The New Victory Theater Announces 2010-11 Season
By: Gabrielle Sierra May. 17, 2010
The New Victory Theater, New York's theater for kids and families, opens its 2010-11 season on a high note - literally. From New York's Gotham Chamber Opera and celebrated Broadway director and founder of Tectonic Theater Project, Moisés Kaufman, in association with London-based puppet company, Blind Summit Theatre, comes the opera Puss in Boots (El gato con botas), a stunning and entirely new adaptation of the beloved children's story. Puss in Boots (El gato con botas) runs from October 2 through Sunday, October 10, 2010 at The New Victory Theater.
Following Puss in Boots (El gato con botas) is an exciting season filled with award-winning and critically-acclaimed works of theater, puppetry, circus, and dance from around the globe. Below are a few highlights:· For its annual holiday show, The New Victory will present Momentum by Tel Aviv's Mayumana. A thrilling, high-energy multimedia show with music, dance, drumming, acrobatics and audience interaction, Momentum boasts a cast of 10 outstanding young talents from as many countries. Already seen by hundreds of thousands worldwide, it's now New York's turn to experience the international hit "brimming with energy as generous as it is intense and contagious" (ABC News, Madrid).
· Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe by Catalyst Theatre is a Tim Burtonesque dreamscape about literary sensation and master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. Beautiful and witty, Nevermore uses haunting song, poetic storytelling and surreal, Victorian-inspired imagery to explore the events that shaped Poe's career and ignited his lifelong battle with "visions dark and sinister."
· Once again, The New Victory will present several shows perfect for pre-school aged children and younger, as well as their adult companions: Egg and Spoon (Lyngo Theatre, London/Venice), a cozy and gentle interactive adventure; Potato Needs a Bath (Shone Reppe Puppets, Scotland), a charming puppet tale, and Mischief (Theatre-Rites and Arthur Pita, London), an award-winning production that marks the first commission for family audiences by London's Sadler's Wells.
· Peter and Wendy, by Mabou Mines, astounded audiences when it played at The New Victory in 1997 and again by popular demand in 2002. Now, J.M. Barrie's celebrated story of exuberant joy and bittersweet longing returns for a third time. The wonderful Karen Kandel recreates her OBIE Award-winning role of The Narrator, telling the story and embodying every character. Peter Pan, the Lost Boys and a "very classy" Hook are brought to life using bunraku-style puppets and scraps of cloth and paper. Original Celtic music beautifully supports Barrie's lyrical language.
The other shows in The New Victory Theater's 14-production 2010-2011 season include:
· ZooZoo, Imago Theatre, Portland Oregon, October 15-24· Squirm Burpee Circus, A Vaudevillian Melodrama, The Handsome Little Devils, Denver Colorado, November 12-28
· Nearly Lear, Susanna Hamnett, Toronto, Canada, January 7-16
· Circus INcognitus, Jamie Adkins, Montreal, Canada, February 11-27
· Skellig by David Almond, The Birmingham Stage Company, Birmingham, UK, March 4-13
· Boom Town, Cirque Mechanics, April 8-24
· The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy, Slingsby Theatre Company, Adelaide, Australia, April 29-May 8
Ticket Information
Theater-goers who buy tickets for three or more New Vic shows qualify for free Membership benefits, including up to 35-percent savings with tickets as low as $9. Tickets for new Members are available online starting July 7, 2010, or by telephone starting August 4. To purchase tickets online, visit NewVictory.org, and to purchase by phone, call 646-223-3010.
The New Victory Theater is New York City's first and only full-time performing arts theater for kids, their families and classmates. Since it opened in 1995, The New Victory has quickly become an integral part of the cultural landscape in New York City, presenting a full season of adventurous multidisciplinary works from around the globe and close to home. The New Vic seeks out sophisticated, thought-provoking, professional productions that are as artistically rich as they are entertaining. Tickets are made affordable as a result of support from a variety of public and private sources and cost an average of $17, with seats for members available for as little as $9. In addition, The New Victory also offers daytime school performances ($2 per student), family workshops and jobs to high school and college students. Interactive Lower Lobby Activities, FYIs (performance-related exhibits) and Talk-backs with the artists are offered in conjunction with select performances throughout the season. The theater's website, NewVictory.org, continues to be an excellent resource, providing video clips and more information about each production in the season.About The New 42nd Street
Founded in 1990, The New 42nd Street is an independent, nonprofit organization charged with long-term responsibility for seven historic theaters west of Broadway on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. In addition to running The New Victory, The New 42nd Street built and operates the New 42nd Street Studios -- a 10-story building of rehearsal studios, offices and a 199-seat theater named The Duke on 42nd Street -- for national and international performing arts companies. Since its opening on June 21, 2000, the New 42nd Street Studios have been fully occupied by both nonprofit and commercial theater, dance and opera companies. With these institutions and the other properties under its guardianship, The New 42nd Street plays a pivotal role in fostering the continued revival of this famous street at the Crossroads of the World. Be a Fan to get access to exclusive behind-the-scenes videos, interviews, offers and more. Post comments on our Wall and Share us with your friends. Search "New Victory Theater" on Facebook and YouTube, Twitter, Blogger and Flickr. See us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL0wqmD61LAThe New Victory Theater 2010-2011 SeasonPuss in Boots, (El gato con botas)
WORLD PREMIERE
The New Victory Theater
Gotham Chamber Opera and Tectonic Theater Project in Association with Blind Summit Theatre
New York, NY
October 1 - 10
Opera
A charismatic cat with cunning wit and irresistible Latin charm promises a poor miller everlasting love and fortune. All he needs to pull off his ruse are a hat, a cape, and a purr-fect pair of boots! Directed by Moisés Kaufman, founder of Tectonic Theater Project (33 Variations, The Laramie Project), and conducted by Neal Goren, founder of Gotham Chamber Opera (Il mondo della luna), this all new production transforms a favorite fairy tale into a humorous rags-to-riches operatic adventure.
As a cast of five singers provide the vocals, creations from London puppet masters, Blind Summit (Anthony Minghella's Madama Butterfly), fill the stage. Performances are available in both the original Spanish and in English translation with corresponding supertitles.Recommended for ages 8 to adult.ZooZooThe New Victory Theater
Imago Theatre
Portland, OR
October 15 - October 24
Physical Theater
From the creators of the sold-out New Vic hit, Frogz (2002), ZooZoo combines acrobatics, costume genius and fantastical imagery in a series of whimsical vignettes. Through innovative use of light, music, clay, cloth, and paper maché, Imago Theatre seemingly bends the laws of nature to create miraculous creatures and fantasies. "Theater like this opens the eyes to the possibilities of exploration in the vast realm of imagination" (The New York Times).
Recommended for ages 4 to adult.Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe
U.S. PREMIERE
The New Victory Theater
Catalyst Theatre
Edmonton, Canada
October 29 - November 7
Theater
"All that we see is but a dream within a dream." So begins this dark dreamscape about literary sensation and master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. Commissioned by Magnetic North Theatre Festival and recently presented at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, the beautiful and blackly comic Nevermore uses haunting music, poetic storytelling and surreal imagery to explore the events that shaped Poe's career and ignited his lifelong battle with "visions dark and sinister." Scheduled to perform this July at The Barbican as part of LIFT 2010, London's Festival of InterNational Theatre, the award-winning Nevermore is "wildly imaginative and utterly inspired...bizarre doesn't get any better than this" (The Vancouver Sun).
Recommended for ages 11 to adult.Egg and Spoon
Studio 3A/B at the New 42nd Street Studios
Lyngo Theatre Company
London, England/Venice, Italy
Sensory TheaterIn Egg and Spoon, young children join Percy and April in their comfy, cozy circle to celebrate the delights of nature in a soft and squishy interactive adventure. Peek-a-boo puddles, fluffy snowflakes and other splendiferous surprises bring the seasons to life as gently chirping birds and drippy-droppy rain sounds add to the ambiance. With expertise in creating theater for very young children, Lyngo was founded on the principles of "object theatre" where feathers become flying birds, napkins become princesses, and a few small leaves become a windswept autumn day. "Lyngo Theatre knows the score when it comes to producing theatre for the very young" (The Stage, UK).
Recommended for ages 2 through 5.
Squirm Burpee Circus: A Vaudevillian Melodrama
The New Victory Theater
The Handsome Little Devils
Denver, Colorado
November 13 - November 28
Circus/Variety
Squirm Burpee Circus is a neo-vaudevillian pastiche of first-class circus skills, dance and comedy. Mike the Handsome, Dashing Dave and the Lovely Little Lolo make up the beloved circus trio who must outwit the dastardly Baron Vegan Von Hamburger - a mustachioed villain committed to their demise. Will Dave ever find his true love? Will Lolo unlock Mike's heart? Or will the Baron destroy them all with his ingeniously mad gadgets and gizmos? Tune in this November for what promises to be a sensational display of zany fun.
Recommended for ages 4 to adult.
MomentumHOLIDAY SHOW
The New Victory Theater
Mayumana
Tel Aviv, Israel
December 4 - January 2
Physical Theater
Boasting a cast of 10 outstanding young talents from as many countries, Momentum is a fusion of amazing physical prowess and infectious rhythms and beats. No two Momentum shows are alike, and hundreds of thousands around the world have experienced the excitement of this unique and thrilling theatrical event. Now, over the holiday season, it's New York's turn to join a party "brimming with energy as generous as it is intense and contagious" (ABC, Madrid). Mayumana, established in 1996 in Tel Aviv, is a multicultural troupe with 100 members from over 32 different countries.Recommended for ages 4 to adult.
Nearly Lear
The Duke on 42nd Street theater
Starring Susanna Hamnett
Toronto, Canada
January 7 - January 16
Theater
What if the great story of King Lear was told by his closest companion? In this one-woman tour de force, actress Susanna Hamnett plays the Fool-and every other character-to tell a very personal and poignant story illuminated by the masterful play by William Shakespeare. Susanna braves the most savage storm in English literature, honoring the beautiful language of Lear while taking a bit of poetic license. Co-created by Susanna Hamnett and Edith Tankus with initial development in association with Kneehigh Theater (Rapunzel, New Vic 2008 and Brief Encounter, St. Ann's Warehouse), Nearly Lear upends expectations of what a Shakespeare play should be.
Recommended for ages 12 to adult.Circus INcognitus
The New Victory Theater
Starring Jamie Adkins
Montreal, Canada
February 11 - 27
Circus/Variety
One man circus extraordinaire, Jamie Adkins (Typo, New Vic 2005, Cirque du Soleil, the Pickle Family Circus and Cirque Éloize), stars in this delightful story of a man who has something to say, but can't quite get it out. While teetering on towering ladders, somersaulting on slack wire and timing perfect pratfalls, Jamie finds some unusual and hilarious solutions for a never-ending string of obstacles. Distinguished by a breezy, Chaplinesque likability, Jamie tests his limits and musters the courage to keep going when everything goes wrong.
Recommended for ages 4 to adult.Skellig by David Almond
U.S. PREMIERE
The New Victory Theater
The Birmingham Stage Company
Birmingham, UK
March 4 - 13
Theater
In Skellig by David Almond, Michael, a good-natured 10-year old with more on his plate than the average boy, discovers a grouchy yet strangely mystical vagabond with a taste for brown ale and Chinese take-out hiding in his family's garage. What unfolds is a wonderful tale that examines the nature of family, friendship and the bewildering connections between all things. Originally presented at the Young Vic in 2003, this stage revival of David Almond's Carnegie Award-winning novel, adapted by the author himself, reveals "a darkly glittering couple of hours that makes you see the extraordinary in the everyday" (The Guardian).
Recommended for ages 9 to adult.
Mischief
U.S. PREMIERE
The New Victory Theater
Theatre-Rites and Arthur Pita
London, UK
March 18 - 27
Physical Theater/Dance
Hailed as "a whimsical and hugely inventive encounter with movement, music and mood" (The Herald, Scotland), this award-winning production marks the first commission for family audiences by London's famed Sadler's Wells. In Mischief, director Sue Buckmaster, choreographer Arthur Pita and visual artist Sophia Clist join forces to create a kaleidoscopic playland where discovery and fun reign supreme.
Recommended for ages 4 through 8.Boom Town
U.S. PREMIERE
The New Victory Theater
Cirque Mechanics
Las Vegas, NV
April 8-24
Circus
Journey to the old west with Boom Town, a cirque nouveau extravaganza from Cirque Mechanics (Birdhouse Factory, New Vic 2008). Boom Town is the story of a frontier whistle-stop on the brink of an unlikely discovery that sets off a cavalcade of wild and zany events. Created and directed by Chris Lashua (Cirque du Soleil Quidam, "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"), Boom Town exhibits Cirque Mechanics' signature theatricality and ingenuity in a showcase of colorful characters, outlandish contraptions and astounding acrobatics. Cirque Mechanics is "exceptional, evocative, eye-catching, ear-catching and, to keep the list short, engrossingly entertaining" (The New York Times).
Recommended for ages 4 to adult.Potato Needs a BathU.S. PREMIERE
Studio 3A/B at the New 42nd Street Studios
Shona Reppe Puppets
Fife, Scotland
April 8 - 24
Puppet Theater
Wee ones should be sure not to miss this delightful birthday bash where Eggplant shows off her glamorous new jewels, the Pears flirt and flit about, and Plum needs a potty break. But where is Potato? No one can dance the Mango Tango without Potato! Before he can celebrate with his produce pals, the muddy little spud needs a bath. Superstar storyteller and puppet master Shona Reppe (Cinderella, New Vic 2009) gets giggles and grins galore in this light-hearted, gentle and highly visual show.
Recommended for ages 2 through 5.The Tragical Life of CheeseboyU.S. PREMIERE
The Duke on 42nd Street theater
Slingsby Theatre Company
Adelaide, Australia
April 29 - May 8
Puppetry/Theater
"Are you prepared to be dazzled?" asks a Dickensian storyteller at the start of The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy. When Cheeseboy's home planet melts into a bubbling, gooey fondue, the sweet little lad is suddenly without a family or a place to call home. But with help from some unlikely friends, Cheeseboy embarks on a peculiar and remarkable intergalactic journey that inspires awe, hope and a love of all things lunar.
Featuring whimsical original music, The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy was presented at the 2008 Imaginate Festival in Edinburgh and the ASSITEJ 2008 World Congress and Performing Arts Festival in Adelaide.Recommended for ages 8 to adult.Peter and WendyThe New Victory Theater
New York, New York
May 6 - 22
Theater
World-renowned experimental theater company, Mabou Mines, returns to the New Vic for a record third time to thrill a whole new generation of New Vic theatergoers with their ingenious adaptation of J.M. Barrie's celebrated story about the exuberant and fleeting nature of childhood. Karen Kandel recreates her OBIE Award-winning role of The Narrator, embodying Wending and giving voice to every character. Peter Pan, the Lost Boys and a "very classy" Hook are brought to life using bunraku-style puppets and scraps of cloth and paper. Original Celtic music beautifully supports Barrie's lyrical language as the play sweeps us beyond the page and past the nursery deep into our imaginations, as the best books do. Peter and Wendy (New Vic 1997, 2002) "is the purest magic, which is to say it cast its spell without the least sleight of hand...So palpably bittersweet it grants you the elation of a child while, aching at the same time, you know how far you are from being one" (San Diego Union Tribune).
Recommended for ages 10 to adult.Videos
