DOUBLE PLAY CONNECTIONS, DOING LIFE PRODUCTIONS, and Jane Dubin, Executive Producer are pleased to present Iyaba Ibo Mandingo’s unFRAMED directed by Brent Buell as a Spotlight Show at the D.C. Black Theatre Festival. unFRAMED will play a limited engagement at the August Wilson Stage at the Studio Theatre (1501 14th Street, NW, Washington D.C.) Performances are Sunday, June 12 at 7 pm, Monday, June 13 at 7:30 pm, and Tuesday, June 14 at 7:30 pm.
The nation misread him,
The prison enraged him,
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His art expressed him,
His woman believed him,
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His poetry saved him.
“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
Using canvas, paint, poetry, prose and song, Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, formerly Kenny Athel George DeCruise - painter, poet, husband, father, son, and undocumented immigrant from Antigua - evolves the story of his life transformation.
At the age of eleven, Iyaba is plucked from the tropical comfort of his boyhood and taken to life in America where he must navigate his way to manhood without the guidance of a father; 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 that that would lead to his arrest and attempted deportation in post 9/11 America.
Iyaba shares his rage, his determination, and his hope while he paints a self-portrait and successfully struggles to redefine his humanity, rediscover his smile, and truly accept himself for the first time.
unFRAMED plays the following schedule
Sunday, June 12, at 7:00 pm
Monday, June 13, at 7:30 pm
Tuesday, June 14, at 7:30 pm
Tickets are $15 and are now available online at http://bit.ly/unFRAMEDtixatDCBTF.
Running Time: 85 minutes