top of page
bio & artist statement
I’m an artist, producer, and improviser from New York City. Most of what I make—or help others to make—leans on improvisation.

My primary medium is collaboration, usually with people, sometimes with environments, often with code, occasionally with frames of animation. 


My work has won awards and received grants - they're very nice, and they're here.

Some of the things I’ve made (and helped other artists make) have also received attention in the form of press, which is also lovely, and here's some of it.
 
I teach improvisation at the Atlantic Acting Studio at NYU, and I’m regularly invited to speak about virtual performance, mixed-reality creation, and adaptive storytelling. Recent talks and workshops include SXSW, Rutgers, SVA's Digital Animation Studio, CUNY, the Museum of the Moving Image/SEGD, Worlds in Play, the New York Independent Theater Film Festival, and presentations at SIGGRAPH and IEEE GEM.
​
I’m currently the Senior Experience Director at Agile Lens, where I help shape the company’s approach to XR-driven performance, collaborative tools, and emerging creative technologies. Earlier in my career, I served as artistic director for several New York–area theaters, including Magic Futurebox, The Peoples Improv Theater, and the Jersey City Children's Theater.
SelfPortraitDLcompressed2.gif
image.png
press
Press

UploadVR: A Christmas Carol Is A Free Tradition Haunting Quest Headsets From Agile Lens

Broadway World: Agile Lens' A Christmas Carol VR to Return This Holiday Season

USA Today: Podcast Pick of the Week

Playbill: Leslie Kritzer Stars in Podcast Musical

Splitsider: This Week in Comedy Podcasts

Broadway World: Stage Tube - Sing Along with Wondery's New Podcast Musical

Chicago Tribune: Listen to Alan Schmuckler and Dave Holstein's 'Serial'-inspired Musical Podcast

Broadway World LA: Wondery Unveils First-Ever Podcast Musical

Toilet Fire

Abrons Arts Center

Time Out New York: critic's pick

Howlround: In Praise of Poop Jokes: Toilet Fire and the Merits of Unserious Theater

Manhattan Digest: Eliza Bent is on the Crapper and She Wants Company

Culturebot: A conversational Response

American Theatre: Abrons 100th Season 

New York Theatre Review 

JACK
Exponential Fest

SEEWATCHLOOK - The High Line

The New York Times: Standing on the High Line, Watching the Actors Go By

The Washington Post: Brazilian Artist Plans for Arresting Street Theater

Back and Forth - Central Park

The New York Times: A Friendship Goes 'Back and Forth' in Central Park

Broadway World: Interview: Rich Hollman Talks Back and Forth

The New Yorker: The Homebound Project’s Original Plays, Performed in Isolation

Playbill, Theatre Community Bands Together to Help Children Affected by COVID-19 With The Homebound Project

American Theatre: ‘Homebound Project’ to Stream New Works From Prominent Artists

The New York Times:  Making Theater Essential, Digitally

Bedford + Bowery: South by South Death is the Music-Festival Slasher Musical You Didn't Know You Needed

Brooklyn Paper: Killing Them Softly: Slasher Musical Mocks Rock Festivals

Time Out New York: Art section feature

Culturebot: We Wanted to Wear Turtlenecks

Comedy Cake: Quick Dish NY

Podcast Appearances

movingforward.jpg
overcoffee.jpg
mikeypod.jpg
nosuggestion.jpg
improvnoise.jpg
voicesofvr.jpg
Awards/Grants
awards / grants

XR Network+ Royal Shakespeare Company R&D Challenge Grant             2024-2025

  • Awarded grant for the purpose of working collaboratively with creatives, performers and technical teams from the RSC and other theatre organisations to build and test an advanced prototype for a virtual rehearsal room. 

  • VIDEO

​

2021 Producers' Guild Awards

  • Finalist, PGA Innovation Award for Jettison

​

2020 AWExr Auggie Award 

  • Finalist, Best Art or Film 

 

2019 North Bend Film Festival 

  • *Winner, Most Innovative Immersive Experience for Ghosted

​

2019 Media Lab Expo

  • *Winner, Audience Award for Ghosted

​

2017 Webby Award for WAIT WAIT DON'T KILL ME

  • *Winner, Jury Award for Best Sound Design / Original Score

​

2017 Sarah Lawrence Award International Audio Fiction Award for WAIT WAIT DON'T KILL ME

  • Honorable mention

​

2012 New York Innovative Theater (NYIT) Award Nominations for Demon Dreams

  • Outstanding Director

  • Outstanding Premiere Production of a Play

  • *Winner, Outstanding Featured Actress: Celeste Arias

​

Improv News of New York (INNY) Award Nominations

  • Best Sketch Group – City Hall (2010, 2011, 2012)

  • Best Twoprov Group – rebecca AND ron (2010)

  • *Winner, Best Short Form – National Comedy Theater (2009, 2010)

​

Department of Cultural Affairs Grant: Cultural Development Fund               October 2011

  • Funding for Magic Futurebox’s Public Domain series

  • Funding for Improvisational Arts Festival co-curated with Chris Booth

​

chashama Space Grant                                                                      June 2011                                  

  • Magic Futurebox awarded a 20,000 sq. ft. warehouse space for theater development and performance for 6 months – at 3 months, MFb was granted an 18-month extension by Bush Terminal, property owner

This portfolio focuses on projects I feel I contributed significantly to as an artist or created whole cloth. Much of my experience includes developing and platforming others' work as a producer, teacher, and coach. For more about that, please visit kevinlaibson.com.
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • TikTok

this is my favorite joke:

A dog walks in to a telegrapher's office and says "I'd like to send a telegram to my sister, please."

 

The telegrapher, surprised by the situation, says "Well, um, okay - what would you like it to say?"
 

"Woof, woof woof, woof woof woof woof, woof, woof."
 

The telegrapher puts down his pencil and lowers his glasses a little, "You know, that's just nine 'woof's. I could throw in a tenth and it would be the same price."
 

The dog cocks his head to the side and says, "But...then it wouldn't make any sense."

bottom of page