Dear Labbers, Every year I am deeply touched when it comes time for the official announcement of our annual gathering in Crete. In the past, we referred to it as a residency or a mentorship. Since last year, however, we have consciously shifted to calling it a retreat. A residency suggests a more fixed structure, whereas a retreat allows space—for expansion, rest, openness, and listening. This change reflects the way we now work together: with greater warmth, curiosity, and r

Every actor’s inquiry is different: one might want to take bolder risks, another to embody their voice fully, another to explore the rawness of the emotions through the lens of the character or the freedom of impulses discovered through embodiment, or to perform an extended scene free of interruption to see where presence can guide them.

As I am reflecting on what happened over the six days during our Physical Lab Retreat, distilling the process, it comes down to two very simple questions that were at the centre of our research: What obstacle in your acting craft do you wish to overcome, and are you ready to do so? What can you already recognise emotionally in the scene and in the character you have chosen to work on?

After a recent partial move back to Athens, one such opportunity for research was an audition I initiated with a wonderful casting director. She is someone I have worked with before, and my extended stay in Athens felt like the right chance to take on this new investigation. After reaching out, she invited me in for a casting. I went in blind, with no script. They did not give the sides to me until after I had arrived. I decided this was a great opportunity to practice true p