Sandra Diane Seacat[a] (born October , ) is an American actress,
director and acting coach best known for her innovations in acting
pedagogyâ€"blending elements of Strasberg, Siddha Yoga and Jungian
dream analysisâ€"and for a handful of coaching success stories.Seacat
was the first of three daughters born to Russell Henry and Lois Marion
Seacat in Greensburg, Kansas. Involved in theatre from her mid-teens
on, Seacat first focused on method acting while attending Northwestern
University, earning her degree and relocating to New York, where she
studied with Actors Studio alumnus Michael Howard and later at the
Studio with its director Lee Strasberg.Seacat first attracted
attentionâ€"as Sandra Kaufman, her then married nameâ€"in July , in
the Barnard-Columbia Summer Theater production of Somerset Maugham's
The Noble Spaniard. Despite finding the play "rather silly,†Back
Stage's reviewer "found particular pleasure in Sandra Kaufman's
characterization." She appeared once more that summer, this time under
Michael Howard's direction, in the US premiere of Leonid Andreyev's
The Waltz of the Dogs. Amidst a generally favorable review, Back Stage
reserved "bouquets" for Kaufman and others, while The Village Voice
predicted, “Miss Kaufman’s appetizing warmth [is] destined to
bring many future stages alive.†The following winter, an eventful
few hoursâ€"attaining both Actors Studio membership and first-time
motherhoodâ€"gave rise to roughly years of seeming inactivity, a
notable exception being Kaufman’s Broadway debut, a small part in
the Actors Studio production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Her
full-fledged return came on October , , in Atlanta’s Community
Playhouse (again under Howard’s direction), when, having beaten out
Rosemary Forsyth for the title role in Shaw’s Saint Joan, Kaufman's
portrayal was described by The Journal-Constitution as "a masterpiece
of suave speech and faultless timing [which] enhances the lyrical
quality of Shaw's lines." "Kaufman," it continues, "is both saint and
genius; her portrayal leaves nothing to be desired."
director and acting coach best known for her innovations in acting
pedagogyâ€"blending elements of Strasberg, Siddha Yoga and Jungian
dream analysisâ€"and for a handful of coaching success stories.Seacat
was the first of three daughters born to Russell Henry and Lois Marion
Seacat in Greensburg, Kansas. Involved in theatre from her mid-teens
on, Seacat first focused on method acting while attending Northwestern
University, earning her degree and relocating to New York, where she
studied with Actors Studio alumnus Michael Howard and later at the
Studio with its director Lee Strasberg.Seacat first attracted
attentionâ€"as Sandra Kaufman, her then married nameâ€"in July , in
the Barnard-Columbia Summer Theater production of Somerset Maugham's
The Noble Spaniard. Despite finding the play "rather silly,†Back
Stage's reviewer "found particular pleasure in Sandra Kaufman's
characterization." She appeared once more that summer, this time under
Michael Howard's direction, in the US premiere of Leonid Andreyev's
The Waltz of the Dogs. Amidst a generally favorable review, Back Stage
reserved "bouquets" for Kaufman and others, while The Village Voice
predicted, “Miss Kaufman’s appetizing warmth [is] destined to
bring many future stages alive.†The following winter, an eventful
few hoursâ€"attaining both Actors Studio membership and first-time
motherhoodâ€"gave rise to roughly years of seeming inactivity, a
notable exception being Kaufman’s Broadway debut, a small part in
the Actors Studio production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Her
full-fledged return came on October , , in Atlanta’s Community
Playhouse (again under Howard’s direction), when, having beaten out
Rosemary Forsyth for the title role in Shaw’s Saint Joan, Kaufman's
portrayal was described by The Journal-Constitution as "a masterpiece
of suave speech and faultless timing [which] enhances the lyrical
quality of Shaw's lines." "Kaufman," it continues, "is both saint and
genius; her portrayal leaves nothing to be desired."
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