The New Victory Theater Celebrates its
20th Anniversary Season in 2015-16
New Season Features Five U.S. Companies including
Seattle Children’s Theatre
Robin Hood
The Swashbuckling Adventure of England’s Famous Outlaw
Opens October 2
Cirque Mechanics
Pedal Punk
Holiday Fun for the Whole Family!
Opens December 4
Adventure Theatre MTC
Caps for Sale the Musical
Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Beloved Book by Esphyr Slobodkina
Opens February 27
The Pasadena Playhouse/Crossroads Theatre Company
Fly
by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan
Inspired by the American Heroism of the Tuskegee Airmen
Opens March 11
Bello Nock in
Bello Mania
America’s Favorite Comic Daredevil Returns with a New Show
Opens April 15
New York, NY (June 30, 2015) – Devoted to kids and families since 1995, The New Victory Theater embarks on its 20th Anniversary season as New York’s premier destination for inventive, inspiring and international performing arts at affordable prices. Among its roster of 16 shows in the 2015-16 season, which begins October 2, 2015 and runs through May 22, 2016, The New Victory is thrilled to bring five American works of theater to New York’s family audiences.
From October 2-11, 2015, Robin Hood and his Merry Men take the New Vic stage by storm. From Seattle Children’s Theatre, a leading producer of professional theater, educational programs and new works for young people, this fast-paced play written by Greg Banks (Tir Na N’og, New Vic 2000) and directed by Allison Narver features a hero with a tongue as sharp as his sword. Under the fly of arrows, and with some very clever quick changes, a versatile cast of four takes on every role.
This holiday season, Cirque Mechanics rides onto the New Victory stage with their bevy of bikes, unique storytelling and Rube Goldberg-inspired mechanics in Pedal Punk (December 4, 2015 – January 3, 2016). From Las Vegas, Nevada, the ingenious troupe behind Boom Town (New Vic 2011) and Birdhouse Factory (New Vic 2008) brings a steampunk-styled, cycling-inspired circus, in which a quirky cast of characters amaze with heart-pounding pole drops, awesome aerial acts and high-flying tricks in this adrenaline-fueled show for the whole family.
Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the beloved book by Esphyr Slobodkina, Caps for Sale the Musical jumps off the page and onto the stage from February 27 – March 6, 2016 in this new adaptation by Michael J. Bobbitt and Ann Marie Sayer with music and lyrics by William Yanesh. With song, dance and live accompaniment, this new musical from Adventure Theatre MTC (Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, New Vic 2014) makes its world premiere at the company’s home theater in Glen Echo, Maryland, this fall.
Fly (March 11-27, 2016), a theatrical action adventure from the NAACP and Ovation Award-winning Pasadena Playhouse and the TONY Award-winning Crossroads Theatre Company, tells the story of four brave young men who join the first black aviators in United States history. From training to combat, experience the anguish, fears and triumphs of the Tuskegee Airmen, who fought for freedom abroad—and at home—in this inspiring play by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan, co-founder and former artistic director of Crossroads Theatre Company.
After two sold-out engagements at The New Victory, Drama Desk-nominated Bello Mania (New Vic 2013, 2014), starring Bello Nock, is back! Atop his signature sway pole, the dude with the foot-high hair performs fan favorites as well as some all-new hijinks as he welcomes new friends to the stage. Hightail it to the New Vic for hilarity and high-flying stunts from April 15 – May 1, 2016.
From around the world, more New Victory fan favorites appear throughout the special anniversary season:
- Cape Town’s Isango Ensemble (The Magic Flute, New Vic 2014) uses traditional African instruments and folklore to reimagine Benjamin Britten’s ethereal opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream (October 30 – November 8, 2015).
- London’s Olivier-nominated Tall Stories (The Snail and the Whale, New Vic 2014) returns with The Gruffalo (October 17-25, 2015), a scary-fun musical makeover for little ones of the award-winning picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
- Scotland’s Catherine Wheels Theatre Company brings back its 2011 Drama Desk-nominated production of White (November 4-22, 2015), a work of modern theater for the very young, created by Andy Manley and designed by Shona Reppe, about a monochromatic world turned upside down when pops of color suddenly appear.
- Havana’s Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba fills the New Vic stage with Cuba Vibra! (November 13-29, 2015), a blend of ballet, flamenco, cha-cha, rumba, conga, bolero and salsa set to the vocal virtuosity and boisterous Latin rhythms of a live, big band.
- Brisbane’s Untapped! (February 5-21, 2016) mixes street dance styles, percussion and Aussie humor with high-octane tap talent in a raucous reinvention of rhythm.
- Montréal’s Théâtre de l’Œil returns with The Star Keeper (April 1-3, 2016), an enchanting puppetry piece about a chivalrous worm who must explore new worlds to restore a fallen star to its rightful place.
The New Victory 2015-16 Season also includes five U.S. premieres:
- NIE Theatre’s Museum of Memories (January 8-17, 2016)
Through physical theater, multilingual storytelling and live music, the five ensemble members of NIE Theatre tenderly reconstruct the life of a boy who took his own life and now lives on in the remembrances of others; after the show, audiences explore the set to reflect on the performance’s most gripping moments. - Unicorn Theatre’s The Velveteen Rabbit (January 22-31, 2016)
A stage adaptation of Margery Williams’s poignant story about love, loss and growing up features sophisticated staging by UK’s leading professional theater for young audiences. - Little Angel Theatre’s Handa’s Surprise (February 12-21, 2016)
A mix of puppetry and gentle African song transports young audiences to a bright, warm day in Kenya in this playful production adapted from the picture book by Eileen Browne. - Carlo Colla & Sons Marionette Company’s The Pied Piper (May 6-15, 2016)
From the twitch of a rat’s tail to the grandiose proclamations of a greedy mayor, this retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm tale features the intricate craftsmanship of over 120 marionettes (and 300 puppet rats!). - Le Clan des Songes’s Cité (May 14-22, 2016)
Set to whimsical original music, a man chases the sun as a city comes alive in fun and surprising ways in this enthralling exploration of shape, color and shadow puppetry.
Please see attachments for complete show descriptions and profiles for all New Victory 2015-16 season programming. All selections are subject to change.
Audience Services
In consultation with Autism Friendly Spaces, Inc., select performances of The Gruffalo, Pedal Punk, The Velveteen Rabbit and Caps for Sale the Musical will be modified to accommodate and support the sensory, social and emotional needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The New Vic will also provide Sign-Interpreted and Audio-Described performances throughout the season. The New Victory, an ADA compliant theater, continues to offer free lockers, stroller parking and booster seats at all performances.
Public Engagement
With every show in the season, The New Victory invites audiences to extend and enhance their time at the theater with free events and activities inspired by the show on stage. For select performances, New Vic patrons can also keep an eye out for Talk-Backs with the creative team and performers; TXT Marks the Spot, which leads participants on a theater-wide, text-based scavenger hunt after the show; and Arts Express, which invites ticket holders to arrive early for select performances to learn and play with the basic techniques of the art form they’re about to see on stage. Additionally, any fan of the New Vic can download free Family Activities from NewVictory.org/FamilyActivities to try some fun, creative play at home inspired by the current New Victory show.
Membership
Theatergoers who buy tickets for three or more New Victory shows qualify for free Membership benefits, including locked-in discount ticket prices, free unlimited exchanges (up to 48 hours in advance) and access to a first-look purchase period for newly added performances.
Ticket Information
Tickets are available online (NewVictory.org) and by telephone (646.223.3010). For summer box office window hours, please visit http://www.newvictory.org/boxoffice. Beginning September 8, The New Victory Theater box office window (209 West 42nd Street) will be open Sunday and Monday from 11am-5pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm.
Pricing
For shows at The New Victory Theater (except Pedal Punk, The Gruffalo and Caps for Sale the Musical), tickets are $10, $13, $18 or $25 for New Victory Members and $15, $19, $28 or $38 at full price, based on seat locations. For Pedal Punk, which runs throughout the holiday season, New Victory Member tickets start at $13 and full price tickets start at $19. For The Gruffalo and Caps for Sale the Musical, New Victory Member tickets are $17 and full price tickets are $25.
For Museum of Memories at The Duke on 42nd Street, New Victory Member tickets are $17 and full price tickets start at $25.
Shows for little theatergoers at the New 42nd Street Studios start at $10 and full price tickets start at $15.
Credits
The New Victory Theater is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. The New 42nd Street Board of Directors, the New Vic Council and the theater’s dedicated individual, corporate and foundation donors also provide essential contributions, helping to make possible programming of the highest quality.
About The New Victory Theater
Devoted to kids and families since 1995, The New Victory brings kids to the arts and the arts to kids. Serving the community in all its diversity, The New Victory Theater on 42nd Street presents international theater, dance, circus, opera and music to young New Yorkers, their families and schoolmates. As the largest provider of live performance to NYC schools and after school programs, the New Vic invites new audiences to experience the performing arts for the very first time. The theater’s contributions to the cultural landscape of the city have been honored by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities with the 2014 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award for the New Victory Usher Corps and by The Drama Desk for “providing enchanting, sophisticated children’s theater that appeals to the child in all of us, and for nurturing a love of theater in young people.”
About The New 42nd Street
Founded in 1990, The New 42nd Street is an independent nonprofit organization charged with the continuous cultural revival of 42nd Street between 7th and 8thAvenues. Committed to the transformational power of the arts, The New 42nd Street builds on the foundation of seven historic theaters to make extraordinary performing arts and cultural engagement part of everyone’s life. The New 42nd Street fulfills this purpose by ensuring the ongoing vibrancy of 42nd Street’s historic theaters; maintaining and fully using the New 42nd Street Studios and The Duke on 42nd Street to support performing artists in the creation of their work; and through The New Victory Theater, New York’s premier theater for kids and families.
# # #
