Theater 86 is an award-winning, not-for-profit theater company based in New York City. Originally founded in 2004 as The Russian Arts Theater and Studio, the theater was created with the hopes of sharing the rich traditions of Slavic theater arts and literature with contemporary audiences in America. Additionally, a studio was created to pass on the unique Stanislavsky theater training to actors. Since its founding, the company has gone on to stage numerous productions throughout stages in New York, providing critically-acclaimed plays as well as stage adaptations of beloved novels. Past works include works by Ivan Bunin, Mikhail Bulgakov, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Gogol, Maxim Gorky, Alexander Pushkin, George Orwell, Roald Dahl and more. Inside the intimate Pushkin Hall on West 86th street, the company built shows with actors from all backgrounds—Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, France, Germany, Italy, Guinea-Bissau, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, China, Israel, Turkey, Armenia, Australia, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Serbia. At our core, we are New York emigres—misfits who live in this cramped and over-priced city because we value its diversity, varied opinions and the freedom to express them. As our repertoire began to reflect the faces that gave voices to them, we looked for a new name that was void of a singular nationality. It is with this in mind that we changed our company to Theater 86. We look forward to sharing our journey with you.
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