ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
Your tax-deductible contributions support New York’s diverse communities of artists through Theaterlab’s unique Artist Development programs. We provide various points of entry for individual artists, collectives, and companies to join in the work through residencies and rentals. Each program is dedicated to the development of new work through process, project, and performance. To directly support the development of new work, drop us a line at Development@theaterlabnyc.com
BACKSTITCH
Residency
Bending the rules of a traditional residency, NYC’s most interesting performance crafters are invited to explore their own brilliance.
Theaterlab’s BACKSTITCH Artists are scholars of themselves. They’re making big moves across genres, collectively impacting the strength & durability of the artform, while securing their own undeniable excellence into the lineage and legacy of the performing arts.
THE GALLERY SERIES
Residency
Testing the boundaries of solo performance and new artistic territory, early, never-before-seen experimental work finds a home in front of an audiences for the first time.
THE GALLERY SERIES champions the unique potential of the individual performer and challenges artists to craft ambitious explorations of the specific and intimate relationship between solo performers and spectators.
HOTEL NEW WORK
Residency
An artistic respite, where new works are given space to breathe, grow, and engage with outside eyes at an early stage.
HOTEL NEW WORK provides a place where collaboratively-driven companies in the midst of creating ambitious new work can unpack their bags, display their ideas, and share the room keys with engaged spectators.
MOTHERS MYTHS MONSTERS
Residency
A singular curator grappling with an idea brings together a selection of trusted colleagues to craft short miniatures in overlapping, complementing, and sometimes contradicting genres.
MOTHERS MYTHS MONSTERSÂ crafts new work on the theme(s) of the comforting and sometimes terrifying figure of the Mother; the complex Myths that shape our personal and collective identities; and the repulsive yet riveting Monster.
FIRST LOOK SERIES
Curated Rental
A dedicated track for emerging artists and companies who are willing to jump head-first into a fast and furious process of getting their new work on its feet and in front of an audience.
FIRST LOOK SERIES crafts moments for audiences to be in the room at the precipice of a production’s journey before all hell breaks loose. Artists get a feedback session and occasionally an invitation to connect deeper at Theaterlab.
SPACE TO CREATE
Rental
Our radical generosity allocates a certain portion of our operations to NYC artists who just need the space to develop their work.
SPACE TO CREATE is a flexible program for individuals and companies dedicated to the act of performance-based creation. Now spreading across 2 floors of the historic 357 Garment District building, Theaterlab extends greater opportunities for the future of NYC performing arts to find its way.
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Your tax-deductible contributions are an investment in NYC’s diverse communities by providing FREE programming in the heart of the Garment District. Each of Theaterlab’s Community Programs is an experiment in radical generosity, providing space to collective gather and explore our world together.
ROUND THE BLOCK!™
Gathering
The cultural architecture of NYC neighborhoods continues to ebb and flow, and the history of change becomes embedded in local communities.
ROUND THE BLOCK! ™ invites you to discover the creative force of the Garment District and to the secret stories and untold histories of the place we call home.
EVERY BODY IN THE HOUSE
Gathering
Draped in participatory conversations, each month Theaterlab opens its doors to unforgettable moments of community.
Tied together with a common thread of impeccable artistry in the making, EVERY BODY IN THE HOUSE casts doubt on loneliness and invites us all to mend our wounds.
CELEBRATE THE ARTIST
Event
Vibrant connections are made at this floating pop-up event and everything fits perfectly into place.
One of Theaterlab’s oldest and most valued programs, CELEBRATE THE ARTIST connects international artists with New York audiences for the cultural exchange.
PRODUCTIONS
Intimate genre-bending Productions sit at the heart of Theaterlab. Your tax-deductible contributions allow audiences to get up close an personal to some of the world’s most exciting living artists. From Jack Serio’s This Beautiful Future to Knud Adams children of the future age – if you see it here, your among the first.
THEATERLAB PRESENTS
 New Work Premieres
Limited runs of New York and World Premieres give you direct access to performances you’re likely to never see this close again.
THEATERLAB PRESENTS pinpoints artists working at the very edge of what’s next in performance; and fosters audiences moving toward the future.
MINIFEST
Festival
A sensory whirlwind with the unexpected tucked in every nook & cranny, MINIFEST is a fast-and-furious, blink and you miss it, one-day-only festival celebrating all things miniature.
Performers from all disciplines descend on NYC to inhabit Theaterlab, embolden audiences to fresh perspectives, and make the most of what little time we have.
TLABS SHARES
Curated Rental
The floors and walls are white, the light bounces, and nothing is hidden from the audience. NYC’s most daring and caring directors see our space as an artistic home that enhances their work. 


TLAB SHARES is a curated rental season highlighting NYC’s most exciting independent producers, directors, and companies presenting full-length works in our Theater and Gallery spaces.
ATELIER @ THEATERLAB
Rental
Emerging artists need a place to play. With low-tech and low-stakes, Theaterlab has created a new space just for that reason.
ATELIERÂ @ THEATERLAB productions push the imagination beyond traditional theater practices and allow for flexibility in creative endeavors.
Since 2026, your support of THEATERLAB has strengthened the NYC audience’s connection to live performance, built flexible programs and residencies – which continual adapt to the needs of artists at various stages of their careers, and cradled the development of award-winning artists working at the forefront of what’s next.
Just to name a few – The Play Company (Caught, OBIE Award for Playwriting, 2017), Tectonic Theater Project (Here There Are Blueberries, Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2024), Jack Serio (Grangeville, Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Direction, 2025), Gabri Christa (Magdalena, Guggenheim Fellow, 1997), David Greenspan (six OBIE Awards, 1984–2019) – and the list keeps growing.
Your continued support of THEATERLAB makes all this possible. For more information about our residencies, productions, or community programs, drop us a line at INFO@THEATERLABNYC.COM