A brief history of the Lab

Krymov has always loved New York audiences, and his desire to create new work for them here led to several rehearsal workshops in January through March of 2020. Krymov and a small team envisioned a new theatrical Laboratory here in the United States—Krymov Lab NYC—and started making plans to produce workshop rehearsals and full productions. COVID-19 meant a retreat to Zoom meetings and planning, but tracks were laid to resume working when Krymov could come to NYC again. 

In the winter of 2022, Krymov travelled to Philadelphia to direct The Cherry Orchard at The Wilma Theater. However, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Krymov and his wife Inna realized that they could not return to Moscow. 

Krymov and producers Tatyana Khaikin and Tim Eliot leapt back to planning new workshop productions for the fall of 2022. The Lab started rehearsing Onegin (In Our Own Words) and The Americans: 2 Hems & 1/8th O’Neill on a single $400 donation, paying for rehearsal rooms at $10/hour. La MaMa ETC graciously stepped in to grant the Lab an Emergency Residency, and in December of 2022 the Lab presented its inaugural works to sold-out crowds at Downtown Art. Both pieces are slated for a full-scale remount on the historic Ellen Stewart Theater stage at La MaMa in the fall of 2023.

The original Krymov Lab in Moscow produced magical, often unforgettable works. Many of them toured the world, including the U.S., to rave reviews and ecstatic audiences.