Actor
My name is Leon Schwendener and I’m an actor based in New York City! This November, I’ll be performing in “The Thanksgiving Play” by Larissa FastHorse in Kingston, NY at Voice Theatre!
Demo Reel
Theatrical Reel:
Resume:
https://leonschwendener.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/LPS-Resume-Sept.-2024.pdf
Press Kit:
https://leonschwendener.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/leon-epk-6.pdf
“The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet are of Imagination all compact” – William Shakespeare
Originally from Larchmont, NY, I grew up in a multicultural household with a German mother and American father. At six years old, my parents enrolled me in ballet classes because they saw how I danced to pieces of music that moved me. Through ballet I discovered acting, and the rest is history. I graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 2018 with a BFA in acting, and have been working ever since.
I’ve performed with several regional theater companies: Shakespeare & Co., MA, Unto These Hills, NC, and most recently Voice Theatre, Kingston, NY. My NYC credits include productions with A.R.T./ New York Theatres, The Brick, The Tank, The PIT, and Columbia University. Last summer, I performed in “Goldhaven”, an original musical, where I portrayed that most American of archetypes- the conman/carnival barker. Allison Dwyer of Staff Picks wrote about the show and my performance “Amped up by a very justice-loving Mayor Goldenteef (Leon Schwendener made me laugh ‘til I cried).”
In my spare time you’ll catch me hiking, mountaineering, slurping copious amounts of coffee, reviewing films pre-1980 on Letterboxd (I watch the new stuff too, but have a burner account for those). I’m a student of American history, with a passion for politics and civil engagement. My high school yearbook quote was taken from Robert Frost’s poem “Birches”. I still stand by it: “Earth’s the right place for love: I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.”
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” – Oscar Wilde
GALLERY:
WHAT FOLKS SAY:
“Schwendener thrusts and parries through a Wildean landscape– all with lightning-flash reversals”-Tad Wise, Hudson Valley One
“Leon Schwendener made me laugh ‘til I cried”-Allison Dwyer, Staff Picks
“Leon Schwendener captures Speaker Paul Ryan’s tense hypocrisy. Seeing his meltdown had people dying of laughter”-Diandra Reviews, Diandra Reviews it All
“Funny, charming, honest at every turn, and played to perfection by Schwendener”-Max Berry, OnStage Blog
“Palpable and delightful”-Bruce T. Paddock, CurtainUp, Berkshire Review
“The evening showcases several very fine comic performances, in particular Leon Schwendener”-Wendy K Arons, Pittsburgh Tattler
LINKS TO REVIEWS:
The Importance of Being Earnest (2024):
The Dastardly Thornes vs. The Town of Goldhaven (2023): https://www.staffpicks.fun/soapbox/show-response-the-dastardly-thornes-v-the-town-of-goldhaven?fbclid=IwAR3kx1lgkIjU4LGXcwT-Hn3zXZhUDZshtpqygenudmqVnFE3QiE-7vJjHdI
Paul Ryan Presents Aynnie: The ‘Lil Orphan Objectivist (2019): https://diandrareviewsitall.com/theater-review-aynnie
Sleeping Beauty at A.R.T./ New York Theaters (2019): https://www.onstageblog.com/reviews/2019/6/25/review-sleeping-beauty-at-artnew-york-theaters
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Mount (2017): https://theberkshireedge.com/bits-mad-max-with-live-score-housatonic-river-paddle-trips-native-american-history-talk
“Future Ten 11” at Future Tenant (2014):