A letter from Aptera, Crete

Sunday evening, 26 October 2025, Aptera, Crete

Dear Anne Marie, Andre, Boris, Helen, Katharina, Martina, Marta, Nick, Valentina, Yvonne, and all our Labbers.

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?

More than ever, I listened to all of you and invited you to listen quietly to yourselves, engaging in artistic and existential research.

The first part of the workshop unfolded with creative dialogues on where everyone stands in their craft and what they truly care about right now — existentially, artistically, emotionally, intellectually. This dialogue set the tone for our community and our research, allowing us to dive organically into each actor’s inquiry. More than ever, I realised that what I was there to support was exactly what participants were already ready to ask themselves.

On day three, we went to the Ancient Aptera Theatre, and each actor explored their scene. Ten authentic presences, ten different stories, ten magnetic universes. It was magic.

During the second part of the workshop, I introduced highly technical embodiment tools to support their artistic choices, guiding the process towards the creation of a tape that embodies their research. Once again, it was magic - pure essence and effortless acting captured on tape.

It was not a residency; it was a retreat. A retreat with one clear goal: to raise the questions that are truly burning for each participant right now. The questions they are ready to ask themselves because they wish to go there, not because anyone else takes them there.

And this is the key to true evolution: taking the space to see, to confront, and to overcome what you are ready to face. Then you can own it in the moment, for it comes from within you. This is real, chosen growth — a pathway to meeting and owning your own creator.

Thank you all for your incredible desire to grow — both artistically and existentially.

I look forward to continuing this level of work with you on line in our private sessions from this week, and I am very excited to see you in Paris next month for the final 6-Day Paris Mentorship Lab, 24–29 November 2025. From next year onwards, the Paris workshop will be reformed into a three-day Intensive.

My warmest wishes to you all and thank you for your honest growth.