The BGB Studio

The BGB Studio, from Bramon Garcia and Braun, approaches actor training from the casting side of the table: co-founder Risa Bramon Garcia spent more than 35 years as a casting director before building the studio with actor and coach Steve Braun in 2012. The focus is on-camera work and auditions treated as acting, not as a separate performance of confidence.

Ongoing classes meet four times a month at a flat published $295, with a recommended three-month minimum. The flagship is Garcia's Wednesday night class, The Work, which mixes scene work, Meisner-derived exercises, improv, and original creation. Around it sit six-to-eight-week courses, one-day masterclasses, a Writing for Actors class, pop-up masterclasses in New York and Vancouver, online classes over Zoom, and private audition coaching at published rates ($225 for an hour).

There are no audits and no refunds; instead, prospective students attend a free one-hour, in-person info session called The BGB Sit-Down. Entry to classes is by application with a headshot, resume, and reel, personally reviewed by Garcia and Braun, who reply within a few business days with a placement recommendation. There is no formal level ladder; placement is individual and some ongoing rooms are invitation only. The studio also produces The Acting Podcast.

Techniques taught

• Eclectic / multi-technique: Schools that draw on several lineages and fit the tools to the actor, not the reverse.
• Meisner: Listening, repetition, and truthful response under imaginary circumstances, in the lineage of Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse teaching.

Class types

• On-camera
• Audition technique
• Scene study
• Film and TV acting
• Improv

Enrollment and schedule

No audition is required. Application form per class (background, goals, schedule, headshot/resume, reel or self-tape); Risa and Steve review every submission and recommend placement within 2-3 business days. Schedule: Ongoing weekly classes meet 4x/month (e.g., The Work with Risa: Wednesdays 6:30-10pm PT); 6-8 week courses, 1-day masterclasses, and weekend intensives run in cycles; free BGB Sit-Down info talks held at the studio (one listed Sept 19, 2:30pm). Duration: Ongoing classes are open-ended monthly (3-month minimum commitment recommended); finite courses run 4-8 weeks; 1-day and weekend masterclass formats also offered.

Audit, trial, or intro class

No. No audits (explicit no-audit/no-refund/no-transfer policy); free 1-hour 'BGB Sit-Down' in-person intro talk offered instead

Published pricing

Prices are the school's own published rates on the dates shown. We never estimate prices. Always confirm before enrolling.

Instructors

• Risa Bramon Garcia, Co-founder, teacher. Veteran casting director (35+ years), director of 200 Cigarettes; teaches The Work, Writing For Actors, audition masterclasses
• Steve Braun, Co-founder, teacher. Acting coach and communications consultant; co-reviews all class applications
• Sydney Walsh, Master teacher. Teaches The Process, On-Camera Workout, On-Camera Scene Study Lab, Audition Reboot 2.0
• Cate Cohen, Master teacher. Co-hosts the BGB Sit-Down intro talks
• David DeSantos, Master teacher
• Kelly Wolf, Master teacher
• Phillip Rhys Chaudhary, Master teacher
• Alexandra Wright, Master teacher
• Dominic Burgess, Master teacher
• L. Trey Wilson, Master teacher

Location

Questions actors ask

Sources and verification

• The BGB Studio (homepage), accessed 2026-07-16
• How Our Classes Work, accessed 2026-07-16
• The Work with Risa (In Person), accessed 2026-07-16
• Audition Coaching, accessed 2026-07-16
• BGB Teachers, accessed 2026-07-16
• Classes, accessed 2026-07-16
• The BGB Studio - Yelp (corroboration only), accessed 2026-07-16

Researched 2026-07-16, last verified 2026-07-16. Facts above come only from these sources. Anything we could not confirm is simply not shown. Report incorrect information or claim this listing if you represent the school.

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