What the Press Is Saying
(See many more articles below)
Over the course of these ninety riveting minutes of sheer lightning, the gentleman manages to sing, to dance and to act in a variety of ages and accents, and also tell his acclaimed spoken-word poetry and to captivate from his very first nanosecond on stage. As if none of this was enough, he manages to paint a self-portrait right before our eyes. - Andrew Martin, NiteLifeExchange
Mandingo. . . is a multitalented performer. His one-man show, "unFRAMED: A Man in Progress," directed by Brent Buell, is a tour de force, providing insight into the life of an immigrant artist and the trials and tribulations of his family and friends.- Herb Boyd, Amsterdam News
Seeing a person trying to be honest about himself and his life is always riveting, but to see someone who is immensely talented do so is beyond amazing!” - Donna Lamb, Caribbean Life
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. - Seth Rozin, Producing Artistic Director, InterAct Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
Artist and performer Iyaba Ibo Mandingo is undeniably talented. Though he describes himself "as a painter and a poet," in unFRAMED, Mandingo also demonstrates his abilites as a singer, dancer, performance artist, standup comedian and storyteller. With the aid of director Brent Buell (From Sing Sing to Broadway; The Gem Exchange), Mandingo combines his talents and produces a multimedia performance that is entertaining, thought-provoking and truly beautiful. -- Kevin Powell, Show Business Weekly
One of the most powerful, sometimes funny, often angry but ultimately life-affirming shows I've ever seen! GO EXPERIENCE IT!!! -- Frank Lowell, WQTB
If you are looking to see something that will have you talking for days, maybe weeks, go see unFRAMED. -- The Hudson Valley Parent
The play's ability to transcend race and class and give refreshing life to universal themes has made unFRAMED resonate so well across demographic boundaries. -- Peter Spengeman, Chronogram
Everyone needs to know what a fantastic -- simply great show this is. Humor, depth, artistry -- it has it all and it is truly an engaging and wonderful evening of theater . . . . Heart, heart, heart. GO to this show -it's one of the best evenings of theater you will experience and I cannot recommend it highly enough! --
Michele Peters, Esq., Audience Member
ARTICLES
Broadway World -- unFRAMED at AFO
Topically Yours--by Rainbow Soul--Deardra Shuler
American Theater Magazine--September 2011
Broadway World--unFRAMED Coming to Manhattan
Broadway World: DC Black Theatre Festival Presents unFRAMED
The Poetry Foundation: Out of Time, Out of Time
The Masters School--Westchester Poetry Festival
Seth Soloway and Brent Buell on WTBQ Radio 5/17/11 Part One
WTBQ Interview 5/17/11 Part Two (30 minutes)
Hudson Valley Writers Center Program Announcement
York College Academic Update, March 2011
York College Pandora's Box Review