Igor Golyak
Theater
Spring 2026 - group 4
Founding Artistic Director, Arlekin Players Theatre — Ukraine/United States
Igor Golyak is a theater director who has collaborated with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jessica Hecht, Chulpan Khamatova, T.R. Knight, and Bill Irwin, earning recognition from The New York Times as "among the most inventive directors working in the United States." Winner of 4 Lucille Lortel Awards and 7+ Elliot Norton Awards, his work was named Best Theater of 2024 by The Wall Street Journal. Featured on Good Morning America, he pioneered virtual theater during the pandemic, reaching 55+ countries and earning BroadwayWorld's Best Director of Streamed Production. A Ukrainian refugee who founded Arlekin Players Theatre 16 years ago, Igor has reached 35,000+ people globally. "Igor's fearless exploration demonstrated that even during lockdown there was artistic possibility," says Baryshnikov.
Director Igor Golyak will develop a radical new adaptation of "The Threepenny Opera", reimagining Brecht and Weill’s classic through a contemporary lens. This project will fuse bold staging with new arrangements by Steven Bernstein, creating a contemporary sonic world that is urgent and alive. Igor will focus on dramaturgy, staging concepts, and the integration of digital elements, exploring human behavior in today’s world