Demidov Association Members
GRADUATES OF 2-YEAR ACTING CERTIFICATE AND 4-YEAR TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS
Rory Deany
Chicago, IL, USA
Rory began his acting education at the Ruskin school of acting where he studied the Meisner Technique. He performed the role of Ben in the student production of Of the fields lately at the Ruskin school of acting. He later went on to study with Ivana Chubbuck before working with the Demidov Association.
I’ve discovered artistic joy here that I’ve never encountered elsewhere. The work goes beyond technique—it connects you to something essential.
The community the Demidov Association attracts is extraordinary. Training with them is an artistic homecoming.
Alice Potter
Neston, Cheshire, GB
I'm an actor and creative practitioner currently exploring how spontaneity, presence, and emotional truth can transform performance. My recent focus has been deepening my practice through the Demidov Organic Acting Technique, alongside developing creative projects that bridge acting, storytelling, and well-being.
It opens a path to the actor’s fullest potential. Every day, I feel grateful for this discovery.
Kimon Fioretos
Athens, Greece
Demidov Teacher Certification Program graduate. With over 20 years of experience, Kimon has collaborated with Greece's leading directors in theater and television.
Working alongside Andrei as both actor and teacher was a revelation. At its heart, the Demidov approach carries a simple yet profound principle—do no harm. You are taught not only to trust the actors you work with, but to fall in love with them, to protect their freedom, and nurture their creativity.
Jane Hamlet
liverpool, merseyside, gb
Jane is an experienced stage actress, particularly with Shakespeare, having played roles as varied as Prospero (The Tempest) and Olivia (Twelfth Night). She can also be seen on screen in the feature film Witch (2024) and the current series of Waterloo Road (2025) on the BBC.
This is a technique like no other—it changes you as an artist and as a person, in the kindest way possible.
Nolan Hennelly
Harlem, New York, USA
Demidov Teacher Certification Program graduate. Nolan holds a BA in theater from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an MFA from the FSU Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training
The Demidov School gave me what I was looking for, what deep in my heart I knew was true: that acting is not a craft, it is a high art—an art that must be studied with love, dedication, and courage, and taught with compassion and care.
Emel Hollocou
paris, france
E. Hollocou is an actress (she played JL Lagarce, A Tchekhov...), director (Pilawi, esprit d’Amazonie ; Vie Orgasmique...) and teacher (10 years for children, 6 years the Chekhov technique, direction of Terre de Myrte Labs for professional actors in Paris).
Finally, a technique that reconciles freedom and structure, spontaneity and preparation. It speaks not just to the heart, but to the soul.
Yuk Hang Li
taipo, hong kong
A graduate of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, majoring in Acting and recipient of the Outstanding Actor Award, he is a talented actor, instructor, and creator. He served as an instructor for the TVB Artist Training Program in 2021, 2022, and 2024. He has trained with renowned mentors, including David Glass, Philippe Gaulier, and Jean-Rene Toussaint, specializing in acting, movement, voice, and clowning. He worked with Thomas Richards, where he explored Jerzy Grotowski's training techniques, focusing on integrating the body, voice, and inner expression. In addition, he is a certified Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis trainer. He has also trained in the Russian martial art Systema and is a skilled manual therapist.
This technique returns performance to its natural essence. It’s transformative, especially for on-camera work.”
Flavia Lloyd
GB
Flavia Lloyd is a Brazilian actress based in the UK. She started out as a neuroscientist before switching gears to follow her passion for acting. Since graduating from acting school, she’s been building a creative life on both sides of the camera — writing, producing, and performing in films and micro-series. She’s also appeared on stage in a handful of plays, bringing the same presence and honesty from theatre into her screen work. Flavia works in both English and Portuguese.
The first time I encountered the Demidov School it felt like a revelation. I suddenly understood the kind of actress I am.
Nafsika Panagiotakopoulou
Athens, greece
I began my career as a model, but everything shifted when I discovered acting—it became my true passion. Since then, I’ve worked across film, television, and theatre in Greece and abroad.
Training with the Demidov Association was a turning point in my artistic journey. It taught me to trust the subconscious, stay present in the moment, and let the role reveal itself organically. The work was deeply visceral, and through it, I learned to surrender control. In doing so, I experienced an immersive transformation—becoming something else entirely in a life-changing way.
Hava Papo
London, GB
Since completing the course, Hava has been focusing on deepening her artistic practice and developing her own creative projects. She has continued to build collaborative relationships with like-minded artists and creatives in the UK and abroad.
This method helps me find calm away from the noise of my mind—where characters come alive and instincts take over.
James Hamilton
Atlanta, GA, USA
I create moments from words, images in my mind. A bit player in this wondrous production called life.
The Demidov work didn’t just transform my acting—it changed my life. It taught me to surrender, to trust myself again, and to listen to my intuition.
Jayson Warner Smith
Atlanta, GA, USA
TV:The Walking Dead (AMC), Rectify (AMC), Candy (Hulu), One Mississippi (Prime), Outer Banks (Netflix), The Vampire Diaries (CW). Features: American Made, Where the Crawdads Sing, Emancipation, The Birth of a Nation, Footloose. Stage: Blackbird, Glengary Glenn Ross, Our Town, Laramie Project, Body Awareness, Three Sisters, The Tempest.
The Demidov Organic Technique was like something I'd been missing for decades. The immediate immersion into the subconscious—where true inspiration and creativity reside—felt like coming home.
Rosemary Stevens
Arcata, CA, USA
Rosemary Stevens is an actress, theater-maker, and educator based in coastal Northern California. Rosemary was first introduced to the Demidov School of Acting in her undergraduate studies, taking several acting courses with Professor Andrei Malaev-Babel, and eventually co-directing a full Demidov production with him; an adaptation of Frankenstein. Rosemary received a degree in Theater and Philosophy from New College of Florida and has studied clown, movement, voice and theater-making at American Conservatory Theater and Dell’arte International School of Physical Theater.
After experiencing this approach, it’s the only way I want to work. It honors who I am and who the character is—without any nonsense getting in the way.
Patricia Truchlíková
bratislava, slovakia
Actress, model, and singer.
Trained at the State Conservatory in Slovakia and the Demidov Acting Certificate Program.
Experience includes Slovak National Theatre, TV series, films, and commercials
Studying with the Demidov Association brought a sense of calm and joy back into my craft. I, as I am, in the present moment, am enough.
Dan Wilson
new york, ny, USA
Dan is a stage, screen, and voiceover actor living and working in New York, and has acted in various projects both locally and around the country. He attended Northwestern University for undergraduate training, The Shakespeare Theatre Company's MFA program for grad school, and has been fortunate to train in a wide variety of disciplines with incredible teachers -- and most recently, in the two year Demidov Acting Certificate course. Dan has always loved Shakespeare, Chekhov, and Ibsen, but finds he's equally at home on an independent film set or in the voiceover booth.
I’ve trained in many approaches. Only Demidov truly taught me how not to be in my head.
Associate Members
Current Participants in the 2 year ACTING CertificatE PROGRAM
DeAnna Wright
Highsprings, FL, USA
DeAnna earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance at the University of Florida and completed her Master of Fine Arts at Florida State University’s Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training in 2019. Her work spans theatre, film, and rhythmic movement. Some of her theatre credits include—Cleopatra in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jane Bennett in Pride and Prejudice—alongside contemporary characters like Sophie in Flyin’ West, Peaches in Oak, and Angela in a one-woman performance of Natural Shocks.
The Demidov School underscores my process in everything I do. It reminds us that the instrument of self is never complete—always in discovery, always reaching toward what is possible. I am deeply grateful to be part of a community that honors the organic unfolding of the artist.
Yiannis Damalas
Athens, Greece
Yiannis Damalas is an actor based in Athens, Greece. He is a graduate of the renowned "Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun" Drama School. After graduation, he continued his training by participating in seminars and workshops focused on Strasberg's Method Acting, the Meisner Technique, and Michael Chekhov's Technique. He has appeared in several theatrical plays, TV series, and short films. Yiannis is also a member of S.A.M., a lifelong learning ensemble of professional actors trained under the guidance of Kimon Fioretos at his private coaching studio, Phi Playhouse.
Demidov is the most fascinating, artistic, and inspiring acting process I’ve ever encountered.
Nata Kas Zakharova
Athens, Greece
Nata Kas Zakharova is a Russian-Italian actress and international fashion model. Born in Omsk, Russia to a family of aviation and space engineers, she earned a degree in psychology before building a successful career in fashion. She walked for Armani, Jil Sander, Issey Miyake, and Marc Jacobs, starred in global campaigns for Giorgio Armani and Sephora, and appeared in Vogue Italy, Vogue UK, Marie Claire, L’Officiel, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia, Q-P, Tank, Vanity Fair, and Cosmopolitan.
I am deeply grateful to the Demidov Association for introducing me to a culture of calm and unlocking new depths of creativity within me. It’s a pleasure to be part of such a welcoming and inspiring community.
Melissanthi Mavridou
athens, greece
Greek actress, graduate of Archi Drama School, with a degree from the Royal Academy of Dance in ballet, participation in acting workshops, and experience in short films, TV series, and audiobooks in English.
Demidov made me fall back in love with acting. It’s a culture of truth and calm, and a celebration of what’s already inside you.
Suzanne Ocean
houston, tx, usa
Suzanne Ocean is an award-winning actor based in Houston and London. She starred in the acclaimed UK short film “One Small Step,” earning her a Best Actress Award. Fluent in French and skilled in various accents, Suzanne’s ranch upbringing gives her unique skills with horses and firearms. Her global perspective is enriched by time in London and France. She enjoys working in Texas and the UK and European film industry. Current project highlights include Netflix series, Too Much, directed by Lena Dunham.
The technique taps the subconscious so naturally—it’s freeing, intuitive, and endlessly surprising. And if we get lost, the teachers catch us with such precision, it’s uncanny.
Jacob Jon Parker
atlanta, Ga, usa
Jacob Jon Parker is an Atlanta-based actor, writer, and producer drawn to grounded, character-driven stories. Known for crafting emotionally honest performances, Jacob’s work explores themes of redemption, identity, and human connection. He made his screenwriting debut with a deeply personal indie drama in which he also starred—earning recognition for his ability to blend vulnerability with quiet intensity. With a background in classical and on-camera training, as well as tactical combat and movement, Jacob brings both heart and precision to every role, on and off screen.
It has given me what Demidov calls the psychic breath—an intuitive sense of when to speak, when to listen, and when to simply be.
Agamemnon Kalogranis
Athens, Greece
Agamemnon Kalogranis attended Ilion Music School and graduated from the "Archi" Drama School of Nelly Karra in 2023. From August 2023 to August 2024, he was a member of the Demidov Studio Athens Lab. He is currently a member of the S.A.M. Ensemble at Phi Playhouse, under the guidance of Kimon Fioretos.
Ever since I discovered Demidov, I’ve been amazed by what happens when you truly trust that everything you need is already within you.
April Perry
Raleigh, NC, USAA
April Storm Perry is an actress, model, and comedian from NYC. She currently is the lead actress in The MyPlate Musical and has appeared on NBC’s 30 Rock and TBS’s Are We There Yet? In addition, she was Program Coordinator and teaching assistant at Rikers Island Drama Club NYC leading theatre arts classes and co-directing the Pivotal Rights Project which was featured on NPR’s The Takeaway. In 2022, she received her Masters in Screen Acting from The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In 2023 she debuted her original one woman show: April Storm Perry: Accept or Decline, performed in London and NYC.
This instruction has changed my life. It’s given me total freedom—not just in acting, but in stand-up as well. One of the most important and beneficial trainings of my career.
Oriana Antonaropoulou
athens, greece
Oriana works in IT for the last 25 years, however she always had a passion for arts. Whether dancing or performing Oriana was always drawn to creative outlets. In 2017, while recovering from an injury she focused on scriptwriting and then to acting classes. Since 2023, she has been an active member of S.A.M in Athens.
Oriana loves the freedom the Demidov technique fosters. At the end of each session, she is pleasantly surprised by what emerges when she fully surrenders to her physical imagination—anticipating what more is to come.