Studio Workshop
LEIGH KILTON-SMITH: Scene Study
Monday and Friday Afternoons
Dates & Times
Monday, October 7, 2024 – 1:00pm-5:30pm
Friday, October 11, 2024 – 1:00pm-5:30pm
Monday, October 14, 2024 – 1:00pm-5:30pm
Friday, October 18, 2024 – 1:00pm-5:30pm
Houghton Hall, 22 East 30th Street, 2nd Floor Ballroom
About the Workshop
Teacher and onset acting coach Leigh Kilton-Smith will lead a scene study workshop at The Actors Center over two weeks in October. The workshop is open by referral or application to any professional actor.
Leigh will work with participants on scenes from 20th- and 21st century plays. Every scene will work each class, beginning with a first encounter with the text and a particular approach to the memorization process. Throughout, Leigh will offer insights to support actors in being present, listening, trusting connection, and allowing a great story to emerge, with the primary aim that participants leave knowing themselves better as artists. Sessions run Mondays and Fridays, 1:00pm-5:30pm.
“I approach the work with actors in class, the same way I would approach working with new actors on set. With curiosity,“ says Leigh. “My goal is truthfulness and a natural quality that supersedes the dialogue. I operate within a structure, but I’m keen to experiment and explore.”
Enrollment is limited to 14 actors. Participants will be assigned a scene partner. Participants are asked to neither rehearse nor memorize before the first session.
Participation Fee: $550
“Leigh offers a way of approaching the work that is immediately actionable. I have utilized elements of her technique every single time I have been on set since learning them.”
Stephanie Kurtzuba
Photo by Claire McConnell
About Leigh Kilton-Smith
Leigh Kilton-Smith is a teacher and acting coach with over 35 years of experience in the entertainment industry. She has maintained a balance between classroom work at her studio in Los Angeles and being an in-demand acting coach on sets around the world, providing invaluable guidance to actors as they navigate the challenges of real-time performance.
Her work is reflected in dozens of award-winning performances in notable projects, including Oppenheimer, Elvis, Vengeance, Manchester by the Sea, White Lotus, Burlesque, Anne Boleyn, Murder Mystery, Queen & Slim, Iron Man, Aladdin, White Boy Rick, True Detective directed by Issa Lopes, Doug Liman’s The Instigator, Cary Fukunaga’s Masters of the Air, and Jamie Lloyd’s West End revival of Sunset Boulevard, starring Nicole Scherzinger.
Collaborators include: B.J. Novak, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lukas Gage, Austin Butler, Guy Ritchie, Casey Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Kathryn Hahn, John Leguizamo, Tony Goldwyn, Gabrielle Union, Desi Lydic, Zac Efron, Diane Lane, and Sam Rockwell.
Leigh’s commitment to her craft and her clients has earned her a reputation for excellence in the industry. Whether working one-on-one with actors or shaping performances on set, she remains dedicated to helping her clients shine both on and off the camera.