Our History
2025 is a substantial milestone for our nonprofit organization, as it marks the 35th anniversary of New 42, the 30th anniversary of the New Victory Theater and the 25th anniversary of New 42 Studios.
Land Acknowledgement
We are on the island known as Mannahatta, now called Manhattan, in Lenapehoking, the homeland of the Lenape people. These lands are intertribal trade lands under the stewardship of many Nations, and New Victory acknowledges the systematic erasure of their true history. The land of the five boroughs that make up New York City was and still is inhabited by the Lenape, Merrick, Canarsie, Rockaway and Matinecock Nations.
We celebrate and pay deep respect to the Peoples of these Nations, their cultures, their communities, their elders past and present, those with us today, and all their future generations. We recognize that seized lands are historically inhabited by people who are racialized, marginalized and displaced by those in power, and we offer this land acknowledgement as a step in reexamining our relationship to that history. We offer our gratitude to the Indigenous peoples of many the Nations who continue to act as stewards of the land, and we encourage you to learn more about these vibrant communities.
History of New 42
In 1990, the New 42nd Street was formed to oversee the redevelopment of seven neglected and historic theatres on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues and to restore the block to a desirable tourist destination.
Since then, New 42 has transformed from an urban redevelopment organization to one of New York City’s most visionary cultural nonprofits. Its community includes professional artists rehearsing shows from Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theaters to the West End, teens participating in award-winning workforce development programs, international and American artists debuting work for young people, and educators and school kids and families from across the five boroughs. All of them are part of New 42’s pursuit to engage people in the arts at the earliest age possible, with a commitment to accessibility and affordability.
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.
New 42 Studios has evolved over the years into an incubator for developing new works, many of which have defined Broadway history in recent decades. Since its opening in 2000, New 42 Studios has served as the rehearsal space for over 1,000 Broadway/Off-Broadway/Touring companies, 655 workshops and readings, 431 regional theater productions, and more than 1,500 other creative projects. The historic productions that have rehearsed at New 42 Studios include sixteen Tony Award® winners for Best Musical or Best Play: The Producers (2001), Hairspray (2002), Jersey Boys (2005), Spring Awakening (2006), In the Heights (2008), Kinky Boots (2012), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2014), Hamilton (2015), Dear Evan Hansen (2016), The Band’s Visit (2017), The Ferryman (2018), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2018), Hadestown (2019), Moulin Rouge (2019), The Inheritance (2019), and Leopoldstadt (2022).
