The College of Performing Arts at The New School is partnering with New Victory Theater, New York City’s premier theater for young audiences. This innovative collaboration aims to provide new opportunities for students, foster the growth of talent in the performing arts, and pave the way for inspiring new work development and directing opportunities. The partnership kicks off with two family friendly workshop productions that explore and embody the power and importance of a child’s imagination: Sindy Isabel Castro’s un lugar imaginario to meet a loved one, directed by José Noel and developed in New Victory’s Labworks program; and Hit The Lights Theater Company’s Taste The Clouds, adapted from the book by Rita Marshall and commissioned by New York City Children’s Theater. The events will take place from Thursday, November 9 through Sunday, November 12 at the Bank Street Theater and are free with registration.
The selections will be presented as part of the School of Drama’s BFA mainstage production season, providing an exciting platform for theatermakers and enabling students to work closely with artists associated with New Victory Theater, and gain invaluable experience in new work development. Guest artists are alumni of New Victory LabWorks, the theater’s new work development program. Part of the cultural nonprofit New 42, the New Victory has a long-standing tradition of presenting world-class productions that inspire and engage young audiences. With its renowned New Victory LabWorks program, the theater provides a supportive environment for developing new works and nurturing the creative visions of artists.
un lugar imaginario – a bilingual interactive play – sees a young girl create an imaginary world filled with objects that hold memories of her father. The play explores the relationship between the girl and her mother as they cope with grief. Audiences are invited to play, offer advice, and reflect on the memories of the people who are special in their own lives.
Can you touch the stars? See the music? Taste the Clouds? A young girl and her best friend embark on an adventure and learn to harness their imaginations to better understand the world around them. Created by the award-winning company, Hit the Lights!, Taste the Clouds takes audiences on a journey of the senses, using shadow puppetry, music, and theater.
“Jermaine Hill, Dean of the School of Drama and I believe that great things will come from our new partnership with New Victory Labworks. We’ve been fans of the New Victory Theater for a long time now and are eager to see the fruits of this partnership in our BFA Drama mainstage productions and know that our students and community will benefit greatly,” said Richard Kessler, Executive Dean of the College of Performing Arts.
“We are thrilled to partner with The New School’s College of Performing Arts and create unique collaboration opportunities for our New Victory LabWorks community,” said New 42 President & CEO Russell Granet. “Supporting the creation of new and diverse works has been central to our mission since LabWorks’ launch over ten years ago, and this partnership with the School of Drama’s BFA students provides an exciting opportunity for artistic collaboration and growth for the artists and students alike.”
This collaboration between the School of Drama at the College of Performing Arts and New Victory Theater exemplifies their commitment to nurturing creativity, fostering diversity, and advancing artistic excellence in the performing arts. By harnessing the power of collaboration, this partnership opens doors for students and artists, enriching the artistic landscape and inspiring the next generation of theater makers.
Event information:
Thursday, November 9, 5:30pm: un lugar imaginario to meet a loved one
Friday, November 10, 5:30pm: Taste the Clouds
Saturday, November 11, 11:00am & 2:30pm: Taste the Clouds
Sunday, November 12, 11:00am & 2:30pm: un lugar imaginario to meet a loved one
Family Friendly and Free with Registration / Bank Street Theater: 151 Bank Street, NY
About the College Of Performing Arts At The New School
Formed in 2015, the College of Performing Arts at The New School (CoPA) brings together the iconic Mannes School of Music, the legendary School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and the ground-breaking School of Drama. With each school contributing its unique culture of creative excellence, the College of Performing Arts is a hub for cross-disciplinary collaboration, bold experimentation, innovative education, and world-class performances.
As a part of The New School, students across CoPA experience a supportive and rigorous environment that provides abundant opportunities for collaboration with students and faculty in a wide array of disciplines, including the visual arts, fashion, design and technology, architecture, philosophy, psychology, public policy, advocacy, and more. CoPA has over 1100 students seeking degrees and diplomas in performance, composition, acting, writing, as well as arts management and entrepreneurship. New York City’s Greenwich Village provides the backdrop for the College of Performing Arts, housed at Arnhold Hall on West 13th Street, and the historic Westbeth Artists Community on Bank Street.
About The School Of Drama
The School of Drama is the most recent incarnation of theater education at The New School that goes back to the programs once led by the Group Theater, Piscator’s Dramatic Workshop, and The Actor’s Studio, and is a creative home to a dynamic group of actors, directors, writers, creative technologists, and multi-disciplinary theater artists. With a focus on authenticity of expression, the school’s curriculum confronts today’s most pressing societal issues through the making of theater, film, and emerging media. The School of Drama’s faculty is made up of award-winning actors, playwrights, and directors who bring a currency of professional experience, artistic training, and project-based learning into the classroom. The multidisciplinary MFA and BFA degree programs bring together rigor, creativity, and collaborative learning to create work marked by professionalism, imagination, and civic awareness. The school takes inspiration from the greats who walked its halls in the past, including Marlon Brando, Harry Belafonte, Shelly Winters, and Vinette Carrol, as well as more recent graduates, like Adrienne C. Moore, Bradley Cooper, Jordan E. Cooper, and Jason Kim.
About New Victory Theater
The New Victory opens new worlds to young people and families through extraordinary performances, education and engagement programs. Bringing kids to the arts and the arts to kids since 1995, this nonprofit theater has become a standard-bearer of quality performing arts for young audiences in the United States. Reflecting and serving the multicultural city it calls home, The New Victory is committed to arts access for all communities of New York to experience and engage with the exemplary international shows on its stages. A global leader in arts education, youth development and audience engagement, the New Victory Theater has been honored by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, by Americans for the Arts with a national Arts Education Award, and by the Drama Desk 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 New 42
Under the leadership of President & CEO Russell Granet, New 42 is a cultural nonprofit whose mission is to make extraordinary performing arts a vital part of everyone’s life from the earliest years onward. Driven by a deep commitment to performing arts access, New 42 connects people to world-class performances, essential education and employment programs, and creative communities that push culture forward. Through New Victory and New 42 Studios, the nonprofit serves artists, educators and New Yorkers of all ages with invaluable arts engagement and resources in and beyond the performing arts. Together with our supporters, New 42 opens new perspectives, incubates new works and creates new opportunities to move us all.
Founded in 1919, The New School was established to advance academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. A century later, The New School remains at the forefront of innovation in higher education, inspiring more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students to challenge the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The university welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and public programs that encourage open discourse and social engagement. Through our online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence.
