NEW YORK CITY: New Victory has announced its 2019-20 season, which includes 15 productions. These performances include theatre, opera, circus, dance, and puppet shows from nine different countries. Highlights include the return of such fan favorites as Isango Ensemble, Cirque Mechanics in 42FT, and Step Afrika!.
The season kicks off with the world premiere of TheaterWorksUSA’s The Pout-Pout Fish (Oct. 12-20) based on the popular book series by Deborah Diesen. This bright new musical feature’s puppets by AchesonWalsh Studios.
The opera Aesop’s Fables (Nov. 1-3) will be onstage next. This production is an adaptation of familiar fables with bright marimba music, featuring South Africa’s Olivier Award-winning Isango Ensemble.
Next is RE:PLAY (Nov. 15- Dec.1) by the eccentric Swiss theatre troupe MUMMENSCHANZ.
Following will be the U.S. premiere of Because I Say So (Dec. 12-22), an energetic dance offering from Swedish company Unga Klara. For ages 3-5.
Next will be a high-flying hit for the holidays, A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels (Dec. 6- Jan. 5, 2020). This circus piece is presented by Cirque Mechanics in 42FT.
Back-to-back this season are two works developed through New Victory LabWorks, the theatre’s initiative to create compelling original works made in the U.S. for family audiences. The first will be Cartography (Jan. 10-19, 2020) a multimedia piece about young refugees by experimental theatremakers Kaneza Schaal and Christopher Myers. Following will be Riddle of the Trilobites (Feb. 7-23, 2020), created by CollaborationTown. This new musical production features puppetry by Amanda Villalobos and will be directed by Lee Sunday Evans.
Playing next will be a dance piece by Step Afrika! titled Drumfolk (Feb. 28-March 15, 2020), the second in a trilogy of work that celebrates the African American experience through dance.
Following is the U.S. premiere of Treasure Island (March 20-29, 2020), adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale by Carlo Colla & Sons Marionette Company.
Next up is another U.S. premiere, Four Go Wild in Wellies (March 27- April 5, 2020), produced by the inclusive Scottish company Indepen-dance 4. For ages 3-5.
Following will be a show by Catapult, who were finalists on “America’s Got Talent” finalists and will present Magic Shadows (April 13-19, 2020).
Next, New International Encounter returns with a reimagined Snow White (April 24-May 3, 2020), featuring a rollicking indie score.
After, another U.S. premiere, Jabberbabble (May 9-17, 2020), will share a universal message about belonging using a singsong mix of languages. Presented by the Dutch Theatergroep Kwatta, it’s designed for ages 4-7.
Closing out the season are two more U.S. premieres. The first is Cie L’Oublié(e)’s Fierce 5 (May 30-June 14, 2020), a work of aerial acrobatics directed by Raphaëlle Boitel. The second will be Não Não (June 5- 14, 2020) by Le Vent des Forges, a troupe from Melesse, France. The piece follows a mischievous little boy made out of mud, water, and talc, using real clay onstage. For ages 1-4.
Founded in 1995, the New Victory Theater is a children’s theatre company in New York City, dedicated to arts access and education for young people.
