New Victory Theater has announced the return to live theatre at its home on 42nd Street for the 2021–2022 season.
The season will kick off November 5 with the onstage world premiere of Generation Rise, presented by Ping Chong and Company in association with New 42/New Victory. The interview-based production, developed in collaboration with Urban Word NYC, features Black, Latinx, and Asian-American teens from New York City reflecting on their lives before, during, and after 2020. The production runs through November 14.
New Victory will ring in the holiday season with the New York City premiere of Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, running December 6–January 2, 2022. Christopher Gattelli, Tony-winning choreographer of Newsies, will direct and choreograph the stage adapatation of the beloved 1977 television puppet special, featuring a mix of costumed performers and puppets. The show has a book by iTheatrics' Timothy Allen McDonald and Gattelli and a score by Oscar winner Paul Williams.
The spring season at New Victory will include the reprise of the work Air Play, created by Acrobuffos circus performers Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone in collaboration with kinetic sculptor Daniel Wurtzel, and the return of the dance company Step Afrika! with the show Drumfolk. New Victory will also present the New York stage premieres of Nambi E. Kelley’s Jabari Dreams of Freedom and Manual Cinema’s Leonardo and Sam: The Terrible Monster and the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World, Respectively, inspired by the work of Mo Willems.
In addition to the upcoming season, the theatre has also named its incoming New Victory LabWorks Artists: Nehprii Amenii, Ty Defoe, Indygo Afi Ngozi, and Marcus Yi. The LabWorks fellowship serves BIPOC artists, including those with disabilities and those who identify as LGBTQIA+, in the creation of new works for young audiences, offering a stipend, professional development support, and industry networking. Christopher Rudd has been selected as the inaugural participant of New Victory LabWorks Launch, providing a single artist with continued support on the development of a particular project.
Tickets for Generation Rise and Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas go on sale September 10. For more information on the season, visit NewVictory.org.
