InterAct Theatre Company to Present the unFRAMED: A Man in Progress, 3/30-4/1

InterAct Theatre Company will produce the Philadelphia Premiere production of Antigua-born poet, author, painter, and playwright Iyaba Ibo Mandingo's unFRAMED: A Man in Progress, directed by Brent Buell. A play that takes the audience into the artist's studio where Mandingo tells the story of his life as an immigrant in America, unFRAMED: A Man in Progress will be presented as part of InterAct's inaugural OUTSIDE THE FRAME: VOICES FROM THE OTHER AMERICA Festival, a four-week theatre event featuring works by leading, nationally-known story-tellers, solo artists, and monologists. The performances are Friday, March 30 @ 8 p.m.; Saturday March 31 @ 8 p.m.; Sunday, April 1 @ 2 p.m. at SkyBox of The Adrienne (2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia). Tickets are $25 and are available at 215.568.8079 or : www.InterActTheatre.org.

Winner of the 2011 Award for Excellence in Theatre from the DC Black Theatre Festival, "In unFRAMED writer and performer Iyaba Ibo Mandingo tells the story of his journey from Antigua to America. It wasn't without tribulations; navigating treacherous times without a father, Mandingo turned to art. unFRAMED puts the art front and center: Mandingo uses painting, poetry, prose and song to tell a story that echoes the lives of many." ? Times Herald Record.

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. Audiences are invited into the studio of the artist where painting and poetry ignite.

When asked why unFRAMED: A Man in Progress was chosen to be part of the OUTSIDE THE FRAME Festival, InterAct's Producing Artistic Director Seth Rozin explained, "I had heard about unFRAMED long before booking it for our festival. The piece had been performed at numerous colleges and performance festivals, generating an impressive backlog of enthusiastic reviews. unFRAMED is a compelling performance piece in which the very striking Antigua native Iyaba Mandingo details his incredible journey to America while simultaneously painting his self-portrait on stage in front of the audience. His story is both deeply personal and starkly political, revealing a man whose identity literally and figuratively changes through the course of his extraordinary saga to become an American. While our government continues to focus on the challenges and complexities of U.S. immigration from Mexico, I found myself drawn to Mandingo's story, which invites us into the psyche of an émigré of singular talent and determination."

unFRAMED is winner of the 2011 Excellence in Theatre Award from the DC Black Theatre Festival and has been presented all over the east coast, including Theatre 80, NYC (All for One Theatre Festival), 2011 Art of Justice Series at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in NYC, the Railroad Playhouse in Newburgh, the Puffin Cultural Forum, as a Spotlight show at the DC Black Theatre Festival; many colleges and universities (including York College, NY, Nichols College, MA); and the Hudson Valley Writers Center. InterAct's production of unfRAMED is presented in association with Double Play Connections and Doing Life Productions, Jane Dubin, Executive Producer. More information about Iyaba Ibo Mandingo and unFRAMED available here: www.unframedtheplay.com.

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