What’s On

About Us

Our Origin Story

Developed in 2011, Physical Lab was created by actor, director, producer and acting coach Yorgos Karamalegos. Since the Lab’s inception, Yorgos has taught at LAMDA, RADA, the Drama Centre of Saint Martins, and Williams College in Williamstown, MA (USA).

Utilising his own performance-based methodology developed through the laboratory, Yorgos has coached acting and movement for numerous productions throughout Europe and the US.

​Beyond facilitating in the classroom, Yorgos continues to offer weekend-long Labs across Europe & the US, as well as full-time residencies once a year. In addition, he also works with actors on a one-to-one basis.

A Search for Presence & Authenticity

The Physical Lab methodology supports performers in uncovering their most authentic selves by utilising the body as the point of entry, drawing on a diverse range of movement‑based techniques. It encourages a deeper awareness of impulse, sensation, and presence, helping actors access a more grounded and responsive state. Through this embodied approach, performers begin to trust their instincts and discover a richer, more truthful range of expression. As the work deepens, habitual patterns start to fall away, revealing new layers of emotional and physical availability. This process not only strengthens artistic confidence but also cultivates a heightened sensitivity to the moment, allowing performers to meet their craft with greater openness and imagination.

The Tasting Principle

Formerly referred to as The Pleasure Principle, “Tasting” in acting fosters a more relaxed and expressive physicality, encouraging natural and engaging movement, posture, and gesture. This attunement to the body empowers actors to make bolder, more interesting choices in their portrayals, taking risks and experimenting with interpretations for nuanced and compelling performances.

This tasting also enriches the actor’s approach to dialogue, uncovering new ways to deliver lines, emphasizing specific words for desired effects, and discovering hidden meanings and subtext for greater depth and richness in the language.

Check out The Tasting Principle playlist on our YouTube channel for more.

Deconditioning Old Habits

The work is dedicated to exploring presence through embodiment practices, aiming to liberate actors from traditional acting habits. By utilizing grounding techniques, actors are guided to release societal and cultural conditioning, thereby unlocking a state of performance where the body, mind, emotion, and instinct harmoniously intertwine in each moment.

Through these deconditioning practices, actors acquire the ability to activate their senses and achieve a state of exhilarating presence. The ultimate objective is to establish a harmonious synergy among the body, mind, emotions, and instincts, enabling actors to deliver captivating and authentic performances that deeply resonate with the present moment.

Voice & Language

As part of the Physical Lab methodology, actors also explore voice and language as essential extensions of embodied presence. Vocal work centers on uncovering one’s true voice by stripping away socially conditioned habits—such as the impulse to “sound approachable”—and allowing a more grounded and resonant sound to emerge.

Through this deconditioned voice, actors investigate the architecture of language itself, feeling its textures, rhythms, and shapes. This process reveals nuance within the text, creating moments where the actor can fully taste the language and let it come alive in performance.