THE TEAM
Born in Athens, Yorgos is an acting, public speaking & leadership coach whose methods focus primarily on embodiment. He is also an international workshop leader, actor, and theatre director.
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As the founder of Physical Lab, an international laboratory for performance, Yorgos utilizes his own embodiment-based methodology to lead individuals through an exploration of self-discovery where old habits are examined and new pathways are explored. Yorgos has coached numerous actors, business individuals, and politicians throughout Europe and the US.
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His work is a search for presence and authenticity, with the point of entry being the body.
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He previously co-founded Tmesis Theatre Company and Physical Fest, an international festival of physical theatre. He was a co-artistic director of both organisations until 2010. Since the creation of Physical Lab in 2011, Yorgos has taught and directed at LAMDA, RADA, Drama Centre of Saint Martins, Williams College, Pace University, and more.
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Among his most favourite artistic projects are Home, a multidisciplinary experimental theatre piece based on Euripides’ Medea, and The Last Note, Padelis Voulgaris's feature film which has won several awards throughout Greece and the US.
YORGOS KARAMALEGOS
Artistic Director & Lab Founder
TATIANA SPIVAKOVA
Workshop Leader
Tatiana is an international artist, actress, director and writer. She graduated from the National Superior Conservatoire of Dramatic Arts in Paris and spent one year studiyng at LAMDA. She also graduated from the Musical Regional Conservatoire in Aubervilliers and studied music, dance and history of the arts.
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Originally Armenian and Russian, Tatiana was born in Moscow, grew up in Spain, and is currently living and working in Paris. She is fluent in French, Russian, English and Spanish.
Associate artist of Physical Lab, she’s been working alongside Yorgos for the last 10 years, searching, creating and delivering Labs together or by herself.
In France, she directed plays by Nicolaï Gogol, Fabrice Melquiot, Maxim Gorky, Albert Camus, Daniel Besnehard and wrote “Ton Corps - Ma Terre”, her latest play that will be premiering in the National dramatic center of Montreuil in 2023.
She also performed on many international stages in France, Spain, Switzerland and took part in several international festivals around the world. On screen she has appeared in movies such as Même Pas Mal, directed by Maxime Roy and Jeremy Trequesser, SNO, directed by William Oldroyd, and, most recently, Gate To Heaven by Jivan Avetisyan, which is currently touring the festival circuit in the US.
Yvonne is a theatre and voice coach who has been teaching kids and young adults from all walks of life for more than 25 years. She studied theatre pedagogy in Munich (Pädagogisches Institut München) and holds a Master’s degree in English Literature and History. She also works as a radio journalist and podcast host.
Born in Ulm, south Germany, Yvonne was an artistic gymnast and competed on a national level (Bundesliga, Deutsche Meisterschaften) for over 12 years. This laid the foundation for her interest in movement, body, and presence.
After many years as a theatre coach, Yvonne returned to performing herself, studying with Keith Johnstone. She was influenced by renowned physical theater companies such as „Song of the Goat Theatre,“ the Viewpoints and Suzuki Theatre, Tanztheater Wuppertal (Pina Bausch), as well as immersive theatre groups such as „Punchdrunk“. In her quest for movement and presence, she has also studied Jazz and Modern Dance.
Yvonne first met Yorgos in London in 2013 and has been training with him ever since. Physical Lab’s work and method informed her current journey into voice work. She is now a licensed voice coach with the „Lichtenberger-Method,“ which complements the work of Physical Lab in a unique and exciting way.
YVONNE MAIER
Associate Teaching Artist
NATALIA PARTHENIOU
Embodiment Therapist
Natalia Partheniou was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1977. She studied Contemporary Dance combined with English Literature at De Montfort University in Britain and New Dance, Choreography, and Improvisation at the Amsterdam Academy of the Arts in the Netherlands.
She became a Yoga teacher, studied Ayurvedic, Thai Massage, and Reiki. Her fascination for embodiment and the human potential led her into a four-year study of Holistic Psychotherapy at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing in Austria and a further two-year Advanced Studies in Facilitation.
For the past 20 years, she has been on a constant quest for her own evolution, as well as aiding humanity's awakening. She has been working in the field of Healing, Spiritual Awakening, Dance, and Embodiment, dancing, choreographing, teaching, holding individual and couple sessions, as well as group workshops in both Greece and other European countries.
Originally from the US, Nick is an actor, writer, and educator based in Kyoto, Japan. As an actor, Nick trained at both RADA and LAMDA in London, the latter being where he was introduced to Yorgos and the Physical Lab methodology. He has worked both regionally and locally in NYC in several Shakespeare productions including Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo & Juliet, and Physical Lab's own Macbeth in 2017.
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He has worked alongside Yorgos for several years, assisting with both the organization of US-based Labs as well as the current iteration of the Physical Lab website.
As a writer and media personality, Nick is the founder of Typed Out, a platform and podcast dedicated to expanding the boundaries of understanding & acceptance. He believes it is through art and the power of conversation that we can better understand one another.
