Theater News

Burt Reynolds to Reopen Florida Acting Conservatory

Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds

Film icon and Florida native Burt Reynolds is reopening his Jupiter acting conservatory that trained hundreds of students during the 1980s and ’90s, according to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Although the new Burt Reynolds Institute of Film and Theatre Training will not revive the dinner theater that starred celebrities, long-range plans for the Institute include finding a 99-seat theater. The new undertaking, nicknamed BRIFT, is in its initial stages and will start modestly with a few classes for local children and adults. Ultimately, there are plans for the institute to serve actors, directors and screenwriters in a manner similar to Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute.

The film star has indicated that he will to be actively involved in the BRIFT’s operations. Reynolds has taught master classes and sponsored sporadic courses with guest teachers since moving back to Jupiter in April 2008. In addition to Reynolds, veteran South Florida actor and director Kenneth Kay will return to become executive director of BRIFT, having served as the old institute’s artistic director in 1993-95.

For further information, visit: www.brift.org.