We're Proud of you Heather Russell

We're so very proud of PTE Professional Ensemble member, Heather Russell as she embarks on a great new acting adventure. 

Here's a great Winnipeg Free Press article about Heather's work in MTYP's one woman show, DYING TO BE THIN

PTE School's Acting On Camera Instructor, Curtis Moore, is not only an accomplished actor and teacher, but he is the Acting Coach on the NEW Disney XD TV series, BUNKS.  

Curtis shares his experience on our blog:

Boy this is a crazy business. One minute you’re sitting there learning lines for your Fringe show, and the next, Tibor Takacs says he wants you to be his right hand man as he directs a locally shot Disney movie. 

Am I interested? Uh, ya! 

Suddenly, your life is taken over by Tibor and the greatest gig I’ve ever had. Oh, as an actor, I’ve been shot by Mila Jovavich, beat up Julian McMahon, been hacked up by an angry Santa, and been turned into a fully functioning volcano, but, to be Tibor’s right hand man on Bunks?; uh, wow. 

Curtis Moore In Faces in The Crowd

As my teenage students like to point out, I’m an “old” dog, but it’s good to know I can still learn new tricks. And did I ever learn new tricks working so closely with Tibor and that team. I call them tricks, but, they’re really not. They’re more of a refinement of my skills and knowledge. 

Curtis Moore in Silent Night

Being acting coach on BUNKS has proven to be a game changer. My acting is different. My auditioning is different. I’m different. I was asked if the experience would affect my teaching. You bet it has. So much more of the mystery has been uncovered, and I really can’t wait to see how my students grow even more as a result. Yes it’s a crazy business; crazy good!

More Moore HERE

Curtis Moore On IMDb

Murray Never Thought He'd Be An Actor (He was wrong)

I never thought I’d be an actor.

I sort of fell into performing, taking a job as a character server at Celebrations to pay the bills while I trained in another career.  I learned what I knew of acting by watching others and experimenting, got cast after auditioning a few times, and gained a decent amount of performance experience there.  When my original career path didn’t work out for me, I decided I would give a career in acting a shot. Unfortunately, I had little to no formal training, and even less of an idea about the business of acting. 

Luckily, a friend told be about the auditions for PTE@PTE.  I’ve found the training and connections that I made in the program incredibly helpful over the past few years.  

Since the course, I’ve been part of MTC’s regional tour, voiced dozens of characters for cartoons,  and been part of many local independent productions on stage and screen.  Most recently, I was part of a professional production of local playwright Joseph Aragon’s Bloodless, produced and performed a three-city Fringe tour of Daniel MacIvor’s one man show Here Lies Henry, and worked with PTE@PTE alumni Heather Russell and director Deb Patterson  in The Crackwalker.  Coming up, I’ll be working on PTE’s touring show Portage and Munsch under direction from PTE@PTE instructor/director Sharon Bajer.

While this path is a constant learning process, the instruction and support that I received through the school was invaluable in steering the early stages of my acting career.  Confidence, preparation, and the drive to persevere; those tools have and will continue to aid me as I continue to work in the coming years.