Theater As A Sanctuary, Temple and a Home.
Our History
Founded in 2004, Theater 86 is an award-winning nonprofit theater company dedicated to bringing great works of world literature to the stage and passing the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavsky to a new generation of actors.
Over the past two decades, the company has presented critically acclaimed plays and original adaptations on stages throughout New York City. Our repertoire has drawn from the work of Ivan Bunin, Mikhail Bulgakov, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Gogol, Maxim Gorky, Alexander Pushkin, George Orwell, Roald Dahl, and many others.
For many years, our home was the intimate Pushkin Hall on West 86th Street. There, we built an international ensemble of artists with roots in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, France, Germany, Italy, Guinea-Bissau, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, China, Israel, Turkey, Armenia, Australia, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Serbia, and beyond.
At our core, we are New York émigrés and misfits—people drawn to this crowded, complicated, and wildly expensive city by its diversity, its clashing ideas, and its freedom of expression. As our ensemble grew, our repertoire began to reflect the many faces and voices bringing it to life. We needed a name that belonged not to one nationality, but to all of us. And so, in honor of the street where our community first took root, we became Theater 86.
We believe that artistic excellence is inseparable from kindness, compassion, and respect for our shared humanity. Bringing together artists from around the world, we unite tradition with innovation, rigor with generosity, and dynamic expression with humor and heart. We create theater that challenges and delights, inspires artists and audiences, and makes the stage a place of genuine human connection.
We look forward to sharing the next chapter of our journey with you.
Our Mission
Our mission is twofold: to enrich New York City’s theatrical landscape by developing new work and reimagining the great classics of world literature, and to pass the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavsky to a new generation of actors through affordable, accessible theater education.
Bringing together artists from around the world, we unite tradition with innovation, rigor with generosity, and dynamic expression with humor and heart. We create intimate theater that challenges and delights, inspires artists and audiences, and affirms the stage as a place of genuine human connection.
Our Creatives
Aleksey Burago, Artistic Director
A graduate of Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS), Aleksey Burago studied under the world famous theater director Pytor Fomenko. The New York Times has called his work “visually stunning…its simplicity is like a tiny, finely honed blade.” Aleksey has directed many productions to critical acclaim in Europe and America, including Beyond Recognition, a play about Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, which had a sold-out run at the prestigious Hermitage Theatre in St. Petersburg. His television production of Alexander Pushkin’s Queen of Spades (Moscow TV) was broadcast across the country and received rave reviews.
In the early 90’s, Aleksey left Russia and emigrated to New York for a better life. He founded Theater 86, then known as Russian Arts Theater and Studio, hoping to share his love and knowledge of Russian literature and the rich traditions of theater training with American audiences. In the capital of the theater world, Aleksey has directed over sixty productions, among them On the Eve (Obie Nominee), Ah, My Dear Anderson (Time Out NY Critic’s Pick), Gamblers, The Overcoat, Crime and Punishment, Uncle Vanya, Dante’s Inferno, and Mozart and Salieri. His latest production of Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, Or, The Devil Comes to Moscow enjoyed four sold-out runs and was praised by Charles Isherwood of Wall Street Journal as “maliciously inventive…The performances are ripe, antic, and enjoyably over-the-top, in keeping with the spirit of Bulgakov’s book. It can be described in many ways—satiric, absurdist, fanciful, grotesque, bizarre—but subtle or realistic it definitely, and exuberantly, is not.”
Aleksey is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Best Director Award at the Moscow Annual Festival of Classical Plays, Best Director Award at the St. Petersburg Comedy Festival, and the Best Show Award at the International United Solo Festival in NYC. Additionally, Aleksey's creation of Billy Bob Boils the Sea was selected to represent the United States at the 9th International Ordu Youth and Children’s Festival in Turkey.
As a teacher, Aleksey has taught around the world, including Theatre Academy and Conservatory in St. Petersburg, GITIS Scandinavia in Denmark, Acting Without Acting Festival in Mexico, Theater Communications Laboratory in Japan, Bilkent University in Turkey, Manhattanville College, Fordham University, and HB Studio in New York City.
Di Zhu, Managing Director
Di Zhu is a critically-acclaimed producer, actress, pianist and the Managing Director at Theater 86. She joined the company in 2015, hoping to share her rich and varied background in the arts to her collaborations at the theater. Since coming on board, Di has produced over thirty productions and helped the theater secure its first permanent home. Di prides herself on her hands-on approach to indie theater-making, overseeing all aspects of a production from the initial conception to Closing Night.
In her earlier days, Di was a scholarship student at the prestigious Eastman School of Music, where she majored in Piano Performance and Literature. The Grand Prize Winner of the Inaugural International New York Piano Competition, Di's piano performances have been featured nationally on PBS, as well as WXXI and WQXR.
After moving to New York City, Di completed her studies as a filmmaker at New School University. She gained production experience making films and commercials on sets before returning to her childhood passion: acting.
As an actress, Di has appeared in many stage productions, most recently as Pearl Penny Chen in the World Premiere of John Patrick Shanley's play The Pushover. Other appearances include Master and Margarita, Lady With a Lapdog With Jokes And A Happy Ending, Enemies Of The People, Three Sisters, Crime and Punishment, Avenue of Wonder, Swan Song, My Uncle Chekhov, The Bear, Uncle Vanya, and The Seagull. Di was invited to join the cast of Love, Laughter and Vodka With Anton Chekhov: Selected Shorts Live at Symphony Space, where she performed Anton Chekhov's Death of a Government Clerk, sharing the stage with many notable actors of stage and film, including Rainn Wilson and Cynthia Nixon. Film and TV credits include Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, The Blindspot, A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, WeCrashed, Maximum Pleasure Garaunteed, and the upcoming What Happens at Night, directed by Martin Scorcese.