Lynn Manning to perform 'Weights' in DC, March 5, 2008

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 7 PM
The George Washington University
Dorothy Betts Marvin Center Theater
801 21st Street NW, Washington, DC
Accessible entrance on I (“Eye”) Street NW, directly west of 21st

WEIGHTS
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY LYNN MANNING
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
(This performance will include ASL interpretation)

At 23, Lynn Manning lost his sight completely as the result of a gunshot wound he received during a senseless bar fight. In WEIGHTS, his autobiographical one-man show, Manning brings the audience into a world of sound through storytelling, poetry, music and the rhythms of life around him.

Manning illustrates the story of his upbringing in 1960s South Central Los Angeles, and the fateful incident which led to the loss of his sight. As he sets off down the road to independence, he must confront not only his fears and the new challenges of his everyday life, but the assumptions of others and his perceived weakness as a blind man in a sighted world.

Since its debut in 2001, WEIGHTS has been performed across the United States as well as overseas, in such locations as Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., Canada, and Croatia. In Los Angeles, Center Theater Group’s original 2001 production of WEIGHTS was not only critically acclaimed, but also won three NAACP Theater Awards, including Best Actor. As a television actor, Manning has appeared on 8 Simple Rules, Seinfeld and The Sinbad Show. Recognizing a need for theater and theater arts education in African American neighborhoods such as L.A.’s Watts community, Manning co-founded the Watts Village Theater Company and serves as both President of The Board and Literary Manager.

This event is the third in the lecture and performance series Disability, Social Justice, and the Body, sponsored by Disability Support Services, the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Student and Academic Support Services, Multicultural Student Services Center, English, Sociology, University Writing, American Studies, and Women’s Studies.