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"He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist."
—Francis of Assisi |
About
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Ken Sonkin is an award-winning actor/director whose work has been seen at numerous Bay Area theaters including American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Rep, The Magic Theater, CenterREP, San Francisco Playhouse, Z Space, 42nd Street Moon, Berkeley Playhouse, San Jose Stage Company, Marin Shakespeare Festival, Sonoma Rep (associate artist), Contra Costa Civic Theatre, as well as regionally at the Grove Shakespeare Festival (LA), Pacific Resident Theater (LA), Seacoast Rep (NH), Pennsylvania Centre Stage, and The Denver Center Theatre Company. He earned a BFA in acting from the Ohio State University, trained at The National Theatre Conservatory, and holds an MFA from A.C.T.
Ken is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild, a company member of PlayGround (the Bay Area’s leading playwright incubator), and is represented by JE Talent, LLC. Throughout his career, he has enjoyed collaborations with such writers as Oliver Goldstick, Brian Thorstenson, Lynne Kaufman, Cass Brayton, Michael Patrick Gaffney, Carl Djerassi, Elizabeth Appell, Ignacio Zulueta, Bernard Weiner, and James McLure. |
Under Bill Ball and Allen Fletcher, Ken was a member of A.C.T.’s acting company and core conservatory faculty. He has taught acting at The National Theatre Conservatory, Northwestern University, Stanford University, Cornell College, Solano College’s Actor Training Program, Sonoma State University, Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, and The San Francisco Ballet School. Ken is also a member of the National Alliance of Acting Teachers. In his nineteenth year at the University of San Francisco, he teaches Acting, Personal Clown Technique, Auditioning, and Careers in Theater. At USF, he has directed main stage productions of Angels in America: Perestroika, Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses, Wild Boy (world premier, Oliver Goldstick), Open by Crystal Skillman, and a gender-bending, clown production of Tartuffe. In 2021, he co-produced the Performing Arts and Social Justice program 20th Anniversary Open Mic, as well as the fall outdoor concert Performing Arts Live. He is the recipient of a Jesuit Foundation Grant, and serves as the Standardized Patient Coordinator for USF's School of Nursing and Health Professionals. Ken spent three years as the director/founder of The Theatre Artists Institute, the professional actor-training program for The American Musical Theatre of San Jose and served as the artistic director of The Regency Center in San Francisco.
Television credits include Nash Bridges, Moonlighting, The Late Show, A&E's Comedy On The Road, Molson Canadian Comedy Releaf, The Hawaiian Moving Company, Who Stole Our Baby Tiger? and numerous PBS programs, including hosting of Pass the Hat and Video Field Trips. As a magician, Ken was voted #1 Street Performer in San Francisco, appeared in concert with Jay Leno, Red Skelton, Ellen DeGeneres, Howie Mandel, Dave Chapelle, Paula Poundstone, George Lopez, Harry Anderson, Garry Shandling, The Manhattan Transfer, The Drifters, Donnie & Marie Osmond, Merle Haggard, played The Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, and The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, headlined at The Punchline, The Improv, The Ice House, The Comedy & Magic Club (Hermosa Beach), The LA Playboy Club, Hollywood’s Magic Castle, and performed for Queen Elizabeth II of England.
Television credits include Nash Bridges, Moonlighting, The Late Show, A&E's Comedy On The Road, Molson Canadian Comedy Releaf, The Hawaiian Moving Company, Who Stole Our Baby Tiger? and numerous PBS programs, including hosting of Pass the Hat and Video Field Trips. As a magician, Ken was voted #1 Street Performer in San Francisco, appeared in concert with Jay Leno, Red Skelton, Ellen DeGeneres, Howie Mandel, Dave Chapelle, Paula Poundstone, George Lopez, Harry Anderson, Garry Shandling, The Manhattan Transfer, The Drifters, Donnie & Marie Osmond, Merle Haggard, played The Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, and The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, headlined at The Punchline, The Improv, The Ice House, The Comedy & Magic Club (Hermosa Beach), The LA Playboy Club, Hollywood’s Magic Castle, and performed for Queen Elizabeth II of England.
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