Acting Studio for
Real Life
Play-shift is a change of state through play. Not play as entertainment. Play as a way to shift how you show up — in your body, your attention, and your relationships.
We work with games, improvisation, and acting exercises. You notice habits. You try new responses. You adapt in real time.
Skills you can Feel and Use
Presence
Staying with what’s happening — in your body, in the room, with others.
Adaptability
Letting go of fixed responses and meeting the moment as it changes.
Communication
Speaking, listening, and responding without overthinking or performing.
Confidence
Not bravado. A grounded sense of “I’m here, and I can handle this.”
Creative Thinking
Seeing new possibilities and responding with fresh, original ideas in the moment.
Connection
Relating to others with attention, honesty, and ease.
NYC Workshops
Courses
3-day RetreatForest, Fire & Buddy
Three days away from the city. Four guided practice sessions. A forest, a fire, and people you haven't met yet. Through TISTO's play-based practices, you'll rediscover what it feels like to be fully present — creative, spontaneous, and genuinely connected. Come rest, explore, and leave more alive than you arrived.
Tisto was born in Ukraine, now based in New York. Created by actors for non-actors, our studio is a place to feel free, be authentic, and build real communication confidence in everyday life — anytime, anywhere.
TISTO is Ukrainian for “dough” — a metaphor for human potential that can be shaped, strengthened, expanded and rise through the right space.
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Igor Kliuchnyk
Actor. Theater director. Founder of TISTO Studio. 11+ years leading sessions across Ukraine, Europe, and the US.
Igor Kliuchnyk
Co-founder of TISTO · Actor · Theater Director
Co-founder of Beautiful Flowers Theatre and NAFTA Theatre. Co-founder and director of Parade Fest International Theater Festival. TEDx speaker on transformation through play.
15+ years working at the intersection of theater, education, and leadership. Founded TISTO School in Ukraine — 1,000+ graduates, 20+ programs, 21 corporate clients including EPAM, GlobalLogic, and SoftServe. Led teams of 200+ people using theater-based methods.
Since 2022 — co-founder of Rescue Now humanitarian foundation (450,000+ people assisted, partnerships with UNICEF, USAID, UN).
Maria Vaneieva
Actress, teacher, coach. Co-creator of the TISTO program. Leads sessions across Germany, Europe, and the US.
Maria Vaneieva
Actress · Teacher · ICF-Certified Coach
30 years of professional experience in theater and performance. 5 years with the Kharkiv State Academic Drama Theatre. 2.5 years teaching at Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts (Berlin). 13 years at Kharkiv National University of Arts.
3,000+ hours of acting training delivered. Certified coach under ICF standards (CoachingUp University). Co-creator of the TISTO program.
Olha Kryvosheieva
Actress. PhD Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences. Author of the Flow-Vision Coaching Method.
Olha Kryvosheieva
Actress · Educator · Business Coach · PhD (Pedagogy)
9 years of stage career in Ukraine and Europe. 10 years teaching at Kharkiv National University of Arts, Ernst Busch Academy (Berlin), and Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF (Potsdam).
Author of the Flow-Vision Coaching Method — a proprietary approach to working with the subconscious. 1,000+ workshops and masterclasses delivered, from aspiring actors to C-suite executives.
Petro Ninovskyi
The first Ukrainian actor at Juilliard, trained in Kyiv, London, and New York, with 30+ film and theater credits.
Petro Ninovskyi
Actor · Facilitator · MFA, The Juilliard School
The first Ukrainian actor in the history of The Juilliard School. Also holds BFA and MFA from Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema, and Television, and completed the Midsummer Conservatory Program at the British American Dramatic Academy (London).
30+ projects in film, television, and commercial productions. 10+ years of training in leading international programs. Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Prize in Acting (2024).
Oriana
Theater director, filmmaker, and acting teacher at NYU Tisch and Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.
Oriana
Theater Director · Filmmaker · Acting Teacher · MFA, NYU Tisch
French-Singaporean filmmaker and theater director based in New York. Directed three productions in NYC in 2025, including her original play Eclipse. Films screened at Dallas, Brisbane, and St. Louis International Film Festivals. Winner, Best Drama Short — Barbados Independent Film Festival.
Acting on Camera instructor at Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (Young Actors Program). Studied management at HEC Paris Business School.
Artem Vusyk
Director, actor, and educator — founder of NAFTA and VARTA theaters and 2024 Les Kurbas Prize laureate.
Artem Vusyk
Theater Director · Actor · Educator
Ukrainian theater director, actor, and co-founder of Beautiful Flowers Theatre — an internationally recognized independent theater known for its wordless “funk futurism” performances presented across Europe and beyond.
Founder of NAFTA Theatre in Kharkiv and VARTA Theatre in Lviv — independent platforms combining contemporary theater, education, and socially engaged performance. Productions have been presented at META FORMY (Wrocław) and Berliner Theatertreffen.
Recipient of the Les Kurbas Prize (2024) for the production Rainbow on Saltivka — becoming the first director from Ukraine’s independent theater sector to receive the award. Directs productions across leading Ukrainian theaters.
Nadiia Tereshchenko
Psychotherapist and PhD with 20+ years of experience and TISTO trainer since 2021.
Nadiia Tereshchenko
Psychotherapist · PhD in Psychology · Relationship Coach
Psychotherapist, relationship coach, teacher, and supervisor with 20+ years of clinical experience in counseling and psychotherapy. Associate Professor of Psychological Counseling and Psychotherapy at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (2006–2021).
Certified couples therapist trained in the Gottman Method. Deputy Director of the Ukrainian Institute of Client-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy. Member of both the Ukrainian National Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association.
Trainer at TISTO since 2021, working at the intersection of psychology, embodiment, communication, and human connection.
Yuriy Klyatskin
Director, actor, and improv coach with 24 years of experience — founder of the Improvisation School and "Potik" immersive theater.
Yuriy Klyatskin
Director · Actor · Educator · Improv Coach
Yuriy Klyatskin is a theater director, actor, educator, and improvisation coach with 24 years of professional experience in performance and live interaction. Founder of the Improvisation School and the immersive theater “Potik.”
For 15 years, he worked as an actor, director, and educator at the iconic Ukrainian improvisational theater “Chornyi Kvadrat,” helping develop improvisation practices for stage and everyday communication.
Improv coach for the Ukrainian television show League of Laughter (Seasons 7–9). His work focuses on adaptability, spontaneity, playful thinking, and helping people feel more alive and responsive in real-life situations.
Inside the room
