SereNa ryen
Serena Ryen is an actor, singer, and teacher whose work spans prestige television, world-renowned stages, and independent film. A recurring player in Ryan Murphy's television universe, she appears as Kara Kennedy in the global mega-hit LOVE STORY: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, and opposite Oscar-nominees Naomi Watts and Chloë Sevigny in FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans. She has performed in top-streamed series on NETFLIX, Apple TV+, FX, Hulu, and Disney+, on revered stages like Carnegie Hall and The Metropolitan Opera, and with global industry leaders like Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, Condé Nast, and Dunkin'.
A classically trained performer, Serena studied Musical Theatre at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy. She later honed her acting skills at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, where she now teaches Character Development to NYU-Tisch's freshman cohort.
On stage, she has worked with top theaters like St. Ann's Warehouse, The Cincinnati Playhouse, and the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. She has toured both regionally and internationally, bringing life to complex, powerful roles such as Cleopatra and Charlotte Corday, across plays and musicals alike.
As a producer, Serena is a founding member of Schmeh Films, where she creates and produces award-winning stories that entertain, inspire, and ignite change.
She won multiple Best Actress Awards at film festivals across the country for her raw, vulnerable performance in Schmeh Films' debut, CASHED (Amazon Prime Video), which she co-wrote with her life-and-producing partner, director Ethan Itzkow. With Itzkow, she co-directed the dark social thriller High Score (Film Shortage - Best Pick), and she produced the award-winning film JADE, starring Independent Spirit Award nominee Luke Tennie (Shrinking, The Pitt, Abbott Elementary).
Serena’s extensive experience both as a performer and behind the table — as a producer, director, casting director, and teacher — has given her a rare, holistic understanding of what makes a strong audition and how to guide young actors toward their greatest potential.
In everything she does — whether inhabiting a role, building a film from the ground up, or guiding a student through their most vulnerable moment — Serena is doing the same thing: telling true stories, and teaching others to do the same.
Let's work together
Hey there! I’m Serena.
I’ve been working as an actor for over a decade and sharing my love for the craft as a teacher for nearly as long.
You may have seen me on Ryan Murphy’s LOVE STORY: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette as Kara Kennedy, touring the globe in new plays and musicals, or bopping around the halls of the Stella Adler Studio while teaching NYU-Tisch’s freshmen cohort.
I’m classically trained and have also worked behind the table as a producer, director, and in casting, giving me a holistic understanding of what makes a strong audition and how to help developing actors tap into their deepest potential.
But I didn’t start out that way!
When I first moved to NYC to study theater, I was bombarded by voices telling me that building a life as a working actor would be impossible. I’m here to tell you they were wrong. I’ve learned that with patience, practice, curiosity, and the right teachers, a successful, impactful life as an actor is not only possible - it’s achievable!
Together, we’ll build a technique you can rely on and develop your unique artistry as we craft auditions that get you closer to your dreams.
I’m so excited to work with you!
TESTIMONIAL
“If you want an acting coach who is going to bring out the best in you, Serena is definitely the one. She created an environment for me to have fun. She sees what you’re bringing into the room and adds onto it. Her delightful encouragement is important because you feel like you can do no wrong, which leads to bold and unpredictable choices. Serena challenges my creativity, which has made me a more innovative actor.”
- Evan Simone Frazier, Actor (Fire with Fire, Playwrights Horizons, Cortland Rep)
“Training under Serena's guidance has proven highly valuable in the development of my acting skills. Her method to breaking down a character is gradual and specific, allowing my perception of it to evolve. I think the aspect I appreciated the most when working with Serena was her ability to nurture the creativity she discovered in each and every student, enabling it to flourish without telling them what to do. Her advice has helped me approach characters who seemed unapproachable and to complexify those who appeared bland at first. Serena is very understanding, but she has expectations when it comes to putting in work, as she should because it is impossible to improve something that has not been worked on. To say the least, she has what it takes to help you advance in your craft, but only if you're willing to work for it. I can say this with confidence because I've been through it and still hold tight to her advice!”
- Arsène Abelin, NYU-Tisch
“Serena has a passion for the art of acting and she cares deeply about the work we create. She strive to help her students grow as much as she can. She doesn’t try to rebuild the actor, rather develop what is already there. Having her as a teacher for two semesters of college gave me many tools and the confidence in myself to craft unique characters. What I loved most about being Serena’s student was her attention to detail. She really dove into the nitty-gritty of what we were working on, whether that be the physicality, the voice, or the moment-to-moment beats.”
- Alexander Efremidis, NYU-Tisch