Dr Aphrodite Evangelatou

Module Year Coordinator

Dr Aphrodite Evangelatou studied acting at Drama Centre London and holds a PhD in Actor Training from Goldsmiths, University of London. She has also trained as an actor at the Vakhtangov Institute in Moscow and Delos Drama School in Athens.

Aphrodite’s teaching practice centres on acting, with a particular focus on psychophysical approaches to actor training. Her teaching methodology draws inspiration from a wide range of practitioners, including Konstantin Stanislavski, Michael Chekhov, Sanford Meisner, Tadashi Suzuki, and Jerzy Grotowski.

Her research is closely connected to her teaching practice, with her areas of expertise including actor training, acting pedagogy, and Greek tragedy. She has presented her research at a range of conferences in the UK and internationally. Through her practice-based PhD research, Aphrodite developed a psychophysical approach to help actors access emotion safely and with ease.

Awards, Recognition & Media Profile

Recipient of a three-year Greek State Scholarship Foundation (IKY) scholarship for Theatre Studies (2010–2014), supporting postgraduate study at MA and PhD level.

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Teaching & Mentorship

Aphrodite teaches across the BA (Hons) European Theatre Arts and BA (Hons) International Acting Practices programmes, with areas of specialism including actor training, Greek tragedy, and psychophysical acting practices.

Her teaching is strongly informed by her practice-based PhD research into how actors can access emotion safely and with ease through a psychophysical approach. The research grew from her experience as an actor and her interest in making emotional access more reliable in performance. Her research explored how actors could create the conditions for emotional experience to emerge more organically, approaching emotion indirectly through various “lures” or points of access, such as breath, rhythm, and the musicality of language.

Although emotion is not the central focus of her teaching, this research informs her wider approach to acting. She draws on physical theatre and psychophysical practices and applies these to more text- and character-focused approaches to acting, encouraging students to develop a bolder, more embodied and responsive relationship to their work.

Research Interests

• Acting and actor training

• Acting pedagogies

• Psychophysical approaches to performance

• Accessing and expressing emotion in performance

• Greek tragedy

• Practice-based research

Publications

Evangelatou, A. (2025). ‘Emotion Theory and Theatre Practice: From William James to Konstantin Stanislavski.’ In P. Johnson, S. Parry & A. Senior (eds.), The Routledge Companion to Performance and Science, pp. 427–442. Abingdon and New York: Routledge.

Evangelatou, A. (2021). ‘Konstantin Stanislavski and Michael Chekhov: Tracing the Two Practitioners’ ‘Lures’ for Emotional Activation.’ Stanislavski Studies, 9(1), pp. 21–39.

Evangelatou, A. (2019). Awakening the Actor’s Emotional Expressivity: A Psychophysical Approach. PhD thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London.

Education / Academic Qualifications

PhD Actor Training, Goldsmiths, University of London

PGCert Management of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Goldsmiths, University of London

MA European Classical Acting, Drama Centre London, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London

BA Acting, Delos Drama School, Athens, Greece

BA (Hons) Theatre Studies (major: Acting/Directing), University of Peloponnese, Greece

Additional

Conference Presentations & Work Demonstrations

Evangelatou, A. (2022). “Searching for Tangible Points of Access to the Intangible: Activating the Actor’s Presence on Stage.” Marathon Acting Symposium 2022 – The Makings of the Actor, Marathon, Greece.

Evangelatou, A. (2019). “Beyond Exercise: The Pedagogy of Actor Training.” TaPRA Annual Conference, University of Exeter.

Evangelatou, A. (2019). “Awakening the Actor’s Emotional Expressivity: A Work Demonstration.” The Makings of the Actor: Towards Contemporary Acting Techniques, Practices & Methodologies, Athens.

Evangelatou, A. (2019). “On Actor Training and Pedagogy: Enhancing Students’ Learning Through Encouraging Access to the Flow State.” TaP Postgraduate Panel, Goldsmiths, University of London.

Evangelatou, A. (2019). “Rhythm and Musicality as Tools for Accessing Acted Emotion.” Rhythm and Resonance in Acting Practice, Copenhagen International School of Performing Arts.

Evangelatou, A. (2014). “The Pleasure of Performing Grief: A Study on the Connections between Erotic Pleasure and Sadness in Performance.” Performing Grief International Conference, Paris-Sorbonne.

External Examining

External Examiner, BA (Hons) Theatre Arts, American College of Greece, validated by The Open University

External Examiner, BA (Hons) Acting and Devised Theatre, Bristol School of Acting, validated by Plymouth Marjon University

Former External Examiner, BA (Hons) Acting for Stage and Screen, Regent’s University London

Peer review

Has undertaken peer review for academic publications including articles for Frontiers in Psychology and Stanislavski Studies, and a Routledge book proposal and book review.

PhD supervision

Interested in supervising research relating to acting, actor training, and psychophysical approaches to performance.

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