A Distinctive Audition Process

JOLIE WANG

Carnegie Mellon University, BFA Acting

Lea Floden was my guiding light throughout the long and stressful college audition process. 

I really enjoyed Lea’s approach in helping me prepare for my auditions. She assisted me by helping me carefully dissect each piece I had to perform, even if it came down to a single word! Together, we found the key details to my monologues: needs, movement, vocal energy, and much more.

With Lea’s coaching, I was able to walk into audition rooms feeling prepared and excited to work. 

I could not have imagined a better acting teacher and mentor to get me to where I am today.

AVERY HARRAH

Guildhall School of Music & Drama, BA (Hons) Acting

Don’t Turn Out the Lights

Lea has changed my life. Not only as an actor but as a person.

She has the innate ability to meet a student and see them for all that they are capable of before they even see their own potential. She helps you truly understand yourself and always pushes you to go deeper with the work and enhance your ability to see yourself and others fully.

The class environment is always warm and intriguing, and I always feel safe to take risks and feel supported by both Lea and my peers.

I cannot say enough about how much Lea has changed my life. Whenever I feel discouraged I always come out of class or a private with Lea feeling inspired and determined to keep going, because there is just so much more to discover.

SAMUEL EMERSON KARPINSKI

Young Arts and Jimmies Finalist

Carnegie Mellon University, BFA Acting

Be willing to give yourself over and realize that everything you ever thought you knew about acting is wrong. Lea helped me access my emotions fully for the first time in my life, completely changing the way I look at the craft of acting and the world around me. Lea instilled in me beliefs of love and play that I carry with me, and that have led me to success and joy within acting and life. She has been the most important, influential teacher I’ve ever had. I’ve never felt pushed, loved and encouraged by any other teacher in the way I have with Lea. She gets you in touch with yourself, and it is fucking painful, beautiful and empowering. Lea has an energy that makes me feel free to be myself. She understands young people in a way I’ve never encountered with other teachers. If you can work with her, do it. but you have to be willing to give in, give over and give way to her genius.

CORDELIA REYNOLDS

Carnegie Mellon University, BFA Acting

Without Lea Floden, I would not be the spiritually connected and motivated actor that I am today. Thanks to her, I found myself within my work and learned how to showcase myself to others. She introduced me to a community of like-minded artists who are deeply passionate about their work. She was able to create this environment because of her fierce caretaking and dedication to every individual actor as a human first and a creative hub second. She further ignited my passion and love for the theatre and my craft, encouraging me to trust my body, my heart, and my gut. I genuinely do not know where or who I would be without her influence; I have never met a teacher quite like her, who loves so to her core and nurtures with everything in her. She is a safe place for everyone

IMANI PREYOR

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, BA (Hons) Acting

Lea has undoubtedly changed my life for the better. Since the very first day we met, her care and kind heart created an incredibly loving and supportive environment which I couldn’t wait to return to. Within less than a year of working together, my outlook, approach, and understanding of my work has become so much clearer. 

Through her wisdom and incomparable dedication to her students, everyone is given the opportunity to take a deep dive into their artistry. I would not be anywhere close to the actor or person I am today without Lea. I hold new courage and curiosity with my work and am forever grateful to be a student to one of the most loving and hardworking people I’ve ever met.

MATT YULISH

London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA), BA (Hons) Acting

Lea is an open textbook of knowledge about her craft.

And Lea cares. She will see you for who you really are, and with patience, sincerity, and toughness, she will help you to see that person as well.

Lea will never give up on you. And when you want to give up, she will be there to pick up the pieces and give you strength.

Lea is an exceptional teacher, inspiration, and friend, and I am so grateful I have trained with her.

COREY HEDY

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA), MA Classical Acting

Lea's passion and drive for my success gave me the strength to move through my fear and helped me find myself in my acting.  

Lea pays careful attention to each individual and tailors her coaching to meet your needs. She sees you as the actor you are before you even see it yourself, and she will pull that actor out of you! She challenges you to be the best version of yourself every day, because she sincerely cares about you and wants your dreams to come true.  

Lea's coaching has transformed me and has made me a better person in the process. She is an inspiration, a coach like none other, and a dear friend.

GRACE OLINSKI

Young Arts Winner & Spotlight Semifinalist
London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA), BA (Hons) Acting
Brooklyn University, MFA Acting

Lea is a teacher that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I know that the things I've experienced in her class will continue to resonate and yield new meanings for as long as I can remember them, and that she will be present in my life and work no matter where I am, reminding me that there is always more work to be done and more joy to be had doing it. In Lea’s class, you will be truly seen, deftly guided, and matched for dedication every step of the way. If you’re looking for joy, depth, truth, and love, you’ll find it in her classroom. If you want to change yourself lastingly and for the better, study with Lea.

TALI PAPOUCHADO

Spotlight Semifinalist

NYU Tisch, Experimental Theatre Wing/Meisner Studio, BFA Acting

Lea Floden has changed my life....

Her incredible career and experience make her way of working thoughtful, rigorous, and personal to each student. Her ability to make meaningful connections and foster an environment of love, intimacy, and hard work has allowed me to find my place and my people at her studio.

Working with Lea, you are getting THE BEST training you can get. She cuts through the bullshit and never stops pushing you to better your craft. In a college audition where everyone had to perform in front of each other, students from Lea’s studio had a deep connection to the text, a truthfulness, and a big heart that was incomparable.

She is truly a master teacher, and I don’t know, nor do I want to know, where I’d be without her incredible light in my life. With Lea, I have not only found a teacher that challenges and stretches me, but I have found a lifelong mentor and friend. 

GRACE WESTLIN

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland,
BA (Hons) Musical Theatre

Lea’s intuitive ability to disarm and connect with each student according to their individual needs is why her studio is full of empowered artists who fully inhabit their space. Her students connect and learn from one another because Lea cultivates an environment of trust and support. I would not be the artist or person I am today without her wisdom and care. Thanks to Lea, I have the courage to explore, play, and fail. She continues to teach me the joy of expression through storytelling and shift my understanding of one’s duty as an artist to communicate truthfully with the world.

YAEL EVE

Spotlight Semifinalist

University of North Carolina School of the Arts, BFA Acting

Lea Floden is simply magic. Her dedication to and love for each of her students is what enables her to push them when they need pushing and nurture and transform when nurturing or transformation is called for. Her ability to “just know” what each individual needs is unparalleled. From the moment I met her I felt, as I had never felt before, completely and utterly seen. She is a force of good and one of the most special people I know. Working with her has changed me forever, and my gratitude for her effect on my life is overwhelming. 

SHIRA GOLDSTEIN

Boston University College of Fine Arts BFA Acting

Lea has impacted and changed my life immensely. I started going to her the year before college auditions and had no idea the important relationship that would evolve. She truly takes everyone in as if they are her own family and creates a safe environment where you are challenged and pushed to your full potential while also fashioning a beautiful space where you feel held and supported. I have no idea how I could have gone through the process of auditioning for colleges as well as training as an actor without her in my life. I’m forever grateful. 

WILLA CASPOLE

Boston University College of Fine Arts , BFA Acting

In a period of crippling anxiety and fear regarding my future, I found Lea the fall before my BFA auditions. From the moment I met her, she gave me faith in the process, her leadership, and myself. Her expertise and knowledge regarding both the college audition process and acting as a whole make her a gem. The love and contagious energy she chooses to give day after day, however, make her entirely special — a mentor with enough knowledge and warmth to pierce through all fears. Simply put, without Lea, I would have been lost in the woods throughout the audition process and my senior year as a whole.