It has been nearly a decade since the Lab last offered a workshop in the United States, making this upcoming gathering especially meaningful. For the first time, we are bringing the work to Atlanta, creating a rare opportunity for artists in the region to experience the Lab’s immersive approach to performance and creative exploration. After years of working primarily abroad, returning to the U.S. marks an exciting moment of reconnection with the community, and we are thrilled to open this five-day journey to both new participants and those who have been waiting for the work to return.
Presence in
Acting
Atlanta
Discover presence and its embodiment as an essential tool for authentic expression, and learn how to bring this fully into your own performance.
About the workshop
An immersive five-day workshop led by Yorgos Karamalegos, founder of Physical Lab, dedicated to cultivating presence and authenticity in performance. This work is a journey toward uncovering one’s most authentic self and embodying a free, uninhibited artistic spirit.
Through embodiment practices and deconditioning, participants explore presence while releasing ingrained acting habits. Actors are guided to shed societal and cultural conditioning, opening the door to a state of performance in which body, mind, emotion, voice, language, and instinct flow together in harmony.
The aim is simple yet profound: performance rooted in truth, and presence arising from one’s deepest essence.
First time in a long time
The Studio
The Robert Mello Studio teaches a technique inspired by the work of legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner.
Meisner, who trained many of the most celebrated performers of stage and screen, was also a founding member of the Group Theatre. This cooperative ensemble became a major force in American theater in the 1930s. While still a member, Meisner became head of New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. After the Group Theatre dissolved in 1941, he devoted himself primarily to teaching, appearing only occasionally on Broadway and in films, including Clifford Odets’ 1959 The Story on Page One.
Images and studio description are © The Robert Mello Studio.
Online Classes
with Yorgos Karamalegos
Preparing for a Lab
For all our Labs, participants are asked to prepare and memorize one piece of text in advance. You are warmly encouraged to consider working on a scene with a partner, though solo pieces are also welcome. Preparing text beforehand allows you to fully engage with the Lab methodology and explore how language can be embodied and emotionally expressed through the actor’s instrument.
The text may come from any medium—stage, film, or television—and may be classical or contemporary. You may work in any language you feel most comfortable using. The text serves as a living framework through which we explore presence, impulse, and authentic expression in the studio.
If you’re unsure what to choose, please feel free to browse our library of suggested texts. For full details and guidance, please visit: Preparing for a Lab.
Yorgos Karamalegos
Founder & Artistic Director
Yorgos guides performers and professionals toward deep physical and mental awareness, emphasizing presence as a path to personal and professional freedom. His body-focused approach aims to use deconditioning as a tool to uncover authenticity.
All photos taken by Physical Lab photographer, Ed Pike.
WHAT OUR LABBERS ARE SAYING
“Yorgos has such an understanding and knowledge of how to take care of ourselves on a personal level when we’re doing this kind of work and living this kind of life.”
Helen
Percival
I have found my joy in acting again. I remembered why I wanted to do it in the first place. I feel more present, warm and embodied in my own body, less self-conscious […] A weight was lifted from me through this workshop, a lot of pressure I have put onto myself and onto the craft. […] Also, I learned, that I can pour all my personal experiences into my performances, without revisiting traumatic events of the past, but rather use acting as an outlet for my emotions to come through and release. And through that reach catharsis.”
Victoria
Lozar
“[It] became clear early on that it’s all about people, their bodies right now. Not their past experiences or future. You. Us. Now. Nothing more.”
Julia
Hillmann
“Working with Yorgos for 10 days in Crete, preparing for a TV part was an amazing experience! Even in moments of self-doubt and fatigue, when you face your own wall, he was always there fully present with me, both with great care and rigour! I have been working with Yorgos for about 8 years, and he always gives me strength and tools to keep going forward.”
Cyril
Gueï
“Yorgos’ work is in perfect continuity with what Crete awakens in me: a deeper anchoring in the body, access to buried emotions, the courage to take risks, and the pursuit of a sincerity that can only enrich the creative process. More than an artistic approach, it is a true journey into the depths of the soul — one that seeks to serve art in its most authentic form.”
Roda
Fawaz
“What began as pleasure has now turned into tasting, and it actually feels like a muscle I can train and a practical tool for my work. The next step will be to explore how tasting could enhance my rehearsal process and, eventually, my performance, even though I can’t yet imagine how I’ll have enough capacity for it.”
Ylva
Maj
“Anyone who met me in the following days saw a more aware and determined look on my face both professionally and personally. I recommend it to everyone.”
Clara
Mori
“Absolute. Radical. Transformation.”
Tamalynne
Grant
“Reconnecting with my essence via Yorgos’s guidance is a tool I’m not only excited to bring into my artistry, but also into my life as a whole. It’s truly been a priceless discovery.”
Jimena
Larraguivel
“[Yorgos] held the space so gently and I felt so safe and contained even though we were exploring work that could make one feel vulnerable and exposed. I felt such a shift exploring text after the very physical dancing with the masks on—it was very liberating going from that almost delirious state into the text because I was completely connected to the emotional story and not even thinking about lines. It was a very powerful experience.”
Michelle
Scott Hill
“The Lab has been a great and safe place to research, try things out, not know, fail and get out of my comfort zone. After each session, I feel empowered to keep working on my acting and on myself for the days, months and years to come.”
Boris
de la Higuera
“I didn’t realise how forcefully that lock was going to burst open and how the work that we’re doing is just so important — not just for you as an actor, as an artist, but as a person!”
Noor
Hamdi
“Working with Yorgos feels deeply aligned with my own approach to acting and being an artist. [He] creates a space that’s both expansive and grounded—where I feel safe to explore, take risks, and build a personal toolkit that reflects who I am. He doesn’t offer a one-size-fits-all method; instead, he encourages each of his mentees to find and refine what works uniquely for them. That level of support and freedom is truly empowering.”
Katharina
Gerlich
Upcoming Labs
TALLINN
Presence in Acting | Tallinn
We're returning to Tallinn for our second Lab of the year, invited by EFTA-winning actress Doris Tilk. This immersive three-day workshop is dedicated to cultivating presence and authenticity in performance — a journey toward uncovering your most authentic self and embodying a free, uninhibited artistic spirit. Through embodiment practices, we explore how the body serves as a gateway to deeper awareness, expression, and connection on stage. Working directly with text as a living partner, artists are guided by the tasting principle to stay curious, experiment, and remain open to what emerges in the moment.
Crete
Fitness & Embodiment Retreat | Sept 2026
Our September 2026 retreat honors the standing tradition with Alex & Yorgos returning for the fourth consecutive year. Through fitness workshops and embodiment practices, participants cultivate greater presence, awareness, and more intentional communication in movement and daily life. Each day blends physical training, reflection, and meaningful connection. Meals and accommodation are included, with time for excursions to the beach and nearby local hotspots. The retreat offers practical tools and moments of renewal that extend well beyond the experience.
PARIS
Presence in Acting | Paris
An immersive three-day workshop dedicated to cultivating presence and authenticity in performance. This work is a journey toward uncovering one’s most authentic self and embodying a free, uninhibited artistic spirit. Through embodiment practices, participants explore how the body can serve as a gateway to deeper awareness, expression, and connection on stage. We will also work directly with the text, treating it as a living partner that invites curiosity and personal discovery. Guided by the tasting principle, artists are encouraged to experiment and stay open to what emerges in the moment.