ALab (Artist’s Laboratory) is an NYC theater festival that takes place several times a year at The IRT Theater in the West Village. Our mission is to present diverse, experimental works to new audiences at accessible prices while providing free resources and fair compensation to participating theater artists. To date, we have programmed 25 performance groups across two festivals, presenting 50 performances and supporting over 220 emerging artists.
ALab gives foundational, unmatched support to both emerging and established theater artists in NYC. By providing free marketing, tech rehearsals, personnel, equipment, performances, and compensation to programmed artists, ALab erases financial barriers to entry and provides a safe breeding ground for risky experimentation.
Through events, workshops, and comped tickets, artists are able to build community with each other, gain producing experience, and expand their audiences– guaranteeing they’re equipped to continue pushing theatrical boundaries in the future.
The festival operates in a shared-space model, with programmed artists creating and performing work in repertory at the IRT’s decked-out black box theater. In the intimate 33-seat space, as many as five shows are presented in a single day, cultivating an electric, in-the-moment playground for artists and audiences alike.
ALab keeps ticket prices low (always less than $20 a ticket), assuring new, diverse audiences have access to experimental work in the face of rising commercialism and artistic conformity. Through additional discounts, festival passes, and post-show events, we are proud to build patron communities founded on expansive access to the arts.
This year, ALab is raising $35,000 to radically expand our mission to support artists through free resources and fair compensation while lowering ticket prices to accessible rates. Through your support, all Summer 2026 artists will be offered stipends to cover individual costs ahead of performances and base ticket prices will remain at a subsidized rate lower than $20.
Here’s the breakdown:
Through your contribution, we will be able to double our regular programming, presenting more than 20 new works across 40+ performances over 2 weeks. Importantly, this round of fundraising will help establish a sustainable new financial model for ALab, allowing us to consistently offer the same support, access, and affordability to members of our community for years to come.
