Boston, MA – CHUANG Stage, Boston’s Asian American professional non-profit theatre company, in partnership with Boston Playwrights’ Theatre (BPT) and Boston University School of Theatre, and catalyzed by The Huntington, proudly announces the cast and creative team for the world premiere of The Ceremony by acclaimed playwright Mfoniso Udofia, directed by Kevin R. Free. Performances run September 11 – October 5, 2025, at the Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre.

The ensemble bringing this sixth chapter of the Ufot Family Cycle to life includes:

Cast (in alphabetical order by last name):

Kadahj Bennett – EKONG UFOT
Natalie Jacobs – TOYOIMA UFOT
Salma Qarnain* – LAXMI “AMMA” RATHI
Natalya Rathnam* – ANJALI “AUNTIE” KAPALI
Adrian Roberts* – DISCIPLE UFOT
Mahima Saigal* – LUMANTI RATHI
Cheryl Singleton* – ABASIAMA UFOT
Regine Vital – ADIAHA UFOT

The Ceremony centers on Ekong, the eldest son of the Ufot family, as he prepares to marry Lumanti Rathi, a Nepali-American woman. The couple navigates the beauty and challenges of blending Ibibio and Nepali traditions while facing complicated family histories. With themes of love, legacy, and cultural fusion, the play is both a continuation of Udofia’s sweeping family saga and an intimate, deeply human love story. Tickets are on sale now and offered on a Pay-As-You-Are scale from $0–$85, reflecting CHUANG Stage’s radical commitment to community arts access.

Playwright Mfoniso Udofia shares:

“I’m so incredibly excited to be working with Boston’s preeminent Asian American–run theater company, CHUANG Stage, alongside Boston Playwrights' Theatre and Boston University School of Theatre — with vital inspiration and support from The Huntington.

This sixth play in the Ufot cycle belongs to Ekong. And it looks both forward and back — further illuminating characters we’ve come to know, specifically Disciple, while passing the baton to Ekong as he steps into a new chapter of manhood: the possibility of becoming a husband.”

Director Kevin R. Free adds:

“I have been a fan of Mfoniso Udofia and the Ufot Cycle for over a decade, and working with her on The Ceremony feels like winning the lottery! It is especially gratifying to join the close-knit Boston theatre scene to bring this loving, muscular, joyful play to life. Ekong and Lumanti search for a way their Ibibio and Nepali cultures might intertwine — for how their love can stretch to hold all. Their story is messy, tender, difficult, and — I hope — ultimately fulfilling.”

Alison Yueming Qu, Executive Director of CHUANG Stage, shares:

“Producing The Ceremony is a defining moment for CHUANG Stage — our most ambitious production to date, uniting an extraordinary team of artists to stage a celebration that spans cultures, continents, and generations. For us, producing Ufot Cycle plays is an act of power and purpose — to insist that diasporic stories and languages belong on our stages, on what it means to be descendants of immigrants in America, carrying pride in our skin, our heritage, and our tongues into the heart of American theatre.”

Boston Playwrights’ Theatre Artistic Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian notes:

“Boston Playwrights’ Theatre is dedicated to the voice and vision of the playwright – and so nothing could be more exciting to us than participating in a hugely ambitious project designed to uplift the voice and vision of an extraordinary (and locally grown!) writer like Mfoniso. We are honored to be part of the laboratory in which the Ufot Family Cycle is nurtured.”

Dean of Boston University College of Fine Arts Harvey Young reflects:

“Boston University is thrilled to join in this celebration of new work and transformative artistry. It is inspiring to see Boston’s theatre community come together in this way.”

About the Collaboration

Founded in 2018, CHUANG Stage is Boston’s Asian American professional non-profit theatre company, cultivating joyful and radical pan-Asian stories that pioneer translingual activism in the arts. As lead producer of The Ceremony, CHUANG Stage envisions a future in the American theatre driven by artists and audiences of Asian descent through innovative theatrical productions that honor the diverse language needs of the pan-Asian immigrant community. Nationally recognized for curating Asian American new plays and performances that advance the translingual aesthetic, CHUANG Stage’s work transforms Boston’s cultural landscape through multilingual storytelling and bold artistic collaborations.

Boston Playwrights’ Theatre (BPT) is dedicated to the voice and vision of the playwright. The company focuses on first and second productions of new plays by living writers that are text-forward and technically simple, centering vital questions in the lives of those in the region and amplifying voices historically silenced or ignored. In this time of great uncertainty and great possibility, BPT believes playwrights are essential to reflecting on the past, engaging with present challenges, and shaping the future.

The CFA School of Theatre is a nationally recognized program, with all the opportunities of a larger liberal arts university right at students’ fingertips. The School of Theatre believes each student is unique and should be able to pursue their individual interests while receiving strong foundational techniques within the art form. The Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre, home to many BU School of Theatre productions, is a state-of-the-art performance venue located in the heart of Boston University’s Fenway Campus designed to support both intimate storytelling and technically ambitious productions.

True to CHUANG Stage’s mission, The Ceremony will be presented under the company’s Pay-As-You-Are ticketing model — from $0 to $85 — designed to provide radical access to theatre for working-class immigrant communities and communities of color, including those historically underrepresented among Boston’s arts audiences. This model invites all attendees to select a ticket price that reflects their socio-economic status and to share in the collective responsibility of keeping the arts accessible for everyone.

About Mfoniso Udofia and the Ufot Family Cycle

When nationally acclaimed playwright Mfoniso Udofia grew up in Southbridge, Massachusetts and attended Wellesley College, she rarely saw stories about Africans and African Americans that felt true to her own family. Inspired in part by August Wilson’s Century Cycle, Udofia set out to create an emotionally engrossing cycle of nine plays that follows one Nigerian American family through three generations: parents, children, and grandchildren. Each play stands alone brilliantly, yet together they form a stunning tapestry that resonates universally.

The Ufot Family Cycle is an unprecedented two-year, city-wide festival in which theatres and arts organizations across Greater Boston will come together to produce Udofia’s nine-play cycle. This collaborative effort will engage universities, social organizations, non-profits, and a host of community activation partners, beginning this fall, to bring these interwoven stories to life on stages and in communities throughout the region.

The Ceremony

Produced by CHUANG Stage, in partnership with Boston University School of Theatre and Boston Playwrights’ Theatre

A World Premiere by Mfoniso Udofia

Directed by Kevin R. Free

Previews: September 11 – 18, 2025

Press Opening: September 19, 2025

Closing: October 5, 2025

Location: Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre, Boston University

Tickets: Pay-As-You-Are ($0–$85) — On sale now at https://www.chuangstage.org/the-ceremony

Creative Team: