Disclosure: The information and photos in this post come directly from the press release for Riddle of the Trilobites, unless otherwise stated. I am a huge fan of The New Victory Theater, and you can't go wrong when visiting them and seeing one of the many shows they have to offer! Discounted tickets are offered at the bottom of this post with my TodayTix affiliate links.
About The New Victory Theater
The New Victory Theater is New York City’s first and only nonprofit performing arts venue for kids and families. If that's not enough to entice you to visit, the theater is quite beautiful, with plenty of areas to keep the kids entertained before a show. The theater is easy to get to near the heart of Times Square, and every usher we encountered was helpful, friendly, and very child-centered! I am eager to see another show there, as we really loved the venue (and we loved supporting such a wonderful non-profit organization). They also hold sensory-friendly shows and shows for the hearing impaired. What more can a family ask for?
Riddle of the Trilobites
Two-time Obie Award winner and Waterwell Artistic Director Lee Sunday Evans (In the Green, Dance Nation, The Things That Were There) directs Riddle of the Trilobites, an original new musical by CollaborationTown [Family Play (1979 to Present)]. When young Aphra discovers an ancient prophecy, 'The trilobites cannot live, but will not die,' she and her arthropod pals set off on an underwater adventure to solve the riddle before a sea change of epic proportions destroys their home. Will they save the trilobite kingdom? Scuttle over to the New Victory Theater from February 7th to the 23rd, 2020 to find out!
Set 500 million years ago, Riddle of the Trilobites brings prehistoric sea creatures to life with humor, heart and eye-popping puppetry designed by Amanda Villalobos (In the Green, Amelie, Cute Activist). An allegory about climate change, this all-ages musical tackles a difficult subject--the state of our planet--with a creative team whose credits include Homos, or Everything in America (Labyrinth Theater Company), Family Play (1979 to Present), named one of The Advocate’s 10 Best LGBT Plays of 2014; The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of Pathos (The New Ohio Theater); The Play About My Dad (59E59 Theaters); The Momentum (2012 GLAAD Media Award nomination); Children at Play (The Living Theater); and 6969 (59E59 Theaters; winner of three NYIT Awards).
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| Photo Credit:Mike Naddeo |
Over a two-year period with New Victory LabWorks, the theater’s new work development program, Riddle of the Trilobites premiered to great acclaim at Flint Repertory Theatre in March of 2019. “Flint Rep launches [Riddle of the Trilobites] with beauty, respect and commitment,” says Encore Michigan. “Nothing short of magic,” raves Flint Stages.
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| Photo Credit:Mike Naddeo |
CollaborationTown creates ensemble-driven, humorous and heartfelt new plays that defy expectations of how stories can be told in the theater. The company maintains a consistent core ensemble which collaborates regularly with an ever-expanding community of artists, and creates new plays that are relevant beyond traditional theater audiences. Awarded an Otto Rene Castillo Award for Political Theatre in 2014, CollaborationTown most recently devised a new play, Candy, under commission from LCT3 / Lincoln Center.
Riddle of the Trilobites was created by CollaborationTown and is directed by Lee Sunday Evans; book & lyrics by Geo Decas O’Donnell and Jordan Seavey; music & lyrics by Nicholas Williams; puppetry design by Amanda Villalobos.
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| Photo Credit:Mike Naddeo |
The cast includes Tiffany Iris* (When We Went Electronic, Locked Up), Sifiso Mabena* (Red Hills, The Art of Luv Part 6), Joel Oramas* (Pegao), Julia Sirna-Frest* (Lunch Bunch, [Porto]), Richard Saudek* (Beep Boop), and Phillip Taratula* (An Evening with Pam Goldberg, Empire Travel Agency, The Lily’s Revenge), with Flea Theater company member Sophia Aranda* as Understudy. *Member, Actors’ Equity Association.
The creative team also includes set design & Elder Robe design by Deb O, costume design by Katherine Nelson, lighting design by Eric Southern, sound design by Emma Wilk, and puppet fabrication by Amanda Villalobos with additional puppet fabrication by Puppet Kitchen; musical direction, arrangements & orchestration by Nicholas Williams; puppet direction by Pam Arciero; associate director Alex Tobey; assistant director Laura Galindo; assistant stage manager and puppet wrangler Brodrick Jones; production stage manager Rachel Kaufman; production management & technical direction by Tech without Tears; line produced by Ilana Becker; associate produced by Michael Todd Cohen, Adrian Frandle & TJ Witham; produced by Lee Sunday Evans, Geo Decas O’Donnell, Jordan Seavey & Nicholas Williams.
Check out this little video about Riddle of the Trilobites from New Victory Theater on YouTube!
Learn more about Riddle of the Trilobites at NewVictory.org.
Public Performance Schedule:
Friday, February 7 at 7pm
Saturday, February 8 at 12pm / 5pm
Sunday, February 9 at 12pm* / 5pm
Saturday, February 15 at 12pm / 5pm
Sunday, February 16 at 12pm** / 5pm
Monday, February 17 at 2pm
Wednesday, February 19 at 2pm
Friday, February 21 at 12pm
Saturday, February 22 at 12pm / 5pm
Sunday, February 23 at 12pm / 5pm
*Sensory-friendly performance
**Sign-interpreted performance
Riddle of the Trilobites has a running time of 80 minutes with no intermission, and is recommended for ages 6 and up.
Follow The New Victory Theater on their
Ticket Information
FOR DISCOUNTED TICKETS: check out my link from TodayTix- visit their New York tickets page and search on Riddle of the Trilobites. TodayTix offers amazing shows at discounted prices!
Full-price tickets for Riddle of the Trilobites start at $17. Tickets are available online (NewVictory.org) and by phone (646.223.3010).
To purchase tickets in person, the New Victory box office is located at 209 West 42nd Street (between 7th / 8th Avenues). Box office hours are Sunday & Monday from 11am-5pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm.
You can read more about The New Victory Theater and their previous shows right here on my blog! Check out this post from 2019, or this recent post from my pal, Kid Congeniality.
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