A leading acting teacher and coach in New York City, Ken Schatz has been training professional actors for over 18 years. His students and clients are working performing artists in theater, television, and film. His mission is to equip them with the specific creative vocabulary, tools, and skills they need to do their best work.
On the faculty of Circle in the Square Theatre School – the only accredited acting conservatory attached to a Broadway theater – Ken has taught, coached, and directed for many well-known acting schools, colleges and universities, production companies, talent agencies, and casting offices, including NYU Tisch School of the Arts, The Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Harlem School of the Arts, Gorilla Rep, The Actors Institute, NYC’s Professional Performing Arts School, SUNY, University of Vermont, Jim Simpson’s Bat Theater Company, PHYSIQUE Studio at Carnegie Hall, MTV, and Pat McCorkle Casting.
Ken’s coaching credits include Tim Blake Nelson’s THE GREY ZONE with David Arquette and Steve Buscemi (Killer Films), COP LAND with Sylvester Stallone and Robert DeNiro, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY with Matt Dillon and Cameron Diaz, SHADRACH with Harvey Keitel and Andie MacDowell, ABC’s SPIN CITY, CRIME SPREE, and many other films, commercials, and theater productions. He is trained by Moni Yakim (creator of the movement programs at Juilliard and Yale, author of CREATING A CHARACTER) in Physical Acting Technique, and featured in the ACT NY Guide to Qualified Acting Coaches.
Ken’s acting credits include FINDING GRACELAND with Harvey Keitel and Bridget Fonda, Todd Haynes’ award-winning film POISON, the Obie-winning CROWBAR and BAD PENNY with En Garde Arts, KING LEAR with Andre De Shields at Classical Theatre of Harlem and The Folger Shakespeare Theatre, A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY at Stoneham Theatre, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM with Gorilla Rep, B.H. Barry’s TREASURE ISLAND, The Monotony Variety Show at Todo Con Nada, and SESAME STREET. He has performed with many theater companies, including Blue Light, Willow Cabin, JMTC, Dancing in the Streets, MaskWork Unlimited, Kinding Sindaw, and Bread & Puppet. His voice-over credits include MTV’s DARIA, HBO, SESAME STREET, Air America Radio, GLC’s award-winning THE BUDDY SYSTEM, and the Cartoon Network series SHEEP IN THE BIG CITY (Mo Willems/Curious Pictures).
Ken is Artistic Director of POOK'S HILL, a new company of theater artists and musicians developing innovative performance works from history, literature, and folklore. A singer and arranger of traditional/roots music – sea songs and chanteys, gospel, blues, ballads, and worksongs – he performs regularly at folk music clubs, festivals, and concert venues, and has designed vocal scores for several theater projects. He has administered several actor training programs for NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and is the former Associate Director of Circle in the Square Theatre School.
"GREAT WORK! Ken is a brilliant actor and acting teacher, director, dialect coach, and movement teacher... he’s everything!" — Harvey Keitel
"Mr. Schatz is simply superb." — The New York Times
Ken’s headshot, acting resume, cd, and voice-over reel are available on request. For more information, e-mail info@kenschatz.com or call 718·625·8372.
