winning Best Rock Album of the year!

Pretty ROBIN MYRIAH HATCHER to host the Magic Castle chapter on "IN LA" ON NBC.

MEGAN BLAKE just landed a wonderful role in feature "Stallion Hearts" starring Mickey Rooney!

The publisher of THE SECRET has just signed on glorious MICHELE KAREN for her next astrology book.

Bombastic wild and wonderful actor STEVE GARREN will play bigtime magager and player Connie Mack in "THE DUMMY HOY STORY" about the first deaf major league baseball player.

WHEN BRAD PITT AND JILL SCHOELEN WERE IN GENE'S CLASS TOGETHER.

FROM TONI:
This is the first time I'm sharing something that actually went on in Friday's advanced class. Gene and I have always kept the work private and near sacred- but this work can't be denied, and more and more performances are living up to this quality. Actors Andrea Piewitz and Claudia Del Martino did a new piece by Maya Machado called "Joy Ride"- As always, in a cold reading, they only read the scene one time. It's a panicked mother, picking up her drugged out daughter and trying to bring her home safe. The emotional impact and concert between them was so real and so riveting that the whole class and even Gene and myself were almost scared by the danger and truth of this Academy Award winning "Joy Ride" When they crashed and died in the end, we were speechless. And then came the standing O! Kudos to Andrea and Claudia and new class writer, Maya! Wow.

Our dear friend and alumni MEGAN BLAKE Blake is hosting "Animal Attractions" on PBS and also writing and producing several of the segments. She is also filming the lead in sci fi thriller 'EYE BORGS"

CAIA COLEY just got hand picked by Al Pacino himself, in a film starring and directed by him called "Salomaybe". Caia will play Herodias in the desert sequence. Wow!!!!

ARI WELKOM just booked lead in Indi feature "Les-Be-Friends".

Fabulous ANITA VASAN who we call 'our Indian-Spirit-daughter' plays the voice of "Fatima" in the movie/musical short film "West Bank Story" which
has been nominated for an Academy Award! Fatima is the Palestinian girl who falls in love with an Israeli boy. Anita also just completed the new Gypsy Kings musical "Zorro" in NY and is currently starring in "Eva Del
Barrio"... She leaves late February to star in the new musical "Around The World in 80 Days".

Director-writer David Martin Parras, who just completed his film "The Breakfast" starring two time Tony Best Actress Sherry Jones, and our own MAYA WATERMAN. He came to Fridays advance class and hand picked RYAN CHRISTIANSON to star in his new project "The Couple."

Congratulations to JEANINE DEL CARLO, CHRISTINA RIVERS & KELSIE McCANN, RAGAN O'REILLY & DYLAN THOMAS all have wonderful parts in Michael Fieifer's new feature "Dear Me!"

Fabulous KERRIE KEANE who's a great teacher in her own right, just filmed a juicy role in 'Criminal Minds' where she plays Shemar Moore's mom and now a recurring role in 'Shark.' She plays an attorney with three mixed children! Gene and I can't wait to watch...

Our dear friend BOYUEN filmed "How I Met my Mother" right after he completely his National Bud Light commercial!

MICHAEL FEIFER has completed his feature "Richard Speck"- and is about to start Bram Stoker's "Dracula's Guest" written and directed by Michael. Just got word this morning he cast our beautiful KELSIE McCANN in the lead female role, RYAN CHRISTIANSON as Bram Stoker's best friend, and MAYA WATERMAN as the wild and weird French shanty woman. This feature will open later 2007.

STEVEN 'Aspen' WEIGAND just landed the lead role in indie "Victim" produced by Mark Williams and directed by Matt Eskandari. He begins filming this extremely intricate part, playing both a man- and a woman... immediately! Gene coached him before Wed. morning class, and Steven dressed for the woman part. He addressed class in character and totally freaked everyone out!

AMANDA LYNNE completed "Cops Unleased" with director/producer Edwin Cabellero.

VINCENT OSHANA on Showtime's "UnderGround" produced by and starring Damon Wayans. Vincent is also one of the writers.

Beautiful LAINIE LARK just shot TV show "Art of Betrayal" with Tatum O'Neal, and will also host the International Press Awards in Dec. Her baby Sierra just turned ten months old!

Besides her international Lexus commercial running like crazy, MAYA WATERMAN has nailed the part of two time Tony winning actress Cherry Jones' mom in the film "Breakfast"... CLAUDIO DEL MARTINO, as an evil queen in film "Harmony"!

ELE KEATS stars in "The Key" chapter of CBS's "Cold Case" in an extremely emotional role. She told us "As I was filming I kept hearing Gene's voice in my head: "Breathe Ele... just let go, Ele" ... I did and everyone was so happy when we rapped."

RICK FITTS wonderful as coroner on "Desperate Housewives!"

ADAM RIPP co-wrote and directed MTV's new thriller in development Darius". Adam co-write and directed Beacon feature "Scavenger" and Lion's Gate's "Gang Tapes. Go 'Wild-Boy'!

ADAM BARR did a brilliant job writing the 9/25 episode of "The New Adventures of Old Christine"... we still do Adam's scenes that he created for class as a young writer many years ago and he is writing and directing a yet unnamed feature for Beacon Pictures, Bruce Willis' Production company!

Our Pepper Street and Second Wind star, writer, actor, singer, RILEY WESTON (www.rileyweston.com) has hit it big with her first novel "Before i Go". The book has just been chosen for a November Booksense pick, a very big honor. Watch this story quickly turn into a major feature. Just the beginning for Riley.

before i go has been chosen as a 2007 Independent Publisher Book Awards Outstanding Book of the Year award recipient!

Story Teller of the Year (Gold): Riley Weston, author of Before I Go

STEVE SWEIGAND, better known at AFL as ASPEN, will be on Fox "Talk Show with Spike Fereten" the Judge Joe Brown episode!

CIERA ALEN is staring in yet another Ind. feature being filmed here in LA by Wedgie Productions. It's a comedy called "Naked Run" and she plays a beautiful congress woman fresh out of school. If that's not enough Ciera is the art expert each weekend on Direct TV on the "Fine Art Treasure" program. Gene told her several months ago she was going to start working like crazy. Go Ciera!!! UPDATE: Add on another great part for AMANDA LYNN just joining Ciera in "NAKED RUN".

Our darling CARLA GUGINO took Broadway by storm in the Marilyn Monroe starring part in Arthur Miller's "After The Fall" The NY Times calls Carla "An emotional maelstrom. Her instincts are sharp enough to make this potentially exhausting train wreck unpredictable at every turn! Gugino is a sensation"...and now she has a new movie with Russell Crowe, "American Gangster."

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