Studio History

Our work began with Ken’s private coaching practice, his deep love and respect for the craft of acting, and his realization that, in so many ways, for too many artists, the world of actor training is outmoded, unhealthy, stuck, and broken. 

If you’ve been in it, you know. Throughout the industry—in schools and conservatories big and small, in the business of casting, on set, and on stage—actor training is rarely the inspiring, uplifting, empowering process it can and should be. It rarely delivers on the dreams it advertises. It rarely makes sense. And it is rarely safe. 

After years of study, research, and self-reflection, experience in teaching systems both good and bad, apprenticeships with exceptional teaching artists, years of work as a performer, and after many years of traveling around the country and around the world coaching new and well-known actors for all kinds of film, television, and theater gigs, Ken’s creative successes and his passion for innovation in technique led him to start his own regular acting class in New York.

What began as a small experimental group class once a week quickly grew to twice a week, then to three times, and we are now at four sections of our flagship Master Class for Actors (two in person, and two on Zoom), with a waiting list for each. In 2020, we introduced scholarship opportunities for BIPOC and Trans actors, and began donating a portion of our income every month to organizations that advance social justice causes, including those that help survivors of abuse and actors in need.

In 2022 we welcomed our very first Guest Teaching Artists, and now, in 2023, we’re excited to launch Ken’s brand-new Meta Class for Directors, Acting Teachers, and Coaches: HOW TO WORK WITH ACTORS. Like the Master Class and all our offerings, its core values are effectiveness, efficiency, and safety. 

As we continue to grow, we’re building a better studio every day—one in which gifted acting artists of all kinds are free to discover their best work.

Scholarships & Social Action

The Ken Studio is committed to respecting, elevating, and liberating every actor’s full creative power in their craft and in the industry. We strive to create ever more welcoming, supportive, equitable, diverse, and inclusive working environments, experiences, systems, and opportunities for all our actors, teaching artists, staff, and guests, especially for members of historically oppressed and marginalized groups. We offer a limited number of full and partial scholarships for BIPOC and Trans actors. A portion of our income every month is donated to organizations that advance social justice causes, including those that help survivors of abuse and actors in need.