Andreas Voutsinas
Director, actor and teacher whose international career stretched from the Actors Studio and Broadway to Paris, Epidaurus and Thessaloniki.
The school does not simply bear his name. He founded it himself in 2008 as the continuation of a life devoted to acting, directing and actor training.
Andreas Voutsinas was born in Khartoum, Sudan, on 22 August 1932, to parents from Farsa on the island of Kefalonia. His path towards theatre led him to studies in acting and costume design at the Old Vic and to drama training at Webber Douglas, while he also studied at Lee Strasberg’s school.
In 1957 he became a member of the Actors Studio, at a time when the American stage was radically redefining actor training. He worked as an actor and director on Broadway, and his international career brought him into contact with major figures in theatre and film.
Over the course of his life he directed more than 130 productions of classical and contemporary repertoire in London, Paris, New York, Canada and Greece. He worked with internationally renowned artists including Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Anne Bancroft, Fanny Ardant and Irene Papas.
He also worked in film, appearing in films by directors such as Jules Dassin and Luc Besson, becoming recognisable well beyond the theatre world.
Theatre, teaching, return.
Some of the key moments in a career that connected international theatre experience with teaching and the Greek stage.
Actors Studio
He becomes a member of the Actors Studio, linking his artistic path with one of the most influential centres of modern actor training.
More than 130 productions directed
He directs classical and contemporary repertoire in London, Paris, New York, Canada and Greece, collaborating with major actors and theatre organisations.
Major theatre organisations
He collaborates with the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, the National Theatre of Greece, the National Theatre of Northern Greece, Peiramatiki Skini “Technis”, the Kalamata Municipal Regional Theatre, Thessaly Theatre and independent companies.
Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
The French government honours him as Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres and with the title Chevalier de Mérite.
Teaching at the NTNG
He teaches acting at the Drama School of the National Theatre of Northern Greece, bringing decades of international experience to a new generation of actors.
Founding the school
He founds the Andreas Voutsinas Advanced Drama School in Thessaloniki and teaches acting at the school in 2009.
The continuation of a theatrical journey.
After his death on 8 June 2010, the school continued to operate in Thessaloniki. Today Pavlos Danelatos is Director of Studies. The founder’s story gains its real meaning when it is connected to the present of training rather than reduced to a commemorative biography.
The Drama School today