Brian Drillinger, Visiting Artist, is a teacher, director, actor, and producer, and the co-founder and Creative Director for the Edgmar Center for the Arts in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Drillinger has been a teacher and producing partner with Larry Moss and Michelle Danner for the past eight years, and is a private acting coach, helping young actors start careers such as Traylor Howard (Monk, Boston Common, Two Guys And A Girl, Me Myself And Irene), Jennifer Grant (Movie Stars, Savage, The Evening Star) and Stacey Dash (Clueless). Judy Kerr lists Mr. Drillinger as a recommended coach in the successful industry guidebook “Acting is Everything”.

Mr. Drillinger studied acting at the State University of New York at Purchase and graduated with honors from their intensive conservatory program. He has studied for many years with Uta Hagen in New York and Larry Moss in Los Angeles. Mr. Drillinger co-wrote, produced and starred in the feature film How to Go Out on a Date in Queens, which also stars Jason Alexander, Rob Estes, Kimberly Williams, Esai Morales, and Ron Perlman. His performance earned him Best Supporting Actor Award at the L.A. Indies Awards 2006. He played the role of Stan on Broadway and in the film version of Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs, and the National Tour of Broadway Bound. He originated the role of Jason Posner in the Pulitzer Prize winning play Wit at the South Coast Repertory and reprised the role at the Seattle Repertory and the Alley Theatre in Houston. Other regional credits include The Substance of Fire at the Old Globe in San Diego, Death of a Salesman and Boundary Waters at the South Coast Repertory, Solace, Gangster Apparel, and Dove at the Hudson Theatre, A Shayna Madel at the Tiffany Theatre, and Bright Ideas at Edgemar Center for the Arts. Television credits include The Agency, Wings, Life Goes On, Reasonable Doubts and General Hospital. Mr. Drillinger also starred opposite Sally Kirkland in the feature film Starry Night, and Janeane Garafalo in the feature film I Shot a Man in Vegas.     

Mr. Drillinger produced and directed the Edgemar benefit show in June 2001, hosted by Jason Alexander, and starring Hilary Swank, Michael Clarke Duncan, Sally Kellerman, Chad Lowe, Helen Hunt, Paul Reiser, Hank Azaria and many others, and raising over a quarter of a million dollars for the Edgemar. Other production credits include Four-Thought and the critically acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo at the Hudson Theatre, both at the Hudson Theatre. He also produced the workshop production of How to Go Out on a Date in Queens directed by Larry Moss. Mr. Drillinger co-founded Diva Chihuahua films and produced the award winning short Dos Corazones. Other directing credits include The House of Yes at the Edgemar Center, The Dreamer Examines His Pillow at the Complex, and Almost, Maine in Melbourne Australia.