“Ingenious! It left me wanting more…”
The New York Times
“Artistically ambitious! Golyak is among the most inventive directors working in the United States”
The New York Times
Igor
Golyak
Theater Director
Founder, Arlekin Players Theatre
"Theater is the most practical magic we possess"
MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV
Academy Award Nominee
Founder, Baryshnikov Arts Center
Pay attention to this!
You want to see it.
Igor discovers a kernel of something true that is then
revealed and amplified.
JESSICA HECHT
Tony Nominee
(Breaking Bad, Friends)
Within five minutes...
I was totally drawn in.
Igor understood Chekhov
in a way that I could
only dream about."
WALL STREET JOURNAL
An epic and intimate drama... stark and uncompromising.
TWO
NYTIMES
CRITICS' PICK
WSJ
BEST THEATRE
2024
FOUR
LUCILLE LORTEL
AWARDS 2025
ELEVEN
ELLIOT NORTON
AWARDS
Chulpan Khamatova & Andrey Burkovskiy
Boston | New York, 2026
A theatrical adaptation of Eugène Ionesco's Frenzy for Two, or More. Extended twice at The Space at Irondale, Brooklyn.
“Igor Golyak’s genius … is to bring not just form and brio but the flavor of originality to some of the most complex and demanding material the theater has to offer.” The Boston Globe
4 Lortel Awards
WSJ Best Theater 2024
1941 Jedwabne pogrom examination.
2 Elliot Norton Awards, 2026
BAM, Classic Stage Company, Boston, San Francisco.
“Igor Golyak’s direction is extraordinary.” BroadwayWorld
by Anna Ziegler
UK Premiere
Marylebone Theatre, London, 2025
Two marriages, a generation apart. A young Orthodox couple in an arranged match, and a celebrated writer tempted by an email from a movie star.
“Golyak surrounds them with a theatrical magic that quietly astounds.” WhatsOnStage
"Between Two Worlds"
2 Elliot Norton Awards, 2025
A mystical Yiddish folktale steeped in folklore and cultural tradition, reimagined in a contemporary new production. Set in the historic sanctuary of the Vilna Shul, Boston, 2024 and 2025. Starring Andrey Burkovskiy and Yana Gladkikh.
(starring Mikhail Baryshnikov)
Interactive Gaming Theater
NYT Critics' Pick
Mikhail Baryshnikov and Jessica Hecht star in this groundbreaking interactive gaming theater premiere that redefined virtual performance.
State vs.
Natasha Banina
Global Viral Hit | NYT Critics' Pick
First professional pandemic production. Created from living room, reached global audiences. Established Igor Golyak as virtual theater pioneer.
Featuring Jessica Hecht
& Mikhail Baryshnikov
New York | Boston
"Chekhov Two Ways"
The Orchard Live and In-Person
Lincoln Center | Ukrainian Response
World premiere featuring top actors in Ukrainian playwrights' response to Russian invasion.
Live-streamed worldwide.
Part of #Artists4Ukraine ($100K+ raised).
In Development
The Threepenny Opera
Brecht and Weill. New York workshop, February 2027.
Poison
By Lot Vekemans. Years after their son dies, a divorced couple meet again at his grave. 2027.
Hamlet
A hybrid live and virtual Hamlet, conceived with and starring Chulpan Khamatova. 2027.
