'Us Dialogues' to Follow Performances of UNFRAMED at John Jay, 9/23 -5

Immediately following this week's performances of Iyaba Ibo Mandingo's unFRAMED: A Man in Progress, directed by Brent Buell and presented by The Gerald W. Lynch Theater as part of the Art of Justice Series, in collaboration with Double Play Connections and Doing Life Productions, Jane Dubin, Executive Producer will be JUST-US Dialogues with a panel of contributors who are experienced in the themes of Art and Justice and represent different aspects of the performance.

Thursday, September 22 at 1:30pm: The Impact of Theater in Prisons with David Rothenberg of WBAI and the Fortune Society; Dino Johnson, Council for Unity, an organization working to keep children in the schools and away from gangs, and unFRAMED playwright Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, led by Brent Buell, director of unFRAMED, who spent 10 years with Rehabilitation through the Arts teaching theater in Sing Sing.

Friday, September 23 at 7:30pm: The Impact of Theater on the Community with Patricia Klausner, Broadway producer, Managing Director of the not-for-profit Shotgun Productions and a founder of Global Arts Initiative, an international arts education organization currently working in Africa; Brent Buell and Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, Master Teaching Artist in the tri-state area, led by Jane Dubin, producer and board member of Houses on the Moon Theater Company, seeking creative path to change.

Saturday, September 24 at 7:30pm: Immigration and Deportation with Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, Amy Gottlieb, Program Director, American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program, Emily Weiner, Artistic Director of Houses on the Moon, creators of De Novo, which chronicles the gripping true story of an undocumented youth and the harrowing journey across the border and through the US system of justice, and Herb Boyd, nationally renowned journalist and author.

ABOUT unFRAMED:

At the age of eleven, Iyaba is plucked from the tropical comfort of his childhood and taken to a new life in a strange country. unFRAMED is his poetic tale of life as an immigrant - from boyhood in Antigua to manhood in America. Using canvas, paint, poetry, prose and song, Iyaba Ibo Mandingo tells a story of his transformation. From ?Mommy Me No Wanna Go Merrica? - a prophetic piece that hints at the many trials he will face in a new land - to his powerful political poetry which leads to his arrest and attempted deportation in post 9/11 America, Iyaba shares his rage, his determination, and his hope while he paints his self-portrait and successfully struggles to redefine his humanity, rediscover his smile, and truly accept himself for the first time. Presented in conjunction with an exhibit of his original artwork, audiences are invited into the studio of the artist where painting and poetry create unframed art.

unFRAMED plays the following schedule: Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 1:30pm; Friday, September 23, 2011 at 7:30pm; Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 7:30pm

Running Time: 85 minutes, no intermission

Tickets are $20 ($10 students); $50 Premium Ticket is available to the Saturday, September 24 performance and includes a post-show reception with the artist.

Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 899 Tenth Avenue, NYC

Tickets are available online at http://www.ticketcentral.com or by phone: 212-279-4200.

For unFRAMED website/photos/videos, visit http://www.unFRAMEDthePlay.com