On Tuesday, November 12, shortly before the start of the three-day masterclass hosted at our School in collaboration with Phi Playhouse and Kimon Fioretos, Professor Andrei Malaev-Babel will address all our students in a brief, open lecture dedicated to the Demidov Method — an event of exceptional significance for every actor who truly cares about the art of acting.
Nikolai Demidov (1884–1953) was one of the most perceptive students and close collaborators of Konstantin Stanislavski. Director of the Moscow School and a key co-developer of the original “System,” he was considered by Stanislavski himself to be the only student who fully understood his method both in theory and in practice. Although Demidov was perhaps the only true “scientist” of 20th-century Russian theatre — a psychiatrist, psychologist, physiologist, director, actor, and educator — his name disappeared for decades from official history due to the political regime in Russia. Only in recent decades, thanks to the long-term research and work of Professor Andrei Malaev-Babel, has Demidov’s legacy been revived and taught once again around the world. Professor Malaev-Babel, head of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory in the United States, is now considered the only internationally recognized bearer of the Demidov Method and the leading authority on its study.
His presence at our School is a unique opportunity to become acquainted with the philosophy of a system that radically changed the way we understand acting. His lecture will offer both historical context and a living introduction to the world of the “organic actor,” where technique meets the subconscious and art meets life.
It is an honor that Andrei is offering this lecture as a gesture of appreciation toward our School and our students — and a particular joy that one of the teachers who has worked with him for more than five years, personally trained and certified by him in the Demidov Method, teaches at our School.
