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?

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.

We then went to the Ancient Aptera Theatre, where each actor explored their scene. We experienced ten authentic presences, ten different stories, ten magnetic universes. All actors dove into each scene with such fun and ease, with a true sense of playfulness, regardless of the material.

During the second stage, I worked one-on-one with the actors. The guiding question remained: what are you researching right now? All I was prepared to do was introduce technical embodiment tools to support the deepening of their research and the embodiment of their discoveries. This approach allowed for effortless, authentic acting captured on camera.

And all of this was taking place before we even dove into the actual scene work, where we investigate the scene circumstances and the character. And yet, we already had some incredible tapes in character, as the actor engaged with a personal inquiry—researching, embodying, or resolving a task that was central to their development.

I will elaborate on the process of scene work in my next letter. For now, I wish to highlight that we are discovering and experimenting with the idea that true evolution lies in taking the space to see, confront, and move through what you are ready to face in your artistic process. Only then can you truly own it in the moment, as it comes from within you. This is real, conscious growth — a pathway to meeting and claiming 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.