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New York Times Critic's Pick

“Ingenious! It left me wanting more…”

The New York Times

New York Times

“Artistically ambitious! Golyak is among the most inventive directors working in the United States”

The New York Times

Igor
Golyak

Director, Live & Virtual Theater
Founder, Arlekin Players Theatre

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THEATER 

WITHOUT

BOUNDARIES

In a world of established conventions, we create theater that defies gravity. I believe in theater as a portal—a space where we transcend the everyday, explore the depths of human experience, and discover new possibilities. My approach is grounded in three essential pillars: beauty, empathy, and meaning.
 

Working at the intersection of cultures and technologies, we craft experiences that bridge worlds—Eastern and Western, traditional and innovative, physical and digital. Our Zero Gravity Laboratory approaches each production as a unique universe with its own laws, bringing together actors, designers, and audiences as co-creators of meaning.

From immersive virtual productions viewed in 55 countries to groundbreaking stage works featuring international artists like Mikhail Baryshnikov and Chulpan Khamatova, our work has been recognized with multiple New York Times Critics' Picks and named among the "Best Theater of 2024" by The Wall Street Journal.
 

Whether directing, teaching, or developing new work, I'm dedicated to creating theater that opens hearts, challenges perceptions, and illuminates our shared humanity in unexpected ways.

Welcome to a space where imagination collides with reality, where the physical and virtual merge, and where together, we can defy the gravity of convention.

 

— Igor Golyak

OUR CLASS Receives 6 Nominations
for the 2025 
Lucille Lortel 
Awards
 

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR

Igor Golyak

 

OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN

Jan Pappelbaum

OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN

Eric Dunlap, Igor Golyak, Andreea Mincic

 

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE

Our Class
Gus Birney, Andrey Burkovskiy, José Espinosa,

Tess Goldwyn, Will Manning, Stephen Ochsner, Alexandra Silber, Richard Topol, Ilia Volok, Elan Zafir

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL

Our Class

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER

Or Schraiber

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Press

Press

"There’s a certain fearlessness to Igor Golyak. This is a director driven to reimagine and deconstruct classic texts, not just stage them."

 

— Don Aucoin, The Boston Globe

"Golyak’s production fuses film, theater, and video game technology to create a new hybrid platform." 

 

— Shana Nys Dambrot, LA Weekly 

"[Golyak] may have very well pioneered a new form of interactive entertainment.“

— Eric Hauter, GamingNexus

"Golyak’s inventive version takes the classic story for a wild ride — and I was thrilled to be on the bus."

 

— Jacquin Sinclair, WBUR/NPR

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