Julian Crouch, Shoehorn Theater, Fiasco Theater and More Among New Victory's 2013-14 Residencies

The New Victory Theater, New York City's premier theater for kids and families, announces the 2013-14 artists-in-residence for New Victory LabWorks, a groundbreaking initiative designed to spur the development of original high-quality productions for young audiences. This unparalleled program aims to significantly expand the landscape of quality performing arts for young people created in New York City, and challenge professional artists in all disciplines to create their highest caliber of work with a family audience in mind.

The New Victory launches the official first year of the program by hosting the initial development of three original projects by a diverse roster of New York City-based artists: Julian Crouch (The Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera's Satyagraha and New Victory presentations Shockheaded Peter, Wolves in the Walls) in collaboration with Saskia Lane (Dan Zanes & Friends, The Lascivious Biddies); Parallel Exit (Room 17B, Exit Stage Left, Time Step); and the newly-formed ensemble Shoehorn Theater Company. In addition, New Victory LabWorks will host the final development phase of Fiasco Theater's (Into the Woods, Cymbeline) Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare, which will premiere at The New Victory this spring.

"Theater for young people is nothing less than essential in the long journey towards full-rounded adulthood," says theater designer, director and puppet makerJulian Crouch. After the success of The Devil and Mister Punch (Barbican, 2012), Crouch will reunite with musician, puppeteer and performer Saskia Laneto begin a residency for the creation of an original work featuring puppetry and live music. Inspired by the stunning and strangely beautiful images of albatrosses by acclaimed photographer Chris Jordan, this project will be Mr. Crouch's first original piece for kids as young as seven years old. "The New Victory sits at the very heart of the most famous theater district in the world and I have had the great pleasure of working there as an artist, and visiting as an audience member and parent of children who have sat transfixed in their chairs. For me, it is the most important theater in the city, and I am honored and excited to extend my relationship with them in the form of an artistic residency," stated Mr. Crouch.

In anticipation of the world premiere at The New Victory of Fiasco Theater's Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare, New Victory LabWorks will provide rehearsal space and support for the company as they explore a new model of development that will involve their whole ensemble from concept to production. With a brilliant talent for devising new interpretations of classic works, the Fiasco Theater company includes Jessie Austrian, Noah Brody, Paul L. Coffey, Andy Grotelueschen, Ben Steinfeld and Emily Young. Recommended for ages 13 and older, Fiasco Theater's Measure for Measure will debut onFebruary 28, 2014.

Parallel Exit, led by Artistic Director Mark Lonergan and comprised of Mike Dobson, Danny Gardner, Joel Jeske, Ryan Kasprzak, Brent McBeth, Olivia O'Brien and Derek Roland, was founded in 1997 and has performed around the world and in New York at 59E59 Theaters, Soho Rep, Symphony Space, PS 122 and The New Victory Theater. Parallel Exit will explore how their signature mix of physical comedy, dance and circus translates to an immersive theater experience and will devise a new work with all ages in mind.

Shoehorn Theater Company is a brand new company of old friends including Adrienne Kapstein (War Horse, Wanda's Monster), Robert Ross Parker (Vampire Cowboys), Greg Steinbruner (Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Signals of Distress) and Tami Stronach (Tami Stronach Dance, Neta Dance Company). All former members of acclaimed downtown theater companies The Flying Machine (Frankenstein, Soho Rep) and Sabooge (Fathom, Every Day Above Ground), the artists of Shoehorn will apply their unique theatrical styles to the creation of their very first production as a new company, which will be crafted for audiences as young as six years old.

Situated in the state-of-the-art New 42nd Street Studios, LabWorks artists receive significant time, space and resources, giving them the freedom to experiment, play and test ideas in the creation of new work. Residency artists also receive the artistic feedback and support of The New Victory Theater's artistic programming staff. Each residency is tailored to the specific needs and creative processes of the individual companies and may include presentations or open rehearsals for invited New Victory Members, which will provide the artists with an opportunity to interact with family audiences.

These artistic residencies are a part of LabWorks' focus on New Work Development. In 2012, The New Victory Theater piloted its first New Work Development residency with Trusty Sidekick Theater Company in the workshop and early staging of The Boy at The Edge of Everything by Australian playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer. On the wings of Trusty Sidekick's New Victory LabWorks residency, The Boy at The Edge of Everything will premiere in Seattle this March as a co-production between Trusty Sidekick and Seattle Children's Theatre.

About New Victory LabWorks: Established to foster the development of innovative work for young audiences and to advocate for the importance of quality performing arts for young people, New Victory LabWorks is designed to embrace artists, educators, producers, presenters and others in the field through three areas of focus: New Work Development, through which The New Victory Theater provides residencies and support for research and the development of original work across all performing arts disciplines; Professional Development, which offers opportunities for exchange with national and International Artists via forums, workshops and master classes; and Advocacy, through which New Victory staff, led by Director of Artistic Programming Mary Rose Lloyd and her team, promote the importance of quality performing arts and arts engagement for young audiences.

New Victory LabWorks is supported, in part, by a grant from New York State Council on the Arts.

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."

About The New 42nd Street: Building on the foundation of seven historic theaters, The New 42nd Street leads the dynamic evolution of the reinvented 42nd Street, cultivating a unique New York City cultural and entertainment destination through its three projects: The New Victory Theater, a performing arts theater devoted to kids and families; the New 42nd Street Studios, a state-of-the-art, 10-story performing arts complex for rehearsal, performance and arts administration; and The Duke on 42nd Street, an intimate black-box theater. An independent, nonprofit organization, The New 42nd Street is committed to the transformational power of the arts.

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