Demidov Acting Technique Nine Month Immersion Course

Demidov Studio Vienna is, for the first time, offering actors the opportunity to embark on a nine-month continuous journey into the technique of creative freedom, as developed by Nikolai Demidov and taught at Demidov Studio Vienna.

This in-depth course in the Demidov School of Acting is designed for actors who are serious about developing a complete and practical inner technique — one that enables consistent access to artistic inspiration and the ability to fully experience and live on stage or screen.

Over the course of nine months, actors will explore an extensive part of the Demidov curriculum in greater depth, including how to approach a role. The course is designed so that each stage unfolds seamlessly into the next, as our experience deepens. The Training will be delivered in five stages.

The aim of the course is to cultivate our innate skills, so they develop smoothly and organically, liberating our subconscious creativity and creating a natural path to each actor’s unique artistic individuality.

The Demidov School approaches the creative process as an indivisible whole (everything we need is already there from the beginning). Throughout this course actors develop their creative reflexes (spontaneous reactions) to live truthfully in each moment – and to experience what true creative freedom means.

We are looking for actors who are committed to diving deeply into the Demidov work, interested in exploring their own creative process and who they are as artists. The group chosen for the course will work as an ensemble across the nine months of training.

Course Content

Stage One – The Demidov Etudes + Inexact (Creative) Repetition – the Etudes are the foundation of the entire Demidov School, and in this stage of the course we learn the fundamental principles of the organic approach to the art of living on stage and screen. Through Demidov’s signature etudes we get a first taste of what it means to truly live in the moment, to truly and see and hear on stage, to remain ‘here and now’. We are encouraged to trust our spontaneous urges, and surrender to the genuine life that develops on its own. These are our partner scales exercises, as a musician practises scales every day, Demidov created these to refine and tune our creative instrument towards surrender to and transformation into character.

The Art of Inexact (Creative) Repetition – The nature of acting is that we repeat, whether in rehearsal, audition, or performance. It is impossible to repeat something exactly the same way twice. So how do we repeat an etude, a scene or an entire play, so that it is not a mechanical repetition of what we did last time? Here we learn the fundamental principles that lie behind Demidov’s art of inexact or creative repetition. We discover the inner life of a given text and the ways to embody it. This frees us from any obligation to repeat exactly (our behaviour, actions, what we felt, etc.), and teaches us how to trust our creative intuition and surrender to the truth of the moment, without considerations of right and wrong.

Stage Two – The Power of Circumstances – Most actors know that circumstances are important, but how do we immerse ourselves in and surrender to them so that they carry us effortlessly, as a force of nature? In this stage of the course, we discover how circumstances – both known and unknown – propel and guide our life as character. Working with Inexact (Creative) Repetition, we will explore how circumstances become given, and how they are clarified and deepened with every repetition. At the same time, we will discover the relationship between circumstances and character, and how relationships are simultaneously enriched. When we learn to perceive and surrender to circumstances, acting becomes effortless. Also at this stage, you will be introduced to individual scales exercises, which are to be practised at home daily.

Stage Three – Character – According to Demidov, character is born in us, not ‘built’ or ‘played’. It is a living being that continues to develop and mature for as long as we are active in a role. Demidov says the origin of character is connected with subtle energy, with what he calls ‘weak currents’. In this stage of the course, through our work on etudes, we will practise surrendering to these ‚weak currents‘, to the first subtle manifestations of a character’s being, to what Demidov calls the ‘embryo’ of the character. Specific character facilitation and accumulation exercises, unique to the Demidov School, will be introduced at this stage. These exercises are precious for the actor’s creative homework.

Stage Four – Scene Study – Here we explore the Demidov School’s approach to working with circumstances and character given by an author. It will further develop the technique of “inexact” or “creative repetition,” enriching characters, deepening relationships and working with more heightened circumstances by utilizing the organic approach. During this stage, we take new steps toward mastering the art of creative transformation (embodiment), as we approach character via scenes from contemporary realist plays, chosen by you and agreed between you, your scene partner and the facilitator.

You will be introduced to sophisticated approaches to working with the text. These new methods will further develop the basic skill of “assigning” the role’s text. We will also work with:

• Uncovering the character’s past
• Assigning and ‘magnetising’ the circumstances
• Yielding to physical sensations
• Character Accumulation and Facilitation
• The art of letting go
• Preparation for rehearsal

Stage Five – Approaching a Role- In this final stage of the course, we focus on how we apply the work learned so far to the process of rehearsal and development of a role. We build naturally on the work developed during Scene Study by expanding our focus from a single scene to a sequence of scenes from a contemporary play. Here we apply the work across the broader arc of a character’s journey. We are not concerned here with the outcome, or with creating a production, but rather with the process of preparation, rehearsal and role development. The focus is on learning to perceive and become immersed in the world of the play, and on the organic development of the character’s journey. Rehearsals become a space for continual discovery, not a place to fix results.

Why train with us?
Demidov Studio Vienna is the only place in Austria where you can receive authentic and complete training in the Demidov Technique, with a trusted teacher, who has trained in the entire Demidov curriculum as both actor and teacher and is certified by the International Demidov Association.

The course will be taught by DSV Director Andrei Biziorek.

Program cost, dates and times:
Entry to the course will be by interview.

The course will entail 222 hours of training over nine months.

Total cost of the program: € 4450 ,-

A deposit of  € 450,-  is required within two weeks of being accepted onto the course.

Payment plan: A payment plan is possible, in agreement with DSV administration. The full deposit would still be necessary and then a monthly payment would be required. Full payment for the program would need to be received before the end of the course.

The course will consist of in-person studio sessions plus intensives.

STAGE ONE – ROOTS OF THE TECHNIQUE AND INEXACT (CREATIVE) REPETITION

Intensive – October 4 and 5 (10am to 4pm).

Studio sessions – Tuesdays and Thursdays (10am to 1pm): October 7 to October 23.

STAGE TWO – THE POWER OF CIRCUMSTANCES

Studio sessions – Tuesdays and Thursdays: October 28 to December 4.

Intensive – December 12 and 13 (10am to 4pm each day).

CHRISTMAS BREAK

STAGE THREE – CHARACTER

Studio sessions – Tuesdays and Thursdays: January 13 to February 19, 2026.

Intensive – February 27 and 28 (10am to 4pm each day).

STAGE FOUR – SCENE STUDY

Studio sessions – Tuesdays and Thursdays: March 10 to April 16.

Intensive – April 25 and 26 (10am to 4pm each day).

STAGE FIVE – APPROACHING A ROLE

Six weeks in studio – Tuesdays and Thursdays: May 5 to June 11.

Intensive – June 12 and 13 (10am to 4pm each day).

The first step…
If you are interested in applying please complete the form below to register your interest.

The next step…
If you are invited to interview, you will be offered a date to meet over zoom with DSV Director. Please note, if you are accepted onto the program, you are agreeing to commit to the entire course and to be available for all the scheduled dates. Refunds are only considered in exceptional circumstances so please consider your application carefully.