BIO
Alba Albanese is an American actress, writer, and multidisciplinary creator based in Brooklyn, New York, whose work spans film, television, theater, immersive performance, and emerging media. Known for emotionally resonant performances and a meticulous approach to craft, she merges classical acting technique with innovative storytelling to create boundary-pushing narrative experiences.
Albanese trained extensively in the Meisner technique under William Esper, Maggie Flanagan, and Terry Knickerbocker, studied Shakespeare at The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Los Angeles, and continued her training at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and The New School in New York.
Her television credits include a recurring role as Cassie opposite Paul Giamatti on Billions (Showtime), with additional appearances on The Tick, The Good Cop, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She is widely recognized in the immersive theater space for her seven-year run in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production Sleep No More, where she originated and developed the role of The Oracle Annabella.
As a creator, Albanese develops original immersive works that integrate performance, technology, and audience interaction. Her immersive musical Serenade, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, was praised by The New York Times, and her solo immersive performance The Raven, created in collaboration with Microsoft, was an Official Selection of the New York Film Festival.
Her multidisciplinary work has been presented at leading festivals and institutions including the Tribeca Film Festival, The Overlook Film Festival, North Bend Film Festival, and the Future of Storytelling Summit, where she created and performed Annabellee: As Above So Below, an immersive and VR experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft.
Albanese is the recipient of the New York City Artist Corps Grant, NYC Cultural Affairs Grant, and NYFA Award, through which she wrote, directed, and performed her multi-platform immersive production Queen of Jacks at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City.
Credited under the name Ava Lee Scott, she was among the first performers in Warner Bros.’ live interactive virtual productions Welcome to the Blumhouse and Snowpiercer. Welcome to the Blumhouse Live: Little Cinema Digital received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Interactive Program from the Television Academy.
Her immersive work on Syfy’s The Magicians: Hall of Magic experience was recognized with a Clio Entertainment Award, further establishing her as a pioneer in live and virtual hybrid storytelling.
Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter.
Albanese is the co-founder of Actors Theater of NYC and Storyverse, a multimedia storytelling company developing original IP across immersive experiences, television, and digital platforms. She is currently developing the live immersive multimedia production AETHER: Awakening Annabellee and Fairyland, a supernatural episodic series inspired by real events in New York City.
Critical Praise:
Perri Nemiroff (Collider) wrote of her role in Home of Enchantments at The Overlook Film Festival:
“I was absolutely floored by Alba Albanese’s work It’s an extensive tale that requires a powerhouse performance that not only hits the beats of the story crafted, but also comes with interactive emotional elements that feel deeply personal. It’s a beautiful mix of making the participant feel vulnerable and on edge while also sending you on your way with a surprisingly full heart.”
The New York Times captured the core of her mission:
“It comes down to a longing for human contact,” she said. “Today, everything is dehumanized by technology. We miss the intimacy of the Gilded Age a handwritten letter, flowers at the door, giving a lock of hair, looking into someone’s eyes, feeling a human touch. There is a void today, and people want connections. We want storytelling and poetry in our lives.”
In Barbed Wire, Saunder Gusinow wrote:
“Creator Alba Albanese is exceedingly inventive; she’s taken the things most bothersome about immersive theatre and banished them from her work.”
Haleigh Foutch of Collider called her performance:
“…not-to-be-missed world premiere of the immersive and intimate art performance from Alba Albanese.”
