From May 9–15, 2025, the Theatre Arts Program at Deree – The American College of Greece, in collaboration with the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), hosted a week-long intensive workshop in Acting and Musical Theatre that brought together international expertise, rigorous training, and bold artistic exploration. The workshop offered participants an in-depth journey into stage presence, physical expression, and musical theatre as a form of political storytelling. Students were challenged as well as inspired, under the guidance of ACG’s Katerina Drakopoulou and Eva Simatou, and LAMDA’s Dr. Nicholas Holden, Annabel Mutale Reed, and Gregory Haney, as well as five graduating MFAs from LAMDA’s Musical Theatre program.
The acting workshops led by Eva Simatou and Katerina Drakopoulou immersed participants in psychophysical training—focusing on stillness, sensory awareness, and embodied imagination. Drakopoulou’s Sculpting Presence and Simatou’s The State of Being on Stage helped performers deepen their awareness, break habitual patterns, and explore truthful, responsive performance grounded in body and breath.
In parallel, a series of six masterclasses in Musical Theatre—anchored around the iconic musical Cabaret—offered a dynamic investigation of theatre’s political dimensions. Sessions explored world-building through dance (Gregory Haney), acting through song with mindfulness techniques (Annabel Mutale Reed), and essential physical and vocal practices (led by LAMDA MFA graduates Daniel Trainor, Matthew McFarland, Dana Gough, and Cheri McKenzie). The program culminated in a showcase of selected scenes from Cabaret, presented to an invited audience, spotlighting the synergy of movement, voice, and critical inquiry. The workshop fostered collaboration between emerging performers and seasoned educators, emphasizing interdisciplinary learning and cross-cultural artistic exchange. Participants left the workshop not only with valuable performance tools but also with a renewed sense of presence and purpose in their craft. The workshop participants included current Theatre Arts students, ACG alumni, as well as professional actors and students from other drama schools.