CHUANG Stage Reveals Cast for World Premiere of Mfoniso Udofia’s THE CEREMONY
Sixth play in the Ufot Family Cycle will run September 11–October 5 at Boston University’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre.
CHUANG Stage, Boston’s Asian American professional non-profit theatre company, will present the world premiere of The Ceremony by acclaimed playwright Mfoniso Udofia, directed by Kevin R. Free, in partnership with Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and Boston University School of Theatre, and catalyzed by The Huntington. Performances will run September 11–October 5, 2025, at the Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre, with tickets offered on a Pay-As-You-Are scale from $0 to $85.
The cast will feature Kadahj Bennett as Ekong Ufot, Natalie Jacobs as Toyoima Ufot, Salma Qarnain as Laxmi “Amma” Rathi, Natalya Rathnam as Anjali “Auntie” Kapali, Adrian Roberts as Disciple Ufot, Mahima Saigal as Lumanti Rathi, Cheryl Singleton as Abasiama Ufot, and Regine Vital as Adiaha Ufot.
The play follows Ekong, the eldest son of the Ufot family, as he prepares to marry Lumanti Rathi, a Nepali-American woman. Together, they will navigate the joys and challenges of blending Ibibio and Nepali traditions while confronting the weight of family history. With themes of love, legacy, and cultural fusion, The Ceremony continues Udofia’s sweeping Ufot Family Cycle while telling a deeply intimate love story.
The creative team will include playwright Mfoniso Udofia, director Kevin R. Free, co-dramaturgs Amrita Ramanan and Charles Haugland, production stage manager Jenna Worden, assistant stage manager afrikah selah, sound designer Aubrey Dube, scenic designer Cristina Todesco, lighting designer Yael Lubetzky, Costume Designer Chloe Moore, and props designer Zoe Charbonneau.
Founded in 2018, CHUANG Stage is nationally recognized for curating Asian American new plays and performances that advance a translingual aesthetic and champion immigrant voices. The company’s Pay-As-You-Are ticketing model is designed to ensure radical access for working-class immigrant communities and communities of color, inviting all audience members to select a price that reflects their circumstances while sustaining accessible theatre for all.
The Ceremony will run September 11–October 5, 2025, at the Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre at Boston University. Previews will take place September 11–18, with the press opening on September 19. Tickets are available now at chuangstage.org/the-ceremony.
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