The TKS Faculty have named our Notable Students of the Season! I’d like to officially announce and congratulate TKActors: Ayana Anise Mumford, Caroline Collins, Erin Ellbogen, Isabella Franceska, Jonathan Gordon, Julia Knippen, Kuj Agolii, Mary Page Nance, Nicole Sagisi, Panyin Nunoo-Brown, Samantha Osman, and Seth Robert Patterson on being selected as the Notable Students for Spring 2025.
These 12 students are truly inspiring – meeting the moment with enthusiasm, courage and playful curiosity. They embody what it means to be “committed to excellence.” After notifying these students of their nominations, we asked them to share some insights on their time at TK Studio with the following prompts:
- How has your training here at TKS supported your understanding and pursuit of artistic excellence?
- Describe a moment in your training journey that you recall as having had a clear and lasting impact on you?
- What does being a part of the TKS community mean to you?
Let’s celebrate these exceptional students and send them lots of love and congratulations. We are so lucky to have them and all of you as integral members of our TKS Community!
Ayana Anise Mumford
Describe a moment in your training journey that you recall as having had a clear and lasting impact on you?
A moment that had a lasting impact on me was in my clown class. Justin, who is the clown teacher, had this exercise where he gives us a topic to sing about to our audience. One day, the exercise went tremendously wrong for me. The thing I was talking about, was not compelling to my audience, they were not engaged, I didn’t know what to do, and Justin had me sit in that. What felt like forever was only like five to seven minutes. However, after clown class, I was surprised about how I felt. For some reason, after class, I didn’t feel like a failure, like I wanted to quit, I wasn’t hard on myself (which I normally am), I didn’t feel any shame, or it wasn’t a disheartening experience for me. Surprisingly, I felt invigorated, at peace that the exercise didn’t go well, I was proud of myself for still doing it and being committed, even though it went TERRIBLY wrong!! And overall, I felt this sense of gratitude that I was excited to want to try again and see what happens next time. After that experience, I’ve noticed in my acting classes, I’m more eager to take bolder risks, not caring how the outcome comes out as far as getting it “right”. I’m just wanting to explore and try something new, even if it seems bizarre in my head. I’m giving myself the chance to get it out and experience it. Because of that, I walked away with a level of freedom in me about just going for it, even when things seem scary. I am forever grateful, and continuing this journey of unlocking more things about myself, to go deeper in taking risk.
What does being a part of the TKS community mean to you?
Being here means so much to me. I have the space to be as messy as I can possibly be without judgment. Here, I feel my vulnerability is honored and protected, and for me personally that means a lot. I feel I have the space to really play and explore and just try things out even if it doesn’t make sense. Also, it’s feels good to actually be seen and want a genuine response when someone asks how are you doing and not just going through the motion. I am grateful to be a part of this community and feel this place is not only helping me become a better artist but overall a better/present human being.
Caroline Collins
How has your training here at TKS supported your understanding and pursuit of artistic excellence?
My training at this acting conservatory has been foundational in shaping both my craft and my understanding of artistic excellence. The rigorous curriculum pushed me to explore vulnerability, discipline, and truth. Beyond building the tools, the conservatory emphasized collaboration, text analysis, and emotional honesty. Most importantly, Celestine taught us to be curious, committed to the process and to be generous with the energy you bring into the room.
Describe a moment in your training journey that you recall as having had a clear and lasting impact on you?
A breakthrough moment in my training came when I stopped receiving feedback as a wound but as a wake up call to something no longer serving me. An invitation to be generous, to grow, refine, and rise to meet my partner with a sense of creative abandon. The things that scare me the most like horror films and complicated family conflicts were actually the most exhilarating imaginary circumstances to craft and live out. This training has taught me that what scares me unearths something new, gutting habits that now block, not protect my creativity.
Erin Ellbogen
How has your training here at TKS supported your understanding and pursuit of artistic excellence?
TKS has brought out in me a depth of creativity I hadn’t had the confidence to explore before. I look at art, people, and the world differently now as I develop a practice of searching for meaning and inspiration in everything. As most of the work we do relies on our ability to stretch our creativity, I’ve come up against a defensive habit of playing things safe. But I learned that at TKS, the risks I take will be celebrated regardless of whether the experiment in the work was a “success” or not. As I’ve worked on adjusting my relationship to failure, I’ve realized that many of my best days in class where days where I may have entirely missed the mark, but I committed to shooting for the moon.
What does being a part of the TKS community mean to you?
It’s so inspiring to be in a space where everyone is here for the same reasons, but no one is the same. We all have so much to learn from each other, and we all want to see each other succeed. I love celebrating my classmates’ risks and discoveries and knowing mine will be celebrated in turn. From day one, TKS fosters an environment where students approach each other with curiosity, not judgement or competition, and I don’t believe I would have been able to grow as much this year were that not the case.
Isabella Franceska
How has your training here at TKS supported your understanding and pursuit of artistic excellence?
From the very first day, the attitude at TKS has been one of empowerment. The question was never “can you do it?” it was “how will you do it?” “what will you bring”. In such a space individuality becomes your superpower, risk taking becomes your companion, and learning from failure becomes your craft. TKS fosters an expansive understanding of who we are as people and who we can become as actors. Undergoing the first year of this work is like taking off blinders you didn’t know you had on. Your world expands; you become freer, and eventually, a beautiful thing starts to develop: your craft.
Jonathan Gordon
How has your training here at TKS supported your understanding and pursuit of artistic excellence?
The training has completely reoriented the way in which I think about excellence, artistic or otherwise. Historically, I’ve always avoided being seen as someone who’s in pursuit of excellence; that’s just been my unfortunate habit of protecting myself against the shame of failure. Because if you try hard and you don’t succeed—whatever that means—I mean, that can be mortifying. But in Terry, I found someone who just has this infectious perspective on excellence; he inspired me to consider that excellence really is a goal worth pursuing, that it can be incredibly gratifying to be in pursuit of quality work, and that we should always be producing art that, as he likes to say, we’re “willing to put our autographs on.” And I started to become much more preoccupied with pushing myself towards creating art that has genuine quality. Quality not because it fulfills some arbitrary metric, but because it’s been molded by a personal passion for making something great. And as a result, I’ve become much more excited about the effort I put into my art. I’m proud of the effort I put in. There’s nothing mortifying about it, regardless of the outcome. And I’ve watched as my acting has grown in kind.
What does being a part of the TKS community mean to you?
It’s not always easy to say that you want to be an actor. I suppose for some it is, but I don’t think it is for everyone. And then it’s a whole ‘nother thing to actually do something about it. Which, in this case, means getting training. The people in this program have come from all different backgrounds—some people have never acted before, some people, like myself, acknowledged that there were gaps in their training that needed to be filled. But regardless, everybody in this community has made a commitment to show up, often daily, to be vulnerable, to be raw, and to be guided, which is difficult when you’re opening yourself up like that. And yet people are here. Doing that. Working incredibly hard in class, but also outside of class, hustling to support themselves and to pay for this education. And that’s a level of commitment that’s humbling to witness. I get a lot of inspiration from being surrounded by people who are that hungry to make their art.
Julia Knippen
How has your training here at TKS supported your understanding and pursuit of artistic excellence?
I am just getting started, but over the course of the past two months I feel that I’ve finally started an acting practice that I can exercise both on my own and with a partner, a consistent, repeatable practice that is a workout for my imagination and temperament. I’m still learning how everything fits together, but my focus has already shifted from anticipating outcomes towards trusting the process. It’s liberating to embrace the unknown and move through a rehearsal with no expectations. It’s also terrifying and frustrating and joyful and intoxicating.
Kuj Agolii
How has your training here at TKS supported your understanding and pursuit of artistic excellence?
I had no idea what pursuing artistic excellence meant when I walked through the door. I thought I’d just be reading scripts and trying to “do” scenes. I signed up for the summer intensive impulsively. After a couple of years, I have learned just how much hard work goes into the craft. As daunting as that may seem, I find it to be comforting, as well. I can work hard. TKS has shown me how to work towards being the best artist I can be, and how to approach the work with discipline, humanity, and above all, love.
Describe a moment in your training journey that you recall as having had a clear and lasting impact on you?
I came up to a guy who didn’t have his keycard. He was waiting at the door. “Hey. You know what the code is to buzz the desk at Terry Knickerbocker’s?“ he asked. “No… and I don’t have my card today either,” I responded.That guy was Sam Rockwell. It was then, standing there waiting for the door to open, that I knew I could do this
What does being a part of the TKS community mean to you?
The TKS community for me has, and will always be, a place of broad and diverse artists from all walks of life that I can steal from. And so, in turn, I hope others can look up to me, and I can be an inspiration to them. Inspiring them to aim high and take risks, regardless of accolades or awards, like Student of the Season. Real growth takes real work. And I’ve always tried my best to bring realness to my work. And that realness in the work is what the TKS community is all about.
Mary Page Nance
Describe a moment in your training journey that you recall as having had a clear and lasting impact on you?
The one that stands out to me was during my intensive, which happened to be on ZOOM during the pandemic. I had been doing the activities for weeks and I really wasn’t getting it. The pieces had not yet come together for me and I didn’t understand why the criteria for them was so specific. I was also having a really hard time to connecting to a personal desire that would light me up. Then I crafted around my niece and being there for her dance recital which is something that had a lot of meaning for me. Then, the exercise finally opened up in a way I had never felt before. There was an emotional result that came from putting all the pieces together in the “recipe” in a very meaningful way. I never understood that the result you wanted could be reverse engineered like that. That’s the moment I “got it” and understood that this technique was really going to work for me.
What does being a part of the TKS community mean to you?
It means a great deal. I have made friends here that I know will last a long time. It is a group of people that I am deeply inspired by, and feel very connected to. We all support each other, go see each other’s work, we talk about our frustrations and our breakthroughs. We all understand each other on a different level because of the what we have exposed in ourselves through doing this work. It is a very powerful connection and one that I am very grateful for.
Nicole Sagisi
Describe a moment in your training journey that you recall as having had a clear and lasting impact on you?
For most of my life, I’ve had a habit of allowing my fear of failure to stop me from even trying. In an effort to change that habit, I signed up for this intensive and decided to give trying a try. On the first day of class, Terry came in and spoke about babies learning to walk as an analogy for learning to act: They stumble, they fall flat on their face, they make mistake after mistake, but they don’t call themselves idiots and give up; They keep trying and eventually they can walk, even run, quite well. Being a part of this community as helped me adopt that mindset. I no longer define myself by my moments of failure, and that has been pivotal to my growth as both an artist and a human being.
What does being a part of the TKS community mean to you?
It means being encouraged to become the most uniquely authentic version of yourself that you can be. It means being supported in your exploration of what it is to be human— allowing yourself to feel the full range of emotions, and meeting yourself with compassion and acceptance.
Panyin Nunoo-Brown
How has your training here at TKS supported your understanding and pursuit of artistic excellence?
I’ve always loved acting, but I had never auditioned for anything before—partly because I was afraid my nerves would keep me from being fully present and truthful in the work. But more than that, I held back because I knew what strong, quality acting looked like, and I didn’t want to step into it until I believed I could meet that standard. Growing up watching so many genuine and impactful artists, I developed a deep desire to create work that was both excellent and meaningful. Coming to TKS—first through the intensive, and now as part of the two-year conservatory—has shaped me in profound ways. I feel grounded in the tools I’ve learned, inspired by the words of my teachers, and supported by a community that values bold choices, individuality, authenticity and craft. For the first time, I feel confident in my ability to create the kind of work I’ve always admired.
What does being a part of the TKS community mean to you?
To be honest, there’s something incredibly comforting about being surrounded by people who are just as strange, driven, and wildly creative as I am. At TKS, I’ve found a community full of people who are so different from one another, yet deeply connected by our shared love of acting. Being part of that kind of space makes me feel bold, inspired, and proud to belong.
Samantha Osman
How has your training here at TKS supported your understanding and pursuit of artistic excellence?
Terry’s approach has been able to highlight my weak spots and strong spots in my acting. This training really sets the bar high for what it means to do committed, excellent, and truthful work. It’s reliable and I feel so much more confident in my skills and in my ability to take a script and turn it into something. I now hold myself to a higher standard than I used to. When there were things I tended to struggle with, Terry would want me to work on them which really taught me that it takes time to get good at this and discipline. Two years ago I could’ve never imagined myself here. I’ve done things I never thought I could all because of Terry’s patience and wisdom as well as my dedication to the work.
Describe a moment in your training journey that you recall as having had a clear and lasting impact on you?
There’s so many moments I could recall during these past 2 years that it’s almost impossible to choose one but this one really sticks out to me. I remember doing my first Spoon River poem. I remember I worked so hard on it and everyone that knows Spoon River knows how challenging it can be. However, I had probably my most connected, truthful, and clear moment working on Pauline Barrett. It was so impactful, I couldn’t really remember what had happened! That moment was when I really knew what it felt like to be inside my body and out of head. I could see a glimpse of what I could become for every script I’m handed.
Seth Robert Patterson
How has your training here at TKS supported your understanding and pursuit of artistic excellence?
I love the nerdy things about being an actor, and I’ve experienced out-of-body flow state experiences on stage when I truly felt connected, but I realized that I did not possess a technique I could rely on to achieve that presence and connectivity consistently. TKS gave me many new skills for crafting behavior and improving my acting, and I feel a lot more confident in approaching material. I’ve always felt incredibly tense and the movement intensive was transformative! When I walked into class, I was closed off and I was consistently blown away by how open I felt at the end of each class.
Describe a moment in your training journey that you recall as having had a clear and lasting impact on you?
I remember the moment I understood the difference between ‘responding’ and ‘reacting’. Responding is taking in information, thinking about it, and editing an answer. Reacting is taking in the information and acting on the immediate impulse without editing. I have heard a million times, as many of us have, “Acting is REACTING”. But once I realized that much of my acting had been RESPONDING, I really let go. Intentionally removing the pressure of editing myself gave me a lot more freedom. Impulse, impulse, impulse… Of course, it feels damn near impossible to resist editing myself, but the moments where I let go… those are the moments when I felt that flow-state and felt real growth in my performance. That was a moment towards the end of the intensive when I understood the value of this technique in a tangible way. I was and still am hungry for that consistency in my work!
What does being a part of the TKS community mean to you?
My voice teacher always said, “stones polish stones”… meaning that you must surround yourself with people who are going to make you better. It’s a gift to be in an environment where you don’t need to explain yourself to anyone. The commitment to the craft of acting and the standard of excellence is immediately sensed when you walk in the door. All that on top of the fact that I’ve met people whom I love and I’m sure I’ll carry with me through my life! Thank you, TKS.
Join the TKS community and become a confident actor for the rest of your life.