Unless otherwise specified, all performances take place at the New Victory Theater on West 42nd Street, and tickets range from $15 for the balcony to $38 in the orchestra. If you order tickets to three or more shows, you automatically become a New Victory member, which means you save 35% on tickets, 30% on workshops, 10% on camps and enjoy unlimited, free date changes. You also receive invites to Work-in-Progress showings by New Victory LabWorks Resident Artists so you can get sneak peek at the future of family theater.

There are 16 shows playing during the New Victory's 2015-16 season. As always, they come from all over the globe and represent a wide range of genres—circus, dance, drama and puppetry. While all of the productions look intriguing, the New Vic has launched a brand-new quiz that matches families to shows based on answers to seven fun questions. (I did it with my 10-year-old and we loved the picks it came up with!) But we here at Mommy Poppins have also compiled best bets by age—after more than a decade of attending shows at the New Vic, we have our own favorites. You can find the complete lineup on the New Victory website.

Best Bets for Preschoolers

White
Wednesday, November 4-Sunday, November 22 at the New 42nd Street Studios. All tickets are $20. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 2-5
A great offering for first-time theatergoers, this wordless, interactive show stars a pair of pals who live in an all-white world. But as color creeps in, they learn to embrace rainbow hues. We raved about this play a few years back and love that it's performed in a small studio with families sitting on cushions on the floor, so the actors and audience are on the same plane.

Tots watch a colorful cityscape come alive in the puppet show Cité. Photo by Jean-Louis Sagot.

Cité
Saturday, May 14-Sunday, 22, 2016 at the New 42nd Street Studios. All tickets are $20. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 3-5
Another wordless, eye-popping spectacle, Cité follows the adventures of a little shadow puppet man as he chases the rising sun through a city that's just waking up. The landscape is colorful and engaging and complemented by evocative music. At just 30 minutes, it's perfect for short attention spans.

Best Bets for Elementary School Kids

A comedic and kinetic take on the legend of Robin Hood. Photo by Alan Alabastro.

Robin Hood
Friday, October 2-Sunday, October 11. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 7 and up
Introduce your brood to the fictional English outlaw, who stole from the rich to give to the poor. The famous folk tale is reinvented by the Seattle Children's Theatre, with four talented, multitasking performers playing all the parts, which makes for some stunning quick changes as both arrows and barbs fly.

The Velveteen Rabbit
Friday, January 22-Sunday, January 31, 2016. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 6 and up
We've previously written about the challenges of adapting Margery Williams' popular but narration-heavy picture book for the stage, but we have high hopes for this production by London's Unicorn Theatre. The company skips cutesy animal costumes in favor of poignant characterizations and surrealist sets in this heartrending tale of a toy bunny who longs to be real. The 7pm performance on Saturday, January 30 is a special Mommy Poppins Reader Night at the New Vic, with hands-on post-show activities led by our friends at Gate Hill Day Camp and a 20% discount on tickets. 

Expect a faithfully dark retelling of The Pied Piper by Italy's Carlo Colla & Sons Marionette Company. Photo by Piero Corbella.

The Pied Piper
Friday, May 6-Sunday, May 15, 2016. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 7 and up
In NYC, we're lucky enough to have two wonderful marionette theaters. But for puppets on a grander scale, check out this adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale by Italy's Carlo Colla & Sons Marionette Company. Gorgeous handcrafted 19th-century-style puppets inhabit this dark story of a stranger who promises to cure the town of Hamelin of its rodent problem. Expect a whopping 300 puppet rats. (Cool, and ew!) Considering the disturbing ending and the 90-minute running time, take heed of the age recommendation. 

Best Bets for Tweens

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Friday, October 30-Sunday, November 8. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 9 and up
British composer Benjamin Britten transformed the Bard's fantastical romantic comedy into an opera back in 1960. Now South Africa's Isango Ensemble gives the work a 21st-century multicultural overhaul with orchestrations featuring marimbas and djembes, and a jubilant chorus that weaves African folklore into Shakespeare's poetry. Even if your kid's never seen any of the legendary playwright's canon, this is a great introduction to his work.

Learn the amazing story of the Tuskegee Airmen in Fly. Photo by Sherry Rubel.

Fly
Friday, March 11-Sunday, March 27, 2016. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 10 and up
The incredible story of the historic Tuskegee Airmen—the U.S.'s first African-American military aviators—soars onstage in this coproduction from the Pasadena Playhouse and the Crossroads Theatre Company. Exhilarating dance sequences and immersive video projections help bring their triumphant and groundbreaking accomplishments to life.

Best Bets for the Whole Family

While all New Vic offerings are great for families, certain productions are better at engaging a wide range of ages. These three shows are the ones that we believe will entertain even grumpy grown-ups.

Cirque Mechanics offers a stunning steampunk-style cycling circus. Photo by Zach Mahone.

Pedal Punk
Friday, December 4-Sunday, January 3, 2016. $19-$55. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Las Vegas' incredible Cirque Mechanics wowed us with its past two New Vic shows: the Metropolis-inspired Birdhouse Factory and Boom Town set in the Wild West. This time around, the troupe rides into NYC with a steampunk-themed cycling spectacle, which plays throughout the holiday season. Familiar circus acts like aerial, acrobatics and balancing get a jolt of adrenaline from the troupe's skilled members and highly stylized environments. This one can't roll into town fast enough!

Untapped
February 5-February 21, 2016. Visit the website for the complete schedule.
Ages 7 and up
My daughter and I adored this tap-dancing extravaganza a few years back, and we're excited to see it back at the New Vic for an encore. These talented Australian hunks leap across the stage in tight jeans and tee-shirts, creating amazingly intricate rhythms that complement the live band and beat boxer rocking out onstage. Even if you're not a dance person, this high-octane and humorous hour-long show should have you grooving in your seat. The 7pm performance on Saturday, February 20 is our second Mommy Poppins Readers Night at the New Vic, so mark your calendars.  We will be hosting some fun post-show activities with our friends at Gate Hill Day Camp and offering a 20% discount on tickets.  

Giggle and marvel at acrobatic clown Bello's wacky antics. Photo by John Powers.

Bello Mania
Friday, April 15-Sunday, May 1, 2016. Visit the website for the complete schedule.
Ages 5 and up
Another show we vouch for: My daughter and I saw Bello Mania when it premiered in 2013, and it was such a hit the New Vic has brought it back every year since. Equal parts comedic circus spectacle and family memoir, it's the ideal showcase for former Ringling Bros./Big Apple Circus clown/acrobat Bello Nock, who was born into a circus family. Enjoy a cavalcade of his greatest hits, including his signature feat when he climbs all the way to the New Vic ceiling on a swaying pole right over the audiences' heads.

Special Pre- and Post-Show Activities

In addition to shows, the New Victory has a variety of enriching engagement programs like pre-performance Busy Bees arts and crafts for preschoolers; drop-in, educator-led Arts Express theater games; Try This opportunities to examine show props and design elements; and post-show Talk-Backs. When buying tickets, check whether these programs are offered for the performance you select. Other New Victory programs of note:

New Victory Family Workshops — Throughout the season, the New Vic hosts hands-on workshops related to its shows. Offerings include dance, acting, circus and puppetry as well as themed weeklong camps during spring and summer breaks. My daughter participated in the circus arts camp twice and loved it. She now spins plates like a pro!

TXT Marks the Spot — After select performances, ticket holders can go on a high-tech scavenger hunt through the theater. Armed with a map and your smartphone, you receive texts with specific challenges that you must tackle before moving on to the next step. My daughter and I have done a few and had a blast.

Autism-Friendly Performances — In consultation with Autism Friendly Spaces, the New Vic is hosting sensory-friendly performances of select shows featuring quiet areas in the lobby, specially trained staff, an activity corner, fidget toys, reduced sound levels and only partially dimmed houselights. Families can also "meet their seats" ahead of time. Find the complete list of autism-friendly performances on the New Victory's website.

Education Partnership Program — My daughter's school is lucky enough to be part of this incredible program. For a small annual fee, teachers can book tickets to shows at a tremendous discount (just $2 for students, $5 for chaperons) and enjoy related in-school workshops at no additional cost. As you can imagine, the program has a wait-list. But if you're interested in trying to sign up your school, you can apply online.

Top photo: The Velveteen Rabbit by Manuel Harlan.