From 1984 to 1994, I taught young adults acting including scene study, monologues and improvisation at The Michael Checkhov Studio on 36th Street. The year always culminated in a showcase featuring the students and the workshop. I kept the class to no more than 12 students because I wanted to maintain a teaching relationship closer one on one.
Me teaching student Rachel Kusnetz, circa 1985.
I introduced students to the great playwrights of the 20th century, including Eugene O’Neil, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller. The class ran for three hours once a week, every Monday night. Students were encouraged to write their own monologues and guest artists were brought into the class every few weeks. Some of those guests were Joy Todd, casting director, Frank Nastasi from the Soupy Sales Show and Broadway, and Jason Robards III, Actor/voice over artist.
Me, teaching, circa 1985.
I decided to teach the workshops because I’d been teaching theater in high school for 28 years and wanted to work with kids who were really passionate about pursuing theater, so I made sure the admission process was rigorous; I had an audition and an interview as part of the application. When I was starting out, I’d had a mentor in Bill Hickey at the HB Studio, and I wanted to pass my experience on to the next generation in the same way. I’m glad I did.
Me with the class of 1984.
Bernard Rachelle began his professional career at George Hamids's Steel Pier in Atlantic City with his idol Johnny Ray, whom he impersonated. That summer he appeared on Ted Mack's amateur hour and made a subsequent appearance two years later.
In 1959 Bernard introduced rock and roll to Israel and appeared opposite Topol in the comedy feature film "I Like Mike".
Soap fans will recall his role as photographer/pornographer Stu Samuels opposite Sylvia Miles and Kim Delaney on "All My Children".
He is most proud of his work on Arthur Miller's "Incident at Vichy". The first New York City revival that Mr. Miller attended was in 1981. Years later Mr. Miller graced 4 staged readings with "Bernie", along with varying casts featuring Richard Dreyfuss, Fritz Weaver, Peter Weller, Austin Pendelton, F. Murray Abraham and Barry Primus.
While his film career spans 3 decades including "Fort Apache, The Bronx", "Rollover", "Blowout", "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and "The Yards", in 2006 Bernard co-starred as Chaim opposite Denzel Washington and Clive Owen in Spike Lee's "Inside Man".
Recently, Bernard played the lead, Edgar, in the short film "The Cemetery Club", winner of the Palm Beach International Film Festival, and Schleimann in the Vlad Nikolic cult film "Zenith". In 2013 he appeared as Judge Glaser in the feature film "Rob the Mob." "Courier X," released in 2016, saw him play a diamond examiner.
On the small screen, Bernard currently appears in an Emblem Health Insurance commercial.
Bernard has written and will soon perform his one man show "Abe & Lillian's Bungalow Colony", a take-off on the Catskills Mountains, set in 1977.
Bernard is a proud member of ARTC - American Renaissance Theatre.
