NEW YORK CITY: The New Victory Theater, which puts on productions aimed at children and families, has announced its 2016-17 season.
The season will start with the U.S. premiere of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Sept. 30-Oct. 10), a reimagining of Jules Verne’s classic science-fiction novel, featuring multimedia, magic, projections, and technology. Rick Miller and Craig Francis will codirect.
Next up Pins & Needles Productions will present a new musical adaptation of Kenny Wax Family Entertainment and TC Beech’s Mr. Popper’s Penguins (Oct. 14-30), which will feature puppetry.
The season will continue with Akram Khan Company’s Chotto Desh (Nov. 4-13), a dance-theatre production for families, using music, text, and contemporary dance to tell the cross-cultural story about being “other.” Sue Buckmaster will direct.
Following will be the world premiere of Mons Dansa’s Paper Dreams (Nov. 11-20), a dance piece for young audiences featuring lyrical movement and object theatre to tell the stories that get left behind on scraps of paper.
Next will be the world premiere of Jason Bishop: Straight Up Magic (Nov. 18-27), by illusionist Jason Bishop, featuring original magic tricks.
Just in time for the holidays will be Circus Der Sinne’s Mother Africa: My Home (Dec. 2, 2016-Jan. 1, 2017), a circus production celebrating Cape Town’s largest township, Khayelitsha, with juggling, dancing, and music.
France’s Théâtre du Phare will present Oh Boy! (Jan. 6-15, 2017), a one-man show exploring what it means to be a family when faced with some of life’s most devastating moments. The show is based on the book by Marie Aude-Murail.
Next up will be Elephant & Piggie’s We are in a Play! (Jan. 28-Feb. 5, 2017), a musical adaptation of Mo Willem’s Elephant & Piggie children’s books. The stage adaptation, written by Willems, features music by Deborah Wicks La Puma.
The season will continue with Plastic Boom’s Water on Mars (Feb. 10-26, 2017), a juggling performance featuring hypnotic tricks.
Aging Magician (March 3-12, 2017), created by Julian Crouch, Rinde Eckert, and Paela Prestini, will combine live music, theatre, puppetry, instrument making, and scenic design to tell the story of an aging clockmaker on his last adventure. The show will also feature the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Crouch will direct, and Mark Stewart will design instruments for the production.
Next will be Denmark’s Theater Reflection and Branar Teatar‘s The Way Back Home (March 10-26, 2017), a staged adaptation of Oliver Jeffers’s picture book about a young adventurer’s trip to outer space. The show will use puppetry and original music.
Following, The Acting Company will perform the New York premiere of Caesar/X (March 17-26, 2017), featuring Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar together in repertory with X, a new play by Marcus Gardley about the assassination of Malcolm X.
Next up Milan’s Liberi Di…Physical Theatre will present Something (March 31-April 16, 2017), a theatrical performance that will fuse circus, dance, physical theatre, and clowning.
Ireland’s Cahoots NI will bring Nivelli’s War (April 28-May 7, 2017) to the stage next. Inspired by a true story, the play is a theatrical account of a journey and unlikely friendship at the end of WWI.
Finally, Windmill Theater Co will present Grug and the Rainbow (May 13-21, 2017), based on Ted Prior’s series of picture books.
Founded in 1995, New Victory Theater offers multi-national programming aimed at children and families, and is located in midtown Manhattan.
