Lifted
March 10 at 7pm, 12 at 7pm & 14 at 2pm and 7pm, 2026
by Mfoniso Udofia
directed by Josiah David
Special presentation in partnership with Wellesley Repertory Theatre
Wellesley Repertory Theatre will offer in-process presentations of the 7th play of the Ufot Family Cycle. Get ready to see creativity in action as WRT’s unique ‘text-in-hand’ presentations inform Udofia’s ongoing writing of this work-in-process.
This in-process presentation of Lifted invites audiences inside the creative process of a new play in active development. The workshop captures the play in motion, emphasizing immediacy, connection, and the thrill of watching new work take shape. Unique ‘text-in-hand’ performances present Lifted as a dynamic work-in-progress, with minimal tech elements and actors holding scripts onstage while the play evolves in real time. Playwright Mfoniso Udofia will introduce the show most nights, offering context about what she is exploring in the writing, and the questions driving the work at this stage. Scenes, structure, and text will continue to unfold throughout the run, making each presentation a unique opportunity for audiences to gain rare insight into new work development as they experience the next powerful story of the Ufot Family Cycle. There will be a post-show talkback after every presentation, in which audiences can directly engage with members of the creative team.
Synopsis: Lifted continues the story of Dr. Toyoima Ufot, a highly respected academic whose career is upended by an accusation of plagiarism. As the crisis escalates, she travels to Nigeria, a journey that forces her to confront personal history and opens a path toward healing. Toyoima is an ethnomusicologist, and singing will be woven throughout the play. To explore her inner life, the character is portrayed by three actors at once, each representing a different facet of her psyche: Front-Facing, Wrath, and Innocence.
CAST
Joaquina Kalukango as Toyoima Ufot
Credits include: TV: Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Lovecraft Country; Broadway theatre: Paradise Square (Tony & Drama Desk Award), Slave Play, Into the Woods, The Color Purple
Natalie D. Jacobs as Toyoima Ufot (Front-Facing)
Credits include:TV: (ABC, NBC, Showtime and AppleTV credits); Boston theatre: The Ceremony (Ufot play #6 - Toyoima; Chuang Stage); former Division 1 All-American athlete
Denise Manning as Toyoima Ufot (Wrath)
Credits include: TV: Vinyl; Off-Broadway: Rosie (dir. Danya Taymor); stand-up comedy and composer; performed and collaborated in 70+ new works with industry changemakers
Paul Pryce as Dr. Anthony Umanah
Credits include: Film: The Deliverer TV: Jessica Jones; Broadway/NY: King Lear (feat. Michael Potts), Harry the Hunk on His Way Out, Boston theatre: The Grove (Ufot Play #2 - The Huntington)
Lorraine Kanyike as Adiaha, Toyoima’s older sister
Credits include: Boston Theatre: A Raisin in the Sun, DIASPORA! (New Rep); Chicken and Biscuits (Front Porch Arts Collective); John Deserves to Die (Fresh Ink)
Chavez Ravine as Abasiama, Toyoima's mother and more
Credits include: TV/Film: Barbershop II, Prison Break; Theatre: The Bluest Eye, (New Victory/The Duke/The Arden Theatre/Steppenwolf), The Winter’s Tale (Chicago Shakespeare)
Aneisa Hicks as Idiabasi, Toyoima’s half-sister.
Credits include: TV: Chicago P.D., A League of Their Own, The Chi; Theatre: Her Portmanteau (ACT); Hurricane Diane (Theatre Wit)