Acting Updates from the Terry Knickerbocker Studio Community
Members of the Terry Knickerbocker Studio community have been involved in an exciting array of recent acting projects and related initiatives. Below are highlights of work in the last two months by members of the TKS community (highlighted in bold), including students, alumni, faculty members, and staff of the Terry Knickerbocker Studio as well as other actors trained or coached by Terry Knickerbocker (TKS Actors):
Austin Butler (TKS Actor)
Austin Butler stars as one of the bikeriders in “The Bikeriders,” the film written and directed by Jeff Nichols, which premiered on June 21.
Josh Charles (TKS Actor)
Josh Charles appears in Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” music video. The Hollywood Reporter explains how the role unfolded in an article titled “Josh Charles Thought He Was Being Punk’d By Ethan Hawke About Starring in Taylor Swift’s ‘Fortnight’ Music Video.”
Charles also stars in the FX mini-series “The Veil,” co-starring Elizabeth Moss and written by Steven Knight, which premiered on April 30.
Ayla Ciccone-Burton (TKS Alum)
Ayla Ciccone-Burton plays Helga in “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club” on Broadway and is part of an ensemble that is “absolutely stunning,” according to the New York Amsterdam News, which calls the production “a sensational evening at the theater.” Ayla performs “Willkommen” with the rest of the company at The 77th Annual Tony Awards.®
Kaia Gerber (TKS Alum)
Kaia Gerber is the focus of a feature article in Glamour titled “Even Kaia Gerber Couldn’t Believe What Happens in Palm Royale’s Season Finale: ‘I Was in Disbelief’.”
Boyd Holbrook (TKS Actor)
Boyd Holbrook stars as one of the bikeriders in “The Bikeriders,” the film written and directed by Jeff Nichols, which premiered on June 21.
Terry Knickerbocker (TKS Faculty)
Terry Knickerbocker is the focus of feature articles published by Backstage on June 12 – “How to Act (Well) Without Saying a Word”—and by Rough Draft Atlanta on May 10: “In conversation with acting coach Terry Knickerbocker.”
Terry was also the featured guest for one-hour interviews on the We Are Actors podcast on May 29 (“Terry Knickerbocker”) and the Evil Thespian podcast on June 1 (“Terry Knickerbocker”).
Natasha Lyonne (TKS Actor)
Natasha Lyonne has been cast in Marvel Studios’ upcoming production of “The Fantastic Four.” Deadline reports that “Lyonne has been on a roll as of late after her Emmy-nominated role in Rian Johnson’s Poker Face, which she also produces through Animal Pictures banner. The series has been nominated across all major awards including the Peabody Awards, Golden Globes, and Emmys, with wins at the WGAs and the TCAs, and is in production on its second season. In addition to starring and producing, Lyonne writes and directs on the show.” Terry Knickerbocker has coached Natasha Lyonne on “Poker Face” and previously on “Russian Doll.”
Amanda Xeller (TKS Student)
Amanda Xeller was highlighted in Cult MTL (Montreal) as “a visceral, raw, and physical sketch and character performer from Brooklyn, NY” who “produces a monthly character showcase in NYC called Character Night, which was named one of The Best Character Shows in the city.”
Celestine Rae (TKS Faculty)
Celestine Rae directed “BYGONE FRUIT”, which premiered on June 6 at the Project Y Theatre in New York City as part of the “Women In Theatre” Festival.
Jurnee Smollett (TKS Actor)
Jurnee Smollett will star in and executive produce the Netflix film “Lou” alongside Allison Janney in the Anna Foerster-directed film.
Yul Vazquez (TKS Actor)
Yul Vazquez will star opposite Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera in Apple Original Films’ Camp Fire drama “The Lost Bus” from writer Brad Ingelsby and director Paul Greengrass.
Julian Joseph (TKS Alum)
Julian Joseph graduates from Brooklyn College’s Cinema Arts MFA. Julian’s thesis film titled Stain starred fellow TKS Alum Kiyonna Carr.
Julia Barrett Mitchell (TKS Alum)
Julia Barrett Mitchell won for Best Short Documentary at the Big Apple Film Festival for the film 45 Degrees. Julia’s company is called Better than Bad Films.
Alfretz Costelo (TK Actor)
Alfretz Costelo booked their first Lead Role in a Short Film: I Have Some Thoughts, directed by Taylor Engel, which just wrapped over the weekend.
Kayla Zanakis (TKS Staff)
Kayla Zanakis was accepted into the cohort for the 2024 Edition of The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals. The program is a rigorous intensive where emerging theatre artists on both sides of the curtain join a weeklong professional development initiative.