CARTOGRAPHY Will Play at the New Victory Theater

Inflatable rafts on the Mediterranean. Dark holds of cargo trucks. Family photos hidden carefully in a backpack. Hear the stories of young refugees when CARTOGRAPHY asks what part we play in the lives of young people who set out into the unsure waters of their futures. Conceived and created by acclaimed experimental theater artist Kaneza Schaal [Bryce Dessner's Triptych (Eyes of One on Another)] and Caldecott-winning author and illustrator Christopher Myers (Misty Copeland's Firebird; creative director, Penguin Random House's Make Me a World) and produced by ArKtype, CARTOGRAPHY investigates how stories became a currency for young migrants at border checkpoints.

Developed as part of New Victory LabWorks, the theater's new work development program, and commissioned by The Kennedy Center, this multimedia theatrical work shares a world alive with movement and migration as the effects of climate change, war and poverty give shape to where we have come from and where we are going. CARTOGRAPHY runs at the New Victory Theater January 10 - 19, 2020.

Written by Myers and directed by Schaal, CARTOGRAPHY is inspired by the artists' work in Munich with refugee youth from over 12 different countries. Following the 2016 influx of refugees into Europe from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea and West Africa, among other nations, Schaal and Myers identified refugees ages 11-17 and used a variety of tools, including map-making, storytelling and filmmaking, to help these young people share their stories. By layering these narratives, Schaal and Myers build a theatrical experience that invites audiences to explore how migration is, in fact, a part of everyone's story.

"We discovered that young refugees wanted a forum where they could share their stories and not be erased--that despite being a part of a mass migration they each brought different experiences with them," says Myers. "Theater became a space where these youth were made more visible and more heard, and we're excited to share these stories with young audiences who are likewise learning how to define their role in the world."

Schaal and Myers, whose past collaborations include JACK&, recently at New York Live Arts and BAM Next Wave Festival, and GO FORTH, which premiered to great acclaim as part of PS122's COIL 2015, created this original theatrical work intentionally for young audiences as a part of New Victory LabWorks.

CARTOGRAPHY was produced by ArKtype / Thomas O. Kriegsmann and premiered at the Kennedy Center in January, 2019, and made possible by a generous grant from The Joyce Foundation. The work is a co-commission of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi and Playhouse Square, Cleveland, OH, with developmental support provided by Young People's Theatre, Toronto, Canada, The Performing Garage as part of The Performing Garage Presents Residency Program, and the Center for the Arts, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT.

Learn more about CARTOGRAPHY at NewVictory.org.

Public Performance Schedule:

Friday, January 10 at 7pm
Saturday, January 11 at 2pm / 7pm
Sunday, January 12 at 3pm
Saturday, January 18 at 2pm / 7pm*
Sunday, January 19 at 3pm
*sign-interpreted performance

CARTOGRAPHY has a running time of 60 minutes with no intermission, and is recommended for ages 10 and up.

Ticket Information

Full-price tickets for CARTOGRAPHY start at $17. Tickets are available online (NewVictory.org) and by phone (646.223.3010).

To purchase tickets in person, the New Victory box office is located at 209 West 42nd Street (between 7th / 8th Avenues). Box office hours are Sunday & Monday from 11am-5pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm.

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