New Victory Theater's Season of Family, Kid Shows Announced

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 (runs from Oct. 2-10at The New Victory Theater.

Below are a few highlights of the upcoming season:

· 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.

· 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. 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 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, brings J.M. Barrie’s celebrated story of exuberant joy and bittersweet longing to life. 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 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, Oct. 15-24

· Squirm Burpee Circus: A Vaudevillian Melodrama, The Handsome Little Devils, Denver Colorado, Nov. 12-28

· Nearly Lear, Susanna Hamnett, Toronto, Canada, Jan. 7-16

· Circus INcognitus, Jamie Adkins, Montreal, Canada, Feb. 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

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 Aug. 4. To purchase tickets online, visit www.NewVictory.org, or call 646-223-3010.

Beginning September 7, The New Victory Theater box office (209 West 42nd Street) will be open Sunday and Monday from 11 am to 5 pm and Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 7 pm.

The New Victory Theater is New York City’s first and only full-time performing arts theater for kids, their families and classmates. 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.