James Kenna
A grounded, technically sound young actor, with Shakespearean background, trained in stage combat, and recent graduate of Fordham University, James Kenna’s work is seen throughout New York City, in addition to regional and international theatre venues. Kenna also appeared in numerous internet projects including Broadway.com’s web series Rachel Unraveled, Lady Parts, and he can be seen in the book trailer for A Study in Charlotte. Notable theatre roles include Macduff in Macbeth and Peter in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Hangar Theatre and Groomsbride in Blood Wedding and the title role in Third at the Whitebox Studio Theatre. Kenna’s performances as a soldier in Blasted and Macduff in Macbeth allowed him to demonstrate his abilities in stage combat.
Artist Bio
A grounded, technically sound young actor, with Shakespearean background, trained in stage combat, and recent graduate of Fordham University, James Kenna’s work is seen throughout New York City, in addition to regional and international theatre venues. Kenna also appeared in numerous internet projects including Broadway.com’s web series Rachel Unraveled, Lady Parts, and he can be seen in the book trailer for A Study in Charlotte. Notable theatre roles include Macduff in Macbeth and Peter in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Hangar Theatre and Groomsbride in Blood Wedding and the title role in Third at the Whitebox Studio Theatre. Kenna’s performances as a soldier in Blasted and Macduff in Macbeth allowed him to demonstrate his abilities in stage combat.
In addition to his work as an actor, Kenna writes original material in a variety of formats. Recently, he penned a full-length play entitled Beowulf: Her Story, adapting the classic story through the eyes of a female protagonist. The play received a workshop through The Fellowship of Ravens and will debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Moreover, the play featured in an episode of the Subtext Podcast. In addition, Kenna self-produced a play called I Like Fantasy Because I Can Escape the Real World, which presents Kenna’s vivid imagination and eccentric take on a tale of an awkward highschooler whose sketchbook comes to life. Furthermore, Kenna self-produced two other full-length plays. Namely, Den of Iron Wolf, a story about a young actor, and Killing Mr. Mouse. The three aforementioned full-length plays have all been workshopped numerous times between Kenna and his closest collaborators, who refer to as The Artist Group. Kenna has too, written a short called Birds Fly Home, a tale about old friends digging up and discovering something from the past. The scope of Kenna’s work exhibits his creative, clever and thorough grasp on a variety of genres and characters.
Kenna received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance from Fordham University. During his time at Fordham, James received the Fordham/Ars Nova Research Grant, graduated Cum Laude and achieved honors in Theatre. With the grant, Kenna wrote and developed his first solo show in Spoleto, Italy: Italian Rose. The show received a workshop through Fordham University. Italian Rose progressed in conjunction with The Key, his semi-autobiographical solo show, which he developed and had a production at Fordham University. The Key additionally has an educational production at the Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy. James also recently performed in The Key with The Chain Theatre as part of their one-act festival.
In addition to his work on stage, James is passionate about fostering the growth of the next generation of artists. As a former intern of the 52nd Street Project, James currently performs the role of Playmaking Associate and regularly volunteers. He is also currently a dramaturg with the New Jersey Play Lab. Furthermore, he acts as an educator with Child’s Play NYC and a coach for aspiring theatre students.
