Our People
The Board
Dr. Menas Kafatos - Thaao Penghlis - Daphne Valentina - - Sokratis Alafouzos
Legal Advisor - Secretary: Pantelis Kodogiannis
Sokratis Alafouzos
Founder - Artistic Director
Sokratis Alafouzos is an international award-winning Director, Writer and Actor. An Educator, Filmmaker and Motivational speaker.
After studying theater, film, dance and photography in Athens, Greece he attained a Fulbright scholarship in the U.S., where he continued his post-graduate studies in acting and directing. While there, Socrates wrote and directed the one act play America and directed his first short film on video. He later returned to Greece and soon became a very well-known actor. His career includes leading roles in Theater Productions of Shakespeare, Marlow, Anouilh, Shaffer, Camus, Cocteau, Euripides etc. and leading roles in TV series and Films.
In 2011, he made his professional debut as a screenwriter, film director and producer with his short film, Little King, and in 2015 he wrote, directed and produced his second film, Between Black and White. Both films participated in many film festivals around the world and received numerous awards, like the Grand Jury Prize at the Mediterranean Short Film Festival in Tangier, Best International Short at the Manhattan Film Festival and the Salento International Film Festival. He has also directed documentaries, commercials, corporate, music and performing arts videos.
2013 to 2015 Juror at the ECU - The European Independent Film Festival in Paris.
In 2016, he started working in the U.S. after receiving a honorary Visa granted to those who have attained extraordinary achievements in their field. He is now a U.S citizen.
In 2019, he founded the Theatron of the Americas and became its Artistic Director.
On March 24, 2021, Socrates curated and hosted an international event online for Theatron of the Americas to “Honor the Country in Which Theater was Born.” Actors and Distinguished Guests from U.S. and around the world read passages from Ancient Greek Drama and poetry. Honorary Guest included world-renowned Dr. Deepak Chopra, along with famous British actor Julian Sands, Emmy nominated Thaao Penghlis, Emmy winner Eleftheria Deko, acclaimed Romanian actor Maia Morgenstern and more.
On July 10, 2021, he directed and hosted the video presentation of an online event on Greek Poetry “From Byzantium to Modernism” a production of Theatron and the Consulate General of Greece in Chicago.
In January 2022, he was appointed as a Presidential Fellow in Greek Theater at Chapman University where he created and taught a new course for the Honors department based on Sophocles’ Antigone, directed the production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” for Department of Theater and he is currently teaching a graduate Advanced Directing Performance Techniques class at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.
In Dec. 2022, Sokratis created “Theater Nights With” for Theatron, an online interview show that he directed and hosted. Honorary guest actor Apollo Dukakis.
A Good-Will Ambassador for the Elisa - Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children from 2014 to 2020. He supported the work of the NGO Arc of the World (Kivotos tou Kosmou) and directed a short documentary and a TV commercial to promote the organization's charitable activities.
Dr. Menas Kafatos
Menas C. Kafatos is the Fletcher Jones Endowed Professor of Computational Physics at Chapman University and the Director of the Center of Excellence in Earth Systems Modeling and Observations (CEESMO). As founding dean of the Schmid College of Science and Technology and vice provost at Chapman, he promoted and established interdisciplinary educational and research projects, and subsequently as Director of CEESMO, he leading many science grants. His doctoral thesis advisor was the renowned M.I.T. professor Philip Morrison who studied under J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Author, physicist and philosopher, he works in quantum mechanics, cosmology, the environment, climate change, and natural hazards, and extensively on philosophical issues of consciousness, connecting science to metaphysical traditions. He leads collaborations of his research teams with a number of universities and international institutions, including the University of Athens; the California Institute of Integral Studies; the following Korean universities, Korea University, Chungnam National University, Kyung Hee University, Ewha Woman’s University, & Seoul National University; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Athens Academy, National Observatory of Athens, the Institute of Geodynamics in Greece; Academia Sinica, Taiwan; Chiba University, Japan, Univ. of Basilicata, Italy; the Chinese Academy of Sciences etc.
He holds seminars and workshops for individuals, groups and corporations on the universal principles for well-being and human potential. He works extensively and leads projects in all areas of hazards: Wildfires; droughts; dust transport; hurricane modeling; as well as impacts of climate change on agriculture and natural ecosystems. Climate related research, including seasonal to inter annual variability and effects on vegetation; climate change impacts on agriculture; connection of climate and possible impacts on hurricanes, dust storms and wildfires. Author of 335 refereed articles and book chapters, in Earth and space, quantum mechanics and philosophy, interdisciplinary publications. Publications in high impact and top reputation journals such as two in each, Nature and Scientific American. Citations: 7,200+ (just in Research Gate, 2019). Highest Citation of single article: 500. Has led innovative interdisciplinary programs which impact education at all levels including Masters and doctoral programs in Earth and Space and computational systems at both George Mason University and since 2008 at Chapman University.
He is Member, Chapman University $1M Club (2013). Appointed as Affiliated Researcher with National Observatory of Athens (June 2013). Appointed as International Scholar Kyung Hee University (December 2013); Korea University (March 2015). Recipient of the Denny Award, joint paper in Operational Oceanography, chosen as the best paper of the year by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, UK. 2018. Member of foreign national academies, including the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, and the Romanian Academy of Science.
Author or editor of 21 books, including The Conscious Universe (Springer, 2000), Looking In, Seeing Out (Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), Living the Living Presence (in Greek, Melissa, 2017; and in Korean, Miruksa Press, 2016), Science, Reality and Everyday Life (in Greek, Asimakis 2019 and in English 2020), and is co-author with Deepak Chopra of the NY Times Bestseller You are the Universe (Harmony/Random House/Penguin, 2017, translated into many languages and in many countries). IEEE Orange County Chapter - Outstanding Leadership and Professional Service Award, 2011.
Writes blogs for the Huffington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle. You can learn more at http://www.menaskafatos.com
Thaao Penghlis
Nominated for three Emmys Thaao Penghlis was born and raised in Sydney, Australia to Greek-born parents. Penghlis decided to move to New York City to study art history and fashion. While in New York City, he met legendary acting coach, theatre director and fellow Greek, Milton Katselas, who helped the young student discover his true calling, acting. Penghlis worked as Katselas’ assistant for nearly a decade while often appearing in his productions. He made his New York stage debut in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway play Jockeys. Penghlis has stared in the films Slow Dancing in the Big City, directed by John Avildsen, Altered States, directed by Ken Russell, The Bell Jar and The Mirror. Penghlis then won the role of charismatic Tony DiMera on Days of our Lives.
Penghlis next starred in 1989 as Nicholas Black on the prime time series revival of Mission: Impossible. On television, he has starred in the miniseries Sadat, appeared opposite Omar Sharif and Jane Seymour in the miniseries adaptation of Sydney Sheldon’s Memories of Midnight, and played a terrorist in the critically acclaimed television film Under Siege with Peter Strauss and Hal Holbrook. Penghlis also starred opposite Joanna Cassidy in the miniseries Tribe. But perhaps his most unusual role was playing the lover of Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) in the cult classic Les Patterson Saves the World.
He starred in the world premiere play "Class” and his one-man show "Journeys” on the East Coast to great reviews. These past few years, Thaao starred in films, “The Story of Esther,” “Job’s Daughter,” “Redeemed” and the short film “The Secret of Joy,” dealing with children with cancer.
A world- class traveler, Penghlis had his first book “PLACES” published in 2015 garnering great reviews. It deals with his journeys to the Middle East and the dangers he encountered in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. His second book, “Seducing Celebrities One Meal at a Time,” was released in November 2016.
Thaao’s lifelong fascination with archaeology researched over 60,000 documents of the famous archeologist Heinrich Schliemann who is the subject of his latest screenplay. The ultimate adventurer, Penghlis has trekked across the Sinai desert, climbed Mt. Sinai, soared in a hot air balloon over the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, and survived both crashes.
He is now creating a podcast on a Homer Trilogy bringing Ulysses home after 3000yrs. Thaao Penghlis makes his home in Los Angeles.
Daphne Valentina
Daphne Valentina’s entrepreneurial spirit and creative thread guided her diverse career trajectory into banking, clothing design, hair and make up, film, theater, real estate development and international investment.
Daphne is a Documentary Film Writer/Producer/Director.
She was a member of the elite team of Cosmetologists who lent their talent preparing for the Athens 2004 Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Her artistic soul thrives when painting, marble sculpting, cooking, entertaining and immersing herself in international travel and culture.
Born in the U.S., Greek was Daphne’s first language. By the age of seven, she had been exposed to opera and live ancient Greek theater. This exposure left an indelible impression that inspires her love of the arts to this day.
The ancient Greeks shared wisdom, truths, humor, sarcasm and satire through live theater. Their themes are as applicable today as when they were written almost 2,500 years ago.
Daphne is honored to be a member of Theatron of the Americas Board. She is excited to lend her support and expertise in Ancient Greek Theater to educate and entertain contemporary audiences of all ages.