Unless otherwise specified, all performances take place at the New Victory Theater at 209 West 42nd Street, and tickets range from $16 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, 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 2016-17 season. As always, they come from all over the globe and represent a wide range of genres—circus, drama, magic, puppetry, and more. If you follow the New Vic's age recommendations and your child's interests, you really can't go wrong with any of them. However, we've come up with a list of nine best bets that we're particularly excited to see. You can find the complete lineup on the New Victory website.

Best Bets for Preschoolers

Paper Dreams takes place in a cozy studio just right for toddlers and preschoolers. Photo by Oscar Perez.

Paper Dreams
Friday, November 11-Sunday, November 20 at the New 42nd Street Studios. $20. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 2-5
From the same troupe behind 2014's Minimón comes this intimate experience for very young theatergoers. Performed in a cozy studio with families sitting on cushions on the floor, the show features a pair of performers salvaging stories and sketches from the trash, and bringing them to life via movement, projections, and audience participation. A celebration of imagination that makes for a wonderful first-time theater experience. $20

Grug and the Rainbow
Saturday, May 13-Sunday, May 21, 2017 at the New 42nd Street Studios. $20. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 3-5
Inspired by Australian author/illustrator Ted Prior's book series about a cute little haystack looking creature, Windmill Theatre Co.'s 40-minute show is colorful and quirky. Families sit on benches just inches away from the studio stage, as Grug and his pals Cara the carpet snake and Snoot the echidna attempt to capture a rainbow—with the audience's help of course. After the performance, kids can pose with the puppets, a thrilling experience for tots.

Best Bets for Elementary School Kids

Mr. Popper's Penguins — Midtown West
Friday, October 14-Sunday, October 30. $25. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 4-7
Forget that middling Jim Carrey movie. This stage adaptation hews more closely to Richard and Florence Atwater's beloved 1938 book about a small-town family that is unexpectedly inundated with adorable but pesky penguins. With a vaudeville vibe, old-time tunes, and wonderful penguin puppets, this one-hour show is a great way to get your children's flippers...we mean feet wet when it comes to live entertainment.

Elephant & Piggie's We Are in a Play
Saturday, January 28-Sunday, February 5, 2017. $25. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 4-7
Two of Mo Willems' most beloved kid-lit characters leap from the page to the stage in this hour-long musical. Young fans of the Elephant and Piggie book series will love watching these BFFs tackle relatable questions like, should you share your ice cream? And, how can two friends play with one toy? Best of all, the actors aren't saddled with big-headed character costumes. The performers sell the stories and songs using talent and good old imagination.

Best Bets for Tweens

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Kids and parents will appreciate this new take on Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Photo by Claus Andersen.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea — Midtown West
Friday, September 30-Monday, October 10. Visit the website for the complete schedule.
Ages 8 and older
This theatrical reinvention of Jules Verne's 19th-century sci-fi novel plunges one of its modern-day fans into his favorite story, as he goes in search of a giant sea monster but ends up on a submarine with the volatile and secretive Captain Nemo. Jaw-dropping multimedia special effects bring their underwater adventures to life in stunning, steampunk-style visuals that should impress even jaded, Marvel movie-watching tweens. This family show was a hit in its native Canada, and is a fantastic way to introduce school-age kids to this iconic tale about man's place within the natural world.

Oh Boy!
Friday, January 6-Sunday, January 15, 2017 at the Duke on 42nd Street. $25. Visit the website for the complete schedule.
Ages 10 and older
After touring throughout Europe with the original French edition of this solo show, France's Théâtre Du Phare makes its US debut with an English version, a rich examination of what defines a family. When three nerdy young brothers are suddenly orphaned, will their twentysomething gay half-sibling step up and keep the family together? Oh Boy! explores some pretty complicated subjects head on, including death, sexual orientation, and the responsibility of raising kids. But it's told in a relatable, visually stimulating way, with one versatile performer inhabiting all the characters. Based on Marie Aude-Murail's novel of the same name, it's a great way to prep middle schoolers for more mature theatrical fare.

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.

Jason Bishop: Straight Up Magic
Friday, November 18-Sunday, November 27. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 6 and older
Watching world-class illusionists perform their unbelievable feats live onstage is a mind-boggling experience, much more impressive than watching Penn & Teller et al on TV. But have you checked the ticket prices for most magic shows lately? The real trick is figuring out a way to afford them. That's why you don't want to miss your chance to marvel at renowned magician Jason Bishop at the New Vic: it's amazing, affordable, and up close! This is the world premiere of Bishop's show, which he performs with some help from his lovely assistant and charming canine sidekick, Gizmo. Levitation, disappearing, sleight of hand, and other wonders are all on tap.

Mother Africa: My Home
Friday, December 2-Sunday, January 1, 2017. $20-$55. Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 5 and older
Every December, instead of mounting a traditional holiday show, the New Vic celebrates by importing a colorful circus spectacle. And we know from experience that Circus der Sinne's Mother Africa delivers a dazzling time! We raved about the last iteration of this exuberant, pan-African pageant featuring incredible live music and dancing, gorgeous tribal-inspired costumes, and acrobats, contortionists, and other athletes who buzz with energy, enthusiasm, pride, and joy. Though this edition is set in Cape Town, South Africa, the performers hail from multiple nations including Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and the Ivory Coast. An amazing, multicultural treat that really gets you into the spirit of the season.

Water on Mars
Friday, February 10-Sunday, February 26, 2017 . Visit the website for schedule and to buy tickets.
Ages 5 and older
This Swedish trio takes juggling to the next level. Forget defying gravity with pins and balls (though they're plenty skilled throwing those around). These guys conjure eye-popping visuals by tossing open bottles of water, bags of candy, and toilet paper into the air so their contents stream out to a hypnotic electro-pop soundtrack. Who knew juggling could be so amusing and diverse? Good luck stopping the kids from trying this at home.

Special Pre- and Post-Show Activities

In addition to shows, the New Victory has a variety of drop-in engagement programs that are free for ticket holders. Audiences can enjoy do-it-yourself Try This crafts and TXT Marks the Spot text-based scavenger hunts at every single show. Meanwhile, educator-led Arts Express theater games and post-show Talk-Backs occur at select performances. You can even get psyched for your upcoming show with Family Activities you can try at home. Other New Victory programs of note:

Family Workshops — Throughout the season, the New Vic hosts hands-on workshops related to its shows. Offerings include dance, storytelling, circus, design, and directing, and tickets must be purchased in advance. Note that the New Vic's Kids Weeks camps aren't happening during the 2016-2017 season.

Autism-Friendly Performances — As part of the New Vic's commitment to accommodating audiences of all needs, it hosts 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 former elementary 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 image: See the classical childhood tale, Mr. Popper's Penguins, this fall. Photo by Helen Murray. All photos courtesy of the theater.