Biography

Sonya Cooke is an Assistant Professor of Acting and Head of Undergraduate Performance at Louisiana State University’s School of Theatre. She is a film, television, and theatre actor. A member of SAG-AFTRA and EMC candidate, Sonya’s career includes network television, independent film, regional and NY theatre, musical premieres, commercials, and voice-over credits. Most recently, she acted in Bonneville on AppleTV, Chicago PD on NBC, and played the title role in Gloria by Brendan Jacobs-Jenkins at Equity theatre, Swine Palace. Last summer, she joined the acting company of New Swan Shakespeare Festival and played the title role in Julius Caesar, among others. Other career highlights include Warner Brother’s Godzilla: Fathom, Louie on FX, and playing the title role in feature film, Lily Grace. Founder and author of Seven Pillars Acting, Sonya opened and ran Seven Pillars Acting Studio: Los Angeles and has been the owner of Actor’s Studio of Orange County for ten years. Currently, she teaches at the grad and undergrad level, and she leads the Teacher Certification Program for Seven Pillars Acting. Her book, Seven Pillars Acting, is the textbook for students of the technique, as well as at a growing number of universities and institutions across the country. A member of the National Alliance of Acting Teachers, Sonya has worked with many institutions all over the country as a teacher, curriculum writer and program developer, such as Hussian College In Studio in Downtown LA, University of California at Irvine, The Guthrie Theatre, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Blizzard Entertainment, and more. She trained at UC-Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts where she achieved an MFA in Acting, and previously she studied at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she received a BFA in Drama. She is passionate about acting technique and loves helping her students discover their talents.