Professional actor opens acting studio in Holland

Deborah Johnson Wood

Kurt Dreyer says his career as a model gave him fashion experiences all over the world, working with French Vogue, Perry Ellis, Giorgio Armani – and even Grand Rapids' former Rogers Department Store where he got his start. But after the acting bug bit, he turned all his energy into writing, acting and producing films.

Now the thespian who received his training at the elite Howard Fine Acting Studio in Los Angeles has returned to his hometown of Holland and opened the Kurt Dreyer Acting Studio, 496 Lincoln Ave., Holland.

The studio launched its first 12-week series of teen/adult acting classes on June 16, and Dreyer says there are just a few slots open in the upcoming fall classes.

Dreyer wrote, produced and starred in "Underestimating Jake," a film that garnered several Indie filmmaking awards. But it was Michigan's tax incentives for filmmakers that got him back to West Michigan to produce "Blue Sky," a film he created and wrote. Blue Sky is on the shelf for now, but coming home to West Michigan inspired Dreyer.

"We had over 250 actors come to auditions with great looks and great talent, but none had any training," he says. "They really are trying to work, but a lot of them won't have a shot other than as extras. Because of the film incentive program, one of the things you recognize in L.A. is that a lot of films are being shot in Michigan. So I decided to open the studio."

Dreyer says his training centers around realism: emotional recalls, personal transferences and body-mind connectivity. His class, Comprehensive Techniques, teaches the techniques of actors Uta Hagen and Howard Fine.

"It's really scary for first timers when they come into a studio, so we're developing this as a really safe place," Dreyer says. "We're locking the rest of the world outside and we're all here to be open to what our craft is and what our job is."

Source: Kurt Dreyer, Kurt Dreyer Acting Studio

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].