9 US Premieres Plus URBAN Set for New Victory Theatre 2012-13 Season

The New Victory Theater will launch its 2012-13 season with the U.S. premiere of URBAN by Circolombia, an edgy, thrilling and inspiring circus featuring young Colombian performers who share their real-life stories through acrobatics, aerial work and tremendous feats of strength. URBAN, which was originally commissioned by Roundhouse London as part of CircusFest 2010, will run from October 12 through October 21.

Co-produced by The Opera Group (UK) and Opera North (UK) in association with ROH2 and Watford Palace Theatre (UK), comes the U.S. premiere of David Bruce and Glyn Maxwell’s THE FIREWORK MAKER’S DAUGHTER based on the novel by Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials trilogy), a new production directed by John Fulljames. With a live orchestra conducted by award-winning composer, David Bruce, and libretto by award-winning poet, Glyn Maxwell, THE FIREWORK MAKER’S DAUGHTER boasts a grand, expressive score and witty book inspired by world folk traditions. THE FIREWORK MAKER’S DAUGHTER will run from May 3 through May 12, 2013.

In I, MALVOLIO, the puritanical butler of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night finally has his say in this one-man tour-de-force by British scribe, Tim Crouch (Best Male Performer, Brighton Festival 2010). Just one of Mr. Crouch’s performances in a series of solo Shakespeare pieces, including I, CALIBAN (inspired by The Tempest), I, PEASEBLOSSOM (inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and I, BANQUO (inspired by Macbeth), Mr. Crouch’s I, MALVOLIO, is a compassionate deconstruction of one of classical literature’s most misunderstood characters. I, MALVOLIO, a U.S. premiere, will run from January 11 through January 20, 2013 at The Duke on 42nd Street.

New York’s The Acting Company (Henry V, New Vic 2009), a 2003 Tony Honors recipient for Excellence in Theatre, brings Shakespeare’s comedy, AS YOU LIKE IT, to The New Victory. Directed by Pig Iron Theatre Company’s Dan Rothenberg (Chekhov Lizardbrain), this classical soap is re-imagined into an offbeat new production. AS YOU LIKE IT will run from March 1 through March 10, 2013.

Circus Oz, Australia’s most outrageous circus troupe, will return to The New Victory for the fifth time with FROM THE GROUND UP, a U.S. premiere for the whole family that will run throughout the holiday season. With building skyscrapers as its theme, FROM THE GROUND UP will feature all the hallmarks of a Circus Oz show: irreverence, eccentricity, live rock music, and astounding circus feats -- each one topping the last. FROM THE GROUND UP will run from November 30 through December 30.

Black Violin played to sold-out houses at The New Victory in 2009, and they will return to The New Victory with a concert of new compositions, classic favorites and pop cover tunes. The company has toured with such musical giants as Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Akon, Diddy and Linkin Park. Black Violin will perform from November 9 through November 25.

Two U.S. premieres, LE GRAND C by Compagnie XY and FRAGILE by Le Clan des Songes, will be part of a French program called Ricochet – Arts for All Ages! In LE GRAND C, a collective of 17 acrobats performs daring stunts with trust in each other as their only safety net. In FRAGILE, a word-free work of puppet theater, bunraku and shadow puppetry combine with haunting original music to provide a poetic narrative for a series of vignettes about a charming little fellow on a surprising journey. The presentations of LE GRAND C and FRAGILE are part of Ricochet - Arts for All Ages! a series of performances from France for young audiences and their families presented by The New Victory Theater, the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York.

Other U.S. premieres include RING A DING DING from Oily Cart (UK), MOJO from Theatre-Rites (UK) and BELLO MANIA from Bello Nock (U.S.), a former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®.

THE MARK OF ZORRO from Visible Fictions (Scotland), GRUG from Windmill Theatre (Australia), THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS from The Robot Planet (Texas), RHAW (Rennie Harris Awe-inspiring Works) from Rennie Harris (Philadelphia) and THE GIRL WHO FORGOT TO SING BADLY from Theatre Lovett (Ireland) complete The New Victory 2012-13 season.

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, a State agency; and from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. The New Vic Council, Friends of The New Victory and the theater’s dedicated patrons, corporate and foundation donors also provide essential contributions, helping to make possible programming of the highest quality.

URBAN

U.S. Premiere
Circolombia
Cali, Colombia
October 12 – 21
Circus

Playing at The New Victory Theater

An original commission for CircusFest 2010 at London’s Roundhouse, URBAN, created in the barrios of Colombia, features autobiographical performances. Vigor, danger and attitude infuse every act, from feats of strength to the trapeze, tightrope and triple dutch routines. Reggaeton music underscores lyrics like escribe con los pies, poeta de la calle—write with your feet, poet of the street— in this 2010 Brighton Fringe Festival Audience Choice Award winner.

URBAN is recommended for everyone over the age of 8.

RING A DING DING

U.S. Premiere
Oily Cart
London, England
October 17 – Nov 11
Theater

Playing in Studio 3A/B at the New 42nd Street Studios

Alice and her dog are having a “wuff” day. When she demands that her furry friend stop chasing his tail “right now,” he runs away, sending her into a tricycle-riding tizzy. From London’s acclaimed Oily Cart, creators of innovative, multi-sensory and interactive productions for the very young, RING A DING DING is an imaginative and energetic work of participatory theater.

RING A DING DING is recommended for ages 3-5.

MOJO

U.S. Premiere
Theatre-Rites
London, England
October 26 – Nov 4
Physical Theater

Playing at The New Victory Theater

Objects take new forms and spring to life in fantastical and funny ways in MOJO, a collage of puppetry, illusion, dance and live music by Theatre-Rites (Mischief, New Vic 2009). Lauded internationally for their distinct interest in multi-disciplinary work for young people, Theatre-Rites collaborates with a variety of sculptors, poets, painters, and video or installation artists to present children with unusual contemporary imagery and push the boundaries of theatrical form.

MOJO is recommended for everyone over the age of 5.

BLACK VIOLIN

Miami, Florida
November 9 – 25
Music

Playing at The New Victory Theater

They played to sold-out houses at The New Victory in 2009, and now, virtuoso violinists Kev and Wil B return with their funky fusion of classical, jazz, hip-hop, blues and R&B. With DJ TK on the turntables, Beatdown on the drums, and Joe Cello on the cello, these Apollo Legends perform a concert of new compositions, classic favorites and pop cover tunes. Black Violin has toured with Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Akon, Diddy and Linkin Park.

Black Violin is recommended for everyone over the age of 6.

FROM THE GROUND UP

U.S. Premiere

Circus Oz
Melbourne, Australia
November 30 – December 30
Circus

Playing at The New Victory Theater

Circus Oz returns to The New Victory for the fifth time this holiday season when they launch the U.S. tour of their brand new show, FROM THE GROUND UP. Starring acrobats, jugglers, trapeze artists, and a live rock band, FROM THE GROUND UP features all the hallmarks of a Circus Oz show: irreverence, eccentricity, and astounding circus feats -- each one topping the last.

FROM THE GROUND UP is recommended for everyone over the age of 5.

I, MALVOLIO

U.S. Premiere
Tim Crouch
Brighton, England
January 11 – 20, 2013
Theater

Playing at The Duke on 42nd Street

The puritan killjoy of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night finally has his say in this poignant one-man tour-de-force by British scribe Tim Crouch. A hilarious, charged and often unsettling rant from a complex man full of pride, passion, rage and humiliation, I, MALVOLIO is a compassionate deconstruction of one of classical literature’s most misunderstood characters.

I, MALVOLIO is part of a series of solo Shakespeare pieces written and performed by Tim Crouch that was commissioned by the Brighton Festival. The series also includes: I, CALIBAN (inspired by The Tempest), I PEASEBLOSSOM (inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and I, BANQUO (inspired by Macbeth). Mr. Crouch received the award for Best Male Performer for his performance in I, MALVOLIO at the Brighton Festival 2010.

I, MALVOLIO is recommended for everyone over the age of 11.

THE MARK OF ZORRO

Visible Fictions
Glasgow, Scotland
February 8 – 24, 2013
Theater

Playing at The New Victory Theater

From acclaimEd Scottish theater company, Visible Fictions (Jason and the Argonauts, New Vic 2009), comes THE MARK OF ZORRO, a timeless tale about a mysterious masked avenger. Using simple props and physical ingenuity, the cast of three conjures all the drama, wit and suspense of an action flick.

The script for THE MARK OF ZORRO was originally commissioned by and co-produced with the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Visible Fictions has collaborated with The Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and The Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis.

THE MARK OF ZORRO is recommended for everyone over the age of 7.

GRUG

Windmill Theatre
Adelaide, Australia
February 20 – March 17, 2013
Puppet Theater

Playing in Studio 3A/B at the New 42nd Street Studios

Windmill Theatre (Plop!, New Vic 2012) returns with GRUG, a new puppetry show for the littlest theatergoers and their families. Based on author Ted Prior’s hugely popular character about the top of a Burrawang tree that comes to life, this playful show’s protagonist serves as an inspiring role-model with perception, curiosity, determination and creativity.

GRUG is recommended for ages 2-5.

AS YOU LIKE IT

The Acting Company
New York, New York
March 1 – 10, 2013
Theater

Playing at The New Victory Theater
When Rosalind’s uncle banishes her from the palace, she, her cousin Celia and the court jester, Touchstone, flee to the Forest of Arden, where they soon find themselves entangled in a beguiling game of love, deceit, desire and mistaken identity. This production of Shakespeare’s AS YOU LIKE IT by Tony Honors recipient for Excellence in Theatre, The Acting Company, is directed by Pig Iron Theatre’s Dan Rothenberg (Chekhov Lizardbrain).

2012-13 marks The Acting Company’s 40th anniversary season.

AS YOU LIKE IT is recommended for everyone over the age of 12.

BELLO MANIA

U.S. Premiere

Bello Nock
Sarasota, Florida
March 15 – 31, 2013
Circus

The circus superstar performs and directs his brand new show, BELLO MANIA. With his signature gravity-defying hairdo, Bello Nock, a former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey clown along with his talented troupe of circus all-stars performs trampoline and bungee jumping routines, handstands on a high wire and much, much more.

BELLO MANIA is recommended for everyone over the age of 4.

THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS

Book One: Target Earth
The Robot Planet
Austin, Texas
April 5 – 14, 2013
Live Action Comic Book

Playing at The New Victory Theater

In THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS -- a sci-fi adventure with aliens, adventure, conspiracy and intrigue (and plenty of laughs) -- three actors voice a cast of dozens of characters, one Foley artist creates all the sound effects with hundreds of gadgets, a keyboardist plays a live score, while more than 1,250 comic-book images blast panel-by-panel from a two-story-high screen.

Originally crafted as a radio play in 1996, THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS was subsequently published as a comic book, and then staged as a theatrical production.

THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS was an Official Selection of Fantastic Fest 2010 (Austin, TX), the biggest genre film festival in the country, specializing in fantasy, sci-fi and action films. It's been featured on “Conan O'Brien” and NPR.

THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS is recommended for everyone over the age of 7.

LE GRAND C

U.S. Premiere
Compagnie XY
Lille, France
April 18 – 28, 2013
Circus

Playing at The New Victory Theater

In LE GRAND C, a collective of 17 acrobats performs heart-stopping stunts with distinctive style and trust in each other as their only safety net. They create one astounding human formation after another to make a portrait of expressive movement, powerful physicality and continuous surprise.

New Victory performances part of Ricochet – Arts for All Ages! are made possible with the support of Institut Français, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, and the French-American fund for Contemporary Theater, a program of FACE.

LE GRAND C is recommended for everyone over the age of 7.

FRAGILE

U.S. Premiere
Le Clan des Songes
Toulouse, France
April 25 – May 12, 2013
Puppetry

Playing in Studio 3A/B at the New 42nd Street Studios

In FRAGILE, a word-free work of Puppet Theater, an inquisitive, Chaplin-like fellow embarks on a journey carrying a suitcase filled with magical surprises. Bunraku and shadow puppetry combine with haunting original music to provide a poetic narrative for each vignette in the story. Inspired by the Italian animation series, “La Linea” (The Line, 1975-84) by Osvaldo Cavandoli, FRAGILE is part two of a trilogy created in 2007.

For the past 20 years, Le Clan des Songes has developed theater with powerful and dreamlike imagery, primarily using puppets and animated forms. The Company has performed in many major theaters and festivals throughout France, including the prestigious Charleville Mézières International Festival.

FRAGILE is recommended for everyone over the age of 4.

New Victory performances part of Ricochet – Arts for All Ages! are made possible with the support of Institut Français, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, and the French-American fund for Contemporary Theater, a program of FACE.

David Bruce and Glyn Maxwell’s

THE FIREWORK MAKER’S DAUGHTER
Based on the Novel by Philip Pullman

U.S. PREMIERE
Co-produced by The Opera Group and Opera North in association with ROH2 and Watford Palace Theatre
London, England
May 3 – 12, 2013
Opera

Playing at The New Victory Theater

Based on the enchanting novel by celebrated author Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials trilogy), this new opera tells the story of one girl’s quest to become a firework maker. David Bruce and Glyn Maxwell’s THE FIREWORK MAKER’S DAUGHTER Based on the Novel by Philip Pullman, which is directed by John Fulljames (The Enchanted Pig, New Vic 2010), boasts a grand, expressive score by Mr. Bruce and a witty libretto by Mr. Maxwell, both of which are inspired by world folk traditions. Accompanying a cast of five singers are stunning creations from Cambridge-based puppet design company, Indefinite Articles.

This production was co-commissioned by The Opera Group and ROH2.

THE FIREWORK MAKER’S DAUGHTER is recommended for everyone over the age of 8.

RHAW
Rennie Harris Awe-Inspiring Works
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 17 – 26, 2013
Dance

Playing at The New Victory Theater

Urban dance guru and Alvin Ailey Award recipient, Rennie Harris (Legends of Hip-Hop, New Vic 2004, 2006; Puremovement, New Vic 1999), delivers street dance with straight-up Philly soul in Rennie Harris Awe-inspiring Works, aka RHAW. With music as diverse as its dance styles, RHAW features a youthful company of nine dancers who put fresh spins on pop and lock, b-boy, house, hip-hop and boogaloo to create funky, upbeat depictions of city life, young love and growing up.

Mr. Harris started Rennie Harris Awe-inspiring Works in 2007 as a youth organization driven by community outreach, education and mentorship. In 2001, in addition to receiving an Alvin Ailey Award for Choreography, he received three Bessie Awards for Rome & Jewels and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award.

This project is partially supported by a grant from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, a program developed and funded by The Heinz Endowments; the William Penn Foundation; the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency; and The Pew Charitable Trusts; and administered by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

RHAW is recommended for everyone over the age of 6.

THE GIRL WHO FORGOT TO SING BADLY

Theatre Lovett
Dublin, Ireland
May 31 – June 9, 2013
Theater

Playing at The Duke on 42nd Street

In THE GIRL WHO FORGOT TO SING BADLY, actor Louis Lovett spins a fantastical yarn about a young heroine with the voice of an angel (an angel who can't sing at all) who knows it's up to her to save the day and rescue an entire city . This inventive one-man production written by Finegan Kruckemeyer is directed by Lynne Parker, one of Ireland’s most celebrated directors.

For her contributions to Irish theater, Ms. Parker was awarded the Irish Times Special Tribute Award in 2009 and an Honorary Doctorate in Letters from Trinity College Dublin.

This production was originally commissioned by The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children, and produced by The Ark in association with Theatre Lovett.

THE GIRL WHO FORGOT TO SING BADLY is recommended for everyone over the age of 7.

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 17, 2012, or by telephone starting July 24. To purchase tickets online, visit NewVictory.org, and to purchase by phone, call 646-223-3010.

Full-price tickets for individual productions start at $14 each, will also be available from August 7, 2012, either online or by phone. Beginning September 4, The New Victory Theater box office (209 West 42nd Street) will be open Sunday and Monday from 11am-5pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm.