Andy Manley's THE BALLAD OF PONDLIFE MCGURK to Make US Debut at the New Vic, 6/13-22

An original one-man show performed by the award-winning Andy Manley, The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk makes its U.S. premiere at The New Victory Theater in Times Square from June 13-22. For this heart-warming and humorous coming-of-age story from Catherine Wheels Theatre Company, audiences will be seated on the New Vic stage for a truly interactive and up-close experience.

In The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk, Martin moves to a new school and feels lost and alone in a sea of strange faces until he befriends the quiet and quirky Simon McGurk. The two spend every day together until Martin's gift for soccer and a disastrous class field trip complicate their once simple friendship. From the school's most popular girl to the class bully, the imaginative and captivating Andy Manley single-handedly brings every character to life. After performing in schools throughout Scotland and making its public debut at the Imaginate Children's Festival in 2010, The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk has toured to the Sydney Opera House in 2011, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012 (where Manley received the Herald Archangel Award for his valued contribution to the festival over many years) and the Auckland Arts Festival in 2013. Most recently, The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk won Le Prix Orphéon in France for Best Play for Young People.

An associate artist of Catherine Wheels Theatre Company, Manley is no stranger to The New Victory Theater. He co-wrote Martha (2001), created and performed in My House (2009), co-created Potato Needs A Bath (2011) and co-created and performed in White (2011), which earned him a coveted Drama Desk nomination for Unique Theatrical Experience in New York, as well as three Edinburgh Festival Fringe Awards and three Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland.

With Manley as the show's sole performer, The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk was written by Robert Alan Evans and co-created by Manley, Evans and Catherine Wheels Theatre Company Artistic Director Gill Robertson. Danny Krass is the show's sound designer, Craig Fleming is the production manager and lighting designer, Paul Fitzpatrick is the producer and Louise Gilmour Wills is the projects manager.

Watch a trailer of The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk on the New Victory website.

Performance Schedule: 10 performances:

Friday 6/13 7pm

Saturday 6/14 2pm and 7pm

Sunday 6/15 12pm and 5pm

Friday 6/20 7pm

Saturday 6/21 2pm and 7pm

Sunday 6/22 12pm and 5pm

The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk has a running time of 50 minutes with no intermission and is recommended for everyone ages 8 and up.

Tickets for The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk at The New Victory Theater (209 West 42nd Street) cost $18 per ticket for Members and $25 at full price. Purchase tickets online or by phone at 646-223-3010. The New Victory Theater box office (209 West 42nd Street) is open Sunday and Monday from 11am-5pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm. For more information, visit the New Victory website.

About Catherine Wheels Theatre Company: Founded in 1999 by artistic director Gill Robertson, Catherine Wheels Theatre Company is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed children's theater company. As one of Scotland's most prolific creators of work for children and young people, they have produced 23 original productions over the last 15 years. The company has received 12 celebrated awards and 15 nominations, including numerous Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland honors, two prestigious Drama Desk Award nominations for Unique Theatrical Experience and a Helpmann Award nomination (Australia's version of the Tony Awards). Catherine Wheels Theatre Company was the first Scottish children's theater company to perform at Australia's Sydney Opera House, and has now played at this iconic arts venue three times. Supported by Creative Scotland, the company is based at The Brunton in Musselburgh.

About The New Victory Theater: The New Victory Theater introduces extraordinary performing artists from around the world to extraordinary audiences in New York City, bringing kids to the arts and arts to kids. Created in 1995 for young New Yorkers, their families and schoolmates, The New Victory Theater presents a diverse season of international companies at low ticket prices year after year. Through the theater's award-winning education programs, The New Victory continues to provide access to schools and communities of New York City who seek to experience and engage with the work on our stages, often for the very first time. The theater's contributions to the cultural landscape of the city were celebrated by the prestigious New York critics' organization, The Drama Desk, which presented The New Victory Theater with a 2012 Special Award for "providing enchanting, sophisticated children's theater that appeals to the child in all of us, and for nurturing a love of theater in young people."

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