QUEEN PUBLICITY

550 W. REGENT STREET, #341
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA 90301

Telephone: (310) 674-1776 / Facsimile (310) 674-1776

NEWS

NORTH HOLLYWOOD ACTING WORKSHOP PRODUCES HOUSEHOLD NAMES  

Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m. at the Actor’s Workout Studio - NoHo (Los Angeles, Calif.) – Each Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. sharp aspiring actors from various neighborhoods throughout Southern California show up at the Actor’s Workout Studio, 4739 Lankershim in North Hollywood, for a 3-hour, in-depth acting class taught by award-winning actress, Adilah Barnes. Barnes has coached some of Hollywood’s hottest stars including Toni Braxton (for Play’d and Kingdom Come); Jada Pinkett-Smith (for Set It Off); Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order); Lauren Lane (The Nanny); comedian Don “DC” Curry; and others. According to previous student, Kym Whitley, “Adilah is intense, she’s not easy, but she never gives up on you and pulls out your best.”  “I strategize with my private students a plan of action to move their careers forward,” states Barnes who has been an acting coach for over twenty years to over 1000 students. A seasoned actress of stage, motion pictures and television, Barnes plays the recurring role of Judge Randall in For the People, Lifetime Television’s new series (also starring Debbi Morgan). She recently starred as Etta in the May 5th CBS-Hallmark, made-for-tv special Little John, (also starring Ving Rhames, Gloria Reuben and Patty Duke) and is featured in Sandra Bullock’s thriller Murder By Numbers as well as having co-starred in Erin Brockovich. Television audiences best remember Barnes as the character of “Anne Marie” on ABC’s Roseanne for five seasons and for her recent guest starring roles on CBS’ Family Law and The Agency, WB’s The Gilmore Girls and UPN’s Roswell. At Barnes’ Character Development Workshop, in additional to character development, career development is also covered – from resume writing to selecting photographers, auditioning, creating an image, tools of the trades and marketing. According to former student Willie Amayke (The X-Files and three time former Olympic runner) “Any actor who wants to get into the business and, like with anything else, wants to get a good foundation, ought to take Adilah’s class. Even though I had been working in the business doing commercials and films before I came to Adilah, I didn’t feel I knew what I was doing. Like in running, you need endurance, speed, confidence and mental strength. I found that in Adilah’s class.” With a chapter of her own in Larry Silverberg’s book, The Actor’s Guide to Qualified Acting Coaches, Barnes, who began acting at the age of 16, stresses that first and foremost every actor needs to train, even those that may be considered to be natural actors. After earning a B.A. in Theatre Arts at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Barnes moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and began stage training at the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT). At ACT, she became the first African American female to teach full-time in their Advanced Training Program and in 1989 she headed for Hollywood to pursue a career in television and film. Barnes stresses that not all of her students are aspiring actors. In fact, some of her students include lawyers, those who want to overcome their shyness and individuals involved in different areas of the entertainment industry such as writers and managers who want to become more sensitive to the actors’ process. Barnes states that everyone benefits from her personal acting techniques as well as the well-established techniques that she was trained by and uses from Constantin Stanislavski, Uta Hagen and Viola Spolin.Periodically Barnes presents Industry Night Showcase where agents, casting agents, producers, writers and other individuals in the entertainment industry attend. Opportunities have been created. Recently, one of her students landed an agent from one of her showcases and another was cast in an episode of Seinfeld from his showcase exposure. Vocalist Toni Braxton states “Not only have I always admired Adilah’s performing abilities, but I’ve come to respect and value her teachings as well. Her methods made her instruction more accessible to me, helping me to understand what acting is really all about. Her spirit is energetic and nurturing and I am lucky to have had her as a guide and friend on my jump from performing as Toni Braxton in music videos to bringing life to complex characters in full-blown motion pictures.” Barnes is also the founder of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival of which actors Danny Glover and Hattie Winston co-chair and the author of a soon to be released book, On My Own Terms: One Actor’s Journey (to be released in 2003). For more information on classes or private coaching, please call (818) 752-2225 or contact Queen Publicity at (310) 674-1776.

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