Orange County NC Website
ONE NOBLE JOURNEY: A BOX MARKED FREEDOM <br /> One Noble Journey: A Box Marked Freedom tells the true story about Henry"Box" <br /> Brown, an African American who was born a slave in 1816 in Louisa County, Virginia. <br /> At the age of thirty-three, he was bequeathed to his master's son, who sent him to <br /> work in his tobacco factory in Richmond. When Brown witnessed his wife and children <br /> °h< taken from him and sold to another state, he reached his breaking point and devised <br /> an escape plan that would have him sealed in a small wooden box and shipped to <br /> friends and to freedom in Philadelphia. <br /> In Mike Wiley's original historical drama, Brown's life unfolds like a Mark Twain <br /> -__ adventure, perilous and somber at times while humorous and heroic throughout. As is <br /> almost a trademark of Mike Wiley's one-person, multi-character theatre works, <br /> audience members join Wiley on stage, quickly and comfortably becoming pivotal players who help propel the <br /> historic action. One Noble Journey is available in a 50-minute student version with study guide for grades <br /> 3-up, in addition to a 90-minute full-length adaptation for general adult audiences. <br /> Mike Wiley, Playwright and Actor <br /> Actor and playwright Mike Wiley spent the first decade of his professional career <br /> fulfilling a focused mission to bring educational theatre to young audiences. His <br /> acclaimed work has now expanded to include audiences at performing arts <br /> centers and universities nationwide. In the early days of his career, Wiley found <br /> few theatrical resources to shine light on key events and figures in black history. To <br /> bring these often ignored stories to life, Wiley started his own production company. <br /> Through his work, he has introduced countless students to stories and legacies of <br /> Emmett Till, the Tuskegee Airmen, Henry "Box" Brown and more. Mike Wiley holds <br /> a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has i <br /> appeared on the Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel and the National <br /> Geographic Channel. Profiled in Our State magazine, Wiley is currently gaining <br /> additional acclaim and multiple "Best Actor" awards at film festivals in the US and <br /> Europe for the impressive Rob Underhill film EMPTY SPACE. Wiley is currently <br /> the Lehman Brady Visiting Professor at Duke University's Center for Documentary <br /> Studies and was featured at the 2009 Black Theatre Festival. He has been jury-selected for professional <br /> industry showcases by both the Midwest Arts Federation and Performing Arts Exchange. <br /> Wiley's professional touring productions include Dar He: The Story of <br /> Emmett Till, the riveting Blood Done Sign My Name based on the bestseller <br /> 17 by Tim Tyson, and five additional original one-person/multi-character works. <br /> In 2011, Wiley debuts his play The Parchman Hour, an ensemble <br /> performance commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders. <br /> I� <br /> "An intensely physical actor and writer who can turn <br /> on the charm like nobody's business... When it comes <br /> to working a crowd, Wiley makes <br /> ±° Bill Clinton look like a wallflower." <br /> Independent Weekly <br /> goingbarefoot 919.489. 1541 208.870.7235 going barefoot.com <br />