SPECIAL CLASSES

The Ken Studio is thrilled to begin curating a diverse array of multidisciplinary offerings, created and taught by Artistic Director Ken Schatz and by the best next-generation acting teachers in the world.

All of our Guest Teaching Artists are innovators in actor training and bright lights in the film/television/theater industry. They support our Mission, they understand our Approach to Acting, and they share our core values of extraordinary effectiveness, efficiency, and safety in all they do. They each have unique gifts and exciting new ways of working that will help you realize your creative genius, power, and success. We are honored to welcome each of them to our Studio Community.

 

Already Studying With Us?

Register through the Studio Portal!

 

New to the Studio?

Schedule an audition!

 

special classes with ken

 

** Next dates TBA

$200 to observe both sessions
$400 for both sessions with a working slot in each

Traditional/Folk/Roots Singing Styles and Performance Technique

OR
$120 to observe 1 session
$240 for 1 session with a working slot

Whether you’re an experienced or professional performer or just starting out, this class will help you become a better, more confident singing artist with all kinds of traditional, folk, and roots material in all kinds of performance situations—concerts, recording sessions, shows and films, festivals, workshops, special events, informal singing circles, and jam sessions. You’ll broaden your range and repertoire, rediscover songs that you love, book more gigs, have more fun, and amaze your audiences.

And it’s virtual — take it from anywhere in the world!

 

brilliant reading!

FOR ACTORS, WRITERS, AND OTHER HUMANS Advanced Technique Specifics for Sharing the Written Word Aloud

Level up your reading out loud! Whether you’re a professional actor or voice-over artist, a writer wanting to share your work, a teacher, student, or parent, any kind of public speaker, or just a human who likes to read and share, this class will help you do it brilliantly. You’ll quickly learn advanced technique principles and skills to engage and celebrate all kinds of written material—in any situation—with style and confidence.

Developed, designed, and taught by Ken Schatz, BRILLIANT READING! packs a wealth of technique information into an easygoing, adaptable approach that you can apply across formats, genres, and disciplines in a class and community that is supportive, safe, and fun. Whether you’re looking to book(!) more gigs, hone an essential skill, or work toward specific personal reading events or goals, you’ll learn how to dazzle your audiences—from casting directors and colleagues to friends and toddlers.

BRILLIANT READING! is live, custom-tailored for you in the moment, and virtual—join us from anywhere in the world!

 

** Next dates TBA

$200 to observe both sessions
$400 for both sessions with a working slot in each

OR
$120 to observe 1 session
$240 for 1 session with a working slot

 
 
 

special classes with guest teaching artists

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ACTORS' BUSINESS JUMPSTART

With Sagine Valla

FREE WORKSHOP

What does reaching out to that cool barista you met last month have to do with your acting career? How can calling your former high school teacher just to check in on him create new opportunities? Take a proactive approach to life and relationships instead of reacting to what has already happened. Sagine will guide you through your list of contacts, the approach and timeline to create new opportunities and support that you need to make your life as an actor work. Join us for a free ninety-minute session that will make the difference.

Next dates TBA
Online via Zoom
Free!

FULL COURSE

PART 1 - Over the span of two sessions, Sagine will help you jumpstart your career and navigate show business with confidence so you can avoid pitfalls, level up and accomplish your dreams. You’ll cover your personal brand, headshots, sourcing auditions as well as maximizing your online profile, resume templates and creating an effective reel -- all necessary tools in making things happen for your career.

Next dates TBA
Online via Zoom
$200


Part 2 - Want representation but don't know how to begin? Sagine will share with you a systematic way to reach out to potential reps and create relationships that can make the difference in your career. With her guidance, you will create a short list of reps, define the features and tools necessary to inform reps of your talent and type, share letter templates for sourcing reps and create a list of producers/directors to follow.

Next dates TBA
Online via Zoom
$100

Part 1 is not a prerequisite for Part 2, but we do recommend taking it first.

Register
 

Sagine Valla

Sagine Valla has appeared on BLACKLIST: REDEMPTION, GYPSY, THE VILLAGE, and BULL, and has studied with Ken Schatz, Kelly Kimball and Greg Berger. Sagine took a circuitous route to her acting career. She attended a performing arts school and trained in acting, singing and dancing starting at an early age through to the end of high school, before exploring her other talents and earning a BA in Psychology at Dartmouth College and a Masters at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Years into pursuing a career in the business of healthcare, Sagine found that her love for acting had never died and utilized her skills and acumen in business to advance her acting career. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience to help fellow actors navigate the business aspects of their career.

 
 
 
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INTRODUCTION TO VOICEOVER

With Helen Laser

FREE WORKSHOP

Dip a toe into the world of commercial voiceover. Helen will introduce you to technique, booth do's and don'ts, the current voiceover industry climate, and you’ll have a chance to work on commercial copy and receive direction and feedback. There will be a Q&A session at the end of the workshop, in which Helen will field any and all questions relating to voiceover!

Next dates TBA
Online via Zoom
Free!

SIX-WEEK COURSE

In this six-week course, you will learn in depth how to break into and market yourself in the voiceover industry. Helen will cover all the tools you need, including technique, essential recording equipment/software, identifying your specific niche in the current industry landscape, breaking down a V/O script, taking direction, and mastering the art of the audition so that you nail it every time. Actual copy (covering commercials, animation, audiobooks, and more) will be provided and used during classes to simulate a professional voiceover experience. No special equipment/microphone is needed to take this course!

Next dates TBA
Online via Zoom
$300

Register
 
 

Helen Laser

Helen Laser is an American-born actress hailing from Montclair New Jersey. She began acting professionally at an early age, and has received training and education from Muhlenberg College (where she was nominated for the Irene Ryan Award at the Kennedy Center and graduated Cum Laude), Ithaca College, and Oxford University (where she received the class award for excellence). She has also pursued singing professionally since the age of 8. She began her film career at 15, starring in an award-winning viral PSA about kindness. The video now has over 30 million views. Most recently, Helen has appeared on television, in various stage performances, and has had an illustrious voiceover career. Most notably, Helen can be heard as the voice of Annie's Homegrown (in addition to many other brands on television commercials and radio). For more information, visit HelenLaser.com

 
 

Movement for Actors

With Charlotte Bydwell

FREE WORKSHOP - GETTING BACK INTO YOUR BODY

Finding it hard to shed the PJ bottoms and to activate your whole system after two years of acting in 2D? Re-energize your body with this *free* ninety-minute workshop designed to jumpstart your kinetic imagination after months and months…and months of working on Zoom! Learn some quick, easy and engaging ways to integrate movement-based explorations back into your acting practice. Whether you’re preparing a self-tape, a Zoom audition or getting ready to step back into a live rehearsal room for the first time, this workshop will help you shake the dust mites off your mind-body connection and get your physical impulses back in gear! 

Next dates TBA
Online via Zoom
Free!

WORKSHOP - MOVING INTO SHAKESPEARE

The goal of this workshop is to dissolve the barrier of unfamiliar language that can stand between Shakespeare’s characters and our own humanity. Through a series of physical explorations, Charlotte will teach you to embody the movement of thought within Shakespeare’s poetry and to explore his rhythms & imagery viscerally. You will learn tools to transform complex ideas into actions driven by immediate, instinctual need. Participants will have the opportunity to delve into some of Shakespeare’s greatest characters and speeches, gaining a deeper understanding of their humanness and timeless relevance. This approach to Shakespeare is sure to get you up, moving, and connected to the muscularity of these famous texts!

Next dates TBA
Online via Zoom
$60

WORKSHOP: PHYSICAL COMEDY ON CAMERA/IN CONTAINED SPACES

Join choreographer, actor and expert physical comedienne Charlotte Bydwell for an afternoon of tips and tricks to animate your comedic choices in virtual auditions. Learn how to use angles, eye lines and body positioning in a frame to nail your punchlines, to embody larger-than-life characters and to show off your physical instincts as an actor. Whether you're looking to improve your comedic self-tapes or to feel more embodied in your Zoom auditions, this workshop is sure to spice up your physical choices, fine tune your timing and upgrade the quality of your online acting!

Next dates TBA
Online via Zoom
$60

Register
 
 

Charlotte Bydwell

A graduate of the Juilliard Dance Division and the Old Globe/USD Graduate Acting Program, Charlotte has performed and choreographed at leading theaters around the world. Select performance credits include: The Michaels (Public Theater), A Month in the Country (Williamstown), Twelfth Night, Othello, Comedy of Errors (The Old Globe), PARIS! (Company XIV), Monica Bill Barnes & Co. (various venues, company member), Keigwin + Co. (The Joyce). She most recently served as the choreographer for the 2021 National Tour, New York City and Chappaqua Performing Arts Center productions of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’. Charlotte has also worked on camera in recognized film/TV productions, most notably as the season choreographer on Comedy Central’s sketch series ‘Alternatino’. Charlotte premiered her debut one-woman show, ‘Woman of Leisure and Panic’, as part of the 8th Annual soloNOVA Festival (New York Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Performance Art Production). A combination of dance, theater and comedy, the show was remounted for performances at the NY International Fringe Festival, Anita’s Way and the First Person Arts Festival. It has also been translated into Spanish and performed across Mexico. Her solo film, ‘The Nude Model’, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe before screening at film festivals around the world focused on boundary-pushing cinema. Charlotte created ‘Moving into Language’, a movement-based approach to acting for performers and creators of all kinds, and has taught the course at Gibney, Peridance, BeMoving and Dance Device Lab. More info at: www.charlottebydwell.com

 
 
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SELF-TAPE LAB

With Allison Wick

This structured, challenging, yet supportive environment is an opportunity for you to sharpen your skills and experiment with a very specific objective: consistently turning in kick-ass self-tapes. Ally will discuss the latest industry norms and standards with you, and examine what’s helping and hindering your self-tape storytelling. This class is designed to mimic the self-tape audition experience: sides are assigned in advance with a realistic audition submission deadline, and feedback will be given live in class.

Saturday, June 1, 2-4 pm ET
Online via Zoom
$50
Register by May 25

Register
 

Allison (Ally) Wick

Allison Wick is a New York-based television and film actor, and a member of SAG-AFTRA. Recent screen credits include CHICAGO MED, FBI, BULL, and HUNTERS, as well as the upcoming feature film TOWNHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL. In addition to her work on-screen, Ally has also produced and performed in several Off-Off-Broadway plays with her company Hunger Theatre. She directed their recent production of Arthur Miller’s THE CRUCIBLE, in which she also played the role of Abigail Williams. Ally is an alumna of performing arts high school Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA, as well as the Circle in the Square Theater School in New York City.