New Victory Theater to Unveil New Lobby Spaces

The New Victory Theater, the New York City's premier theater for kids and families, will unveil LuEsther’s Lobby and the Jack and Lew Rudin Lobby at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, November 30, at 5pm.

"To recognize and reflect our unique audience from all over the city, including families on the weekends and large school groups on weekdays, we enlisted some of the City’s best to help us create a new space that promotes access and engagement with the performing arts, two values we’ve used to guide us since we opened the doors to The New Victory over twenty years ago," says Cora Cahan, president of the New 42nd Street, the parent company of the New Victory Theater and the nonprofit responsible for the revitalization of the street’s historic theaters.

The New 42nd Street raised over $7.4 million to date for the project with $3.9 million in public support from the New York City Council, the Manhattan borough president, and the mayor’s office through the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. The remainder was raised from private funding, including the New 42nd Street board of directors and the nonprofit’s generous donors. Designed by H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture and built by Yorke Construction Company, the new lobby spaces feature interior graphic design by Paula Scher of Pentagram Design Inc.

Features of the redesigned and renamed Jack and Lew Rudin Lobby include digitally supported family engagement activities, an "Eat & Drink" cafe, and a fully integrated accessibility ramp that allows for equitable entry and exit. Staffed by members of the New Victory Public Engagement team and the New Victory Usher Corps, the Jack and Lew Rudin Lobby will provide multiple opportunities for families to explore the performing arts together both before and after every show. LuEsther’s Lobby features a digital wall with animated posters showcasing the international roster of shows on the New Victory stage, an upgraded retail area, resource-efficient restrooms and complimentary patron lockers.

"The New Victory Theater is a treasure of New York City culture and has long been a very special place for my family," says Fiona Rudin, chairman of the board of the New 42nd Street. "With the reinvention of its public spaces and the opening of the Jack and Lew Rudin Lobby, the theater finally has a space as brilliant as the incredible work that’s being done to bring revelatory performances and cultural engagement to New York families. More than ever, The New Victory embodies the spirit of the city itself — full of energy, always changing and welcoming to all."