French Children’s Theater Makes NYC Debut With Four-Week Festival

New York families can expect more than showers and flowers this April and May. A host of French theatrical shows are making their stateside debut in NYC this spring. In the Ricochet—Arts for All Ages festival, French circus, puppetry, and physical theater companies have teamed up to bring three captivating performances to New York audiences.

Presented by the New York Victory Theater and French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) and in collaboration with Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York, Ricochet is a four-week series that’s completely family friendly and a great opportunity to expose your children to French theater.

The premiere performances begin at the New Victory Theater with “Le Grand C” by Compagnie XY. Featuring 17 acrobats performing heart-stopping stunts with distinctive style, this performance showcases the excitement and beauty of physical, expressive moment (April 18-28).

Then your family can catch “Fragile” by Le Clan des Songes (also one of our event picks for April). This word-free puppet theater production is part two of a triology created in 2007 that follows an inquisitive, Chapin-like character as he embarks on a journey with a suitcase of magical surprises. Bunraku, shadow puppetry, and haunting original music give the story a poetic narrative (April 25 to May 12).

Finally, in “Afternoon of a Foehn Version 1” by Compagnie Non Nova, Phia Ménard, plastic bag “characters” come to life with a “foehn,” or dry wind. Dancing to melodies by Claude Debussy, these characters will take you on beautiful adventure that will transport you to a new world—without leaving the FIAF’s Florence Gould Hall (April 27).

In addition to these premier performances, on April 22 Ricochet will also offer a two-part forum on professional American and French theater for young audiences. Presented by The New Victory Theater, French Institute Alliance Française, and the French Cultural Services at CUNY’s Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, the forum will feature industry professionals discussing the creation of theater for young people and the appeal of genres such as nouveau cirque. Although the first part of the forum is designed for artists, agents, critics, and other professionals, the second half is open to the public.

For tickets and more information, visit newvictory.org.