“Questions are the keys that cause the secret doors of the psyche to swing open.”

— Clarissa Pinkola Estés

 
 

As an actor, coach and teaching artist, I’m well trained in the art of asking powerful questions. A graduate of Newfield Network’s Professional Coach Training Program in Boulder, CO, I was designated an Associate Certified Coach by the ICF in 2014. I’m also certified by the NMCA to teach the Michael Chekhov Technique and by Louis Colaianni in his Speech & Phonetic Pillows work. But expertise lacks meaning unless it helps unlock potential for the people I coach. My clients have been on broadway, in film and tv, written solo shows and novels, launched careers, changed careers, started their own businesses and finished passion projects.

 

 Explore

Private Coaching | Group Classes   | Workshops

Private Coaching

One-on-one sessions are tailored to your needs. If you have an audition, now, let’s work fast. One focused hour can yield big results. If you want to develop your process, work through blocks or explore something deeper, book a package to save money. Spending extra time with me is delightful, pinky promise. I can guide you in making more embodied choices, aligning those choices with the nuances of different mediums, or get you cooking on specialized topics such as dialect acquisition and accent reduction. I also work with folks outside the arts sector to increase their confidence in communication, EQ and interpersonal skills.

 Group Classes

I weave a variety of methods into the fabric of my classroom. You can check out my teaching CV here if that floats your boat. Regardless of the topic, the environment I create is fun and challenging. People laugh, people cry, lightbulbs go off and beautiful questions emerge. Are you ready to live the questions?

I teach regularly in New York City, Oklahoma City and Phoenix. Upcoming classes are listed below.

NYC, Fall Mondays 2023:
This class is SOLD OUT!

  • Psychophysical Acting
    Mondays 7-10pm ET
    8 weeks starting Oct 2, 2023
    @ Theatre Row Studios, NYC

  • Cost: $375 (reduced from $450 due to the industry strike). One BIPOC scholarship available. Email to inquire.

NYC Fall Tuesdays 2023:
This class is SOLD OUT!

  • Psychophysical Acting
    Tuesdays 6:30-930pm ET
    8 weeks starting Oct 3, 2023
    Location TBA

  • Cost: $375 (reduced from $450 due to the industry strike). One BIPOC scholarship available. Email to inquire.

 
 
 

 Workshops

Curious about a topic but not sure you want to make a long-term commitment? Workshops are a cool way to get a taste of something new or refresh an interest you’ve put on the back burner. I’ve facilitated workshops in acting, movement, voice, dialects, and leadership & presentation skills, at universities and organizations around the US and abroad. Upcoming workshops are listed below.

  • No workshops currently scheduled. Reach out if you are interested in a custom workshop for your students or organization.

 

Womanifesto

I believe artists have to develop the courage and resiliency to live with and in what is uncomfortable, uncertain and unknown. But we need not approach our work with fear or avoidance. I believe art is spiritual, psycho-physical and at its best both a reflection and a transcending of the human condition. I work in a way that is more about uncovering than adding onto – a stripping down of obstructive emotional and intellectual clothing so that you can find ease in vulnerability, joy in mystery and confidence in multiple ways of knowing. So that you can get intimate with your imagination to reveal the heart of the material. So that the character, the script, the song, the project, can come to you and through you. This takes time, effort and a little bit of alchemy. 

I hold space for hard work and magic, and for all types of learners. Both my group classes and my private coaching honor the individual needs of each person. Please check out what I offer and reach out if you have questions.

 
 
Testimonials
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Kristen was my first ever acting teacher, and I am so glad she was the one who introduced me to the world of actor training. Not only does she have profound knowledge of this field (I took scene study, movement, and Linklater voice classes with her), she exudes professionalism and genuine care for her students. There is sensitivity and inclusivity in her teaching - Kristen ensures everyone feels seen and is comfortable in her classes. Without her, I would not be where I am today, pursuing my masters in acting. We all have a lot to learn from this woman.

– Meg Oikawa, actor, MFA candidate at Pace University

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Kristen Cerelli gave me a methodology that is at the core of my craft. She creates an ensemble of students through her intentional language, clear point of view, and technique-driven exercises. Kristen provides a balance between play and commitment, and has a unique ability to adapt to each student’s needs. She utilizes the environment to encourage freedom of expression while grounding the actor. This is especially true in her mastery of Scene Study. She inspires a passion in her students to fully embody a character’s psycho-physical state before, during, and after the scene. Kristen challenged me to grow without limits starting day one. Her commitment to her students’ growth and success is unrivaled.

– Gareth Daniel, actor

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When the rare talents which Kristen Cerelli possesses as a teacher and an artist are taken on their own, they're impressive. As an actress she displays confidence, imagination, and breadth, breathing life into Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, and modern musical theater with her very own humor and sensitivity. As a teacher she motivates her students to use their brains, their hearts and their bodies when exploring text by connecting them to the human experience. As a coach Kristen listens, intuits, analyses, and guides her clients to reach their goals everywhere from the corporate jungle to the New York stage. She is concise, funny, nurturing, whip smart, and unbelievably gifted.

– Blair Ross, actor, Broadway: My Fair Lady, Side Show, Jekyll & Hyde, 42nd Street; TV: The Last O.G., The Gilded Age, Search Party, Little Voice, Bull, Law & Order SVU

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Kristen truly taught me how significant it is to pay attention to the ‘why’ in my work. She led me to probe more deeply into my choices and the reasoning behind them. The second I started to do that, the better actor and scene partner I became.

– Laura Kariuki, actor, ABC’s The Wonder Years

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Kristen excels at providing the cerebral basics and building blocks to a concept and then pushing the actor to translate it into their bodies. Her intuitive teaching style extends from her work with scene study to her dialect coaching. As an actor who has a tendency to get into his own head, Kristen was able to get me thinking with my gut instinct rather than getting bogged down in my brain. Her sensitivity, patience, and ardent passion make her a magnetic and inspirational presence in the workspace, and create a safe space in which the actor can confidently test their limits.

– Jordan Kilgore, writer & actor

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My time with Kristen Cerelli as a mentor has been like no other. Kristen has a way of making you feel seen as an actor. You dive into the nitty gritty parts of yourself that only you’ve seen in the mirror and start to cultivate them into beautiful art. I truly believe that my junior and senior year of college was successful because she taught me how to trust my own vision as an artist. She is educated on all facets of acting: text analysis, voice and dialects, movement, and even contemporary work that is being devised in the moment. The best thing about her as a coach is that she gives you personalized feedback, something you would never find in a textbook. You will walk away from her coaching not only a better artist, but a better human.

– Sydney Epstein, actor

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