Nikolai Demidov (1884-1953) began his career as a practising psychiatrist and athletic trainer, before becoming assistant to Konstantin Stanislavski at the Moscow Art Theatre. He went on to be co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre School, and one of the original teachers of Stanislavski's system. Following his mentor's death, Demidov's radical, innovative approaches saw him ostracised from Moscow and his role in Russian actor training largely wiped from the history books. The efforts of his celebrated pupils - including Maria Knebel, Boris Livanov and Margarita Laskina - have seen his work gradually return to recognition following the demise of the Soviet Union.

Andrei Malaev-Babel is an actor, director and scholar, a graduate of the Vakhtangov Theatre Institute in Moscow. He serves as an Associate Professor of Theatre at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, and on the board of the Michael Chekhov Association. He is the editor of The Vakhtangov Sourcebook and author of Yevgeny Vakhtangov: A critical portrait.