Kenneth J. Ray 

Kenneth J. Ray is a New York based actor and educator. As an actor, he completed his undergraduate training at Howard University under Emmy winner Al Freeman Jr. and at The British American Drama Academy with John Barton and Mark Wing Davey (Chairman NYU Grad Acting). Upon moving to New York, Kenneth continued rigorous graduate level training with the nation’s foremost master teachers including: Janet Zarish (Head of NYU Grad Acting), Jim Calder ( Head of Movement NYU Grad Acting), Fay Simpson (Yale School of Drama/ NYU Grad Acting), Lucas Caleb Rooney (Juilliard), Rosalyn Coleman Williams (NYU), Academy Award Winner Olympia Dukakis and Ilse Pfeifer (Fitzmaurice Master Teacher). He has enjoyed an array of diverse performance opportunities at regional theaters all over the country including The Kennedy Center. He completed teacher training Carol Rosenfeld of HB Studios, Chris Bayes (Head of Movement Yale School of Drama/ Pandemonium Studios), Karen Kohlhaas ( Founding Member of The Atlantic Theatre Company/ The Art and the Audition) and Lincoln Center Education.

Kenneth is currently on the faculty of Circle in the Square Theatre School and is a Master Teaching Artist with The August Wilson Monologue Competition. He has previously worked taught with The Next Narrative Monologue Competition, Young Playwrights Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Success Academy Charter Schools, Democracy Prep Public Schools, The Goodard School, Tenafly High School, the Duke Ellington School for the Arts and Howard University. He is a highly sought after audition coach whose clients have appeared on Broadway: Shuffle Along, Scottsboro Boys, Lion King, Mean Girls; National/International Tours: Ghost: The Musical, Book of Mormon; The 2016 NBC Diversity Showcase and numerous regional theatre and television roles (Criminal Minds, Happy, Elementary, The Deuce, Grey's Anatomy, Better Off Ted). His grad school coaching clients have had final callbacks for and been accepted to The Juilliard School; Yale School of Drama; New York University; California Institute of the Arts, University of California, Brown University/Trinity Rep M.F.A and more.

Kenneth is a member of VASTA: The Voice and Speech Trainers Association, The Association for Theatre in Higher Education and The August Wilson Society.